The Summer of '99 may end up remembered as a year of reunions. The tax-bill inspired HAPPY MONDAYS reunion tour has sold out and even added extra dates. Most of the original lineup is back in place, including, most importantly, Bez. Meanwhile, the tantalizing STONE ROSES reunion rumors continue to rumble. Where is Burnweed with all those pre-millenium insights when you need him? [Editor's Note: He's already appeared!

The CHEMICAL BROTHERS are set to release their new album with a little help from their friends. NOEL GALLAGHER, BERNARD SUMNER, and MERCURY REV have contributed to the new album which is set to be released in May of this year.

The big NEW ORDER reformation is officially on for now, with the band expected to record a new album for release in 2000. In the interim, new stuff from THE OTHER TWO, MONACO, and ELECTRONIC are on the way, as well as the long-long-long delayed New Order 11 disc box set, "Recycle".

It's official... NEW ORDER are back in business! Former bassist Peter Hook told the BBC today that the band hit it off so well at last weekend's V96 Festival that they've booked studio time to record a new album, hopefully to see the light of day by next year. The band is scheduled in the studio sometime soon after Christmas, and have also stated their intent to put on a US tour in support of the new record.

A caution for those planning UK trips this summer: This year's Phoenix Festival has been cancelled, reportedly due to low advance ticket sales. What with the reformation of New Order being the main draw, we're all dumbfounded. BUT, both New Order and the Prodigy have been rescheduled to headline this year's Reading.

Summer Tours Preview, Part One: The summer and fall of 1998 will feature several bands and artists from the early MTV-era slogging about the U.S. for one more hurrah. Perhaps the biggest of the package tours features Culture Club , The Human League , and Howard Jones . Check out our tours page which should have the complete schedule for this tour within the next few days. Snyth pioneer Gary Numan , former teen-heart-throb John Taylor , and those happy-go-lucky lads from Kraftwork will also be touring the U.S. this summer, to say nothing of the seemingly endless Gene Loves Jezebel comeback tour. Can Xymox be far behind? The fall could feature some high-profile 80's standouts returning to U.S. shores, with both Depeche Mode and a New Order reunion tour possible.

As reported at Rolling Stone's website, New Order intend to play some Joy Division tracks during their performance at the Phoenix Festival in July. In addition, the band intends to record new material together for the first time in the better part of a decade. Whether this will result in a new single, new album, or simply a few new tracks included in the box set remains unclear. It seems that the long-anticipated box set will be released in two parts, the first of which is now scheduled for June.