Neil Diamond's Dreams debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.  Elton John and Leon Russell's The Union fell 4 places to #10.  Rod Stewart's Fly Me To The Moon... The Great American Songbook Vol. 5 dropped 3 spots to #11.  Elvis Costello's National Ransom debuted at #39.

"As She's Walking Away" by the Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson climbed 4 spots to #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. 

Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits debuted at #2 on the U.K. Albums chart.  Rod Stewart's Fly Me To The Moon... The Great American Songbook Vol. 5 debuted at #5.  Neil Diamond's Dreams debuted at #8.  Barbra Streisand's The Ultimate Collection fell 5 places to #13.  Elton John & Leon Russell's The Union dropped 14 spots to #26.  The Pet Shop Boys' Ultimate debuted at #27.  Bryan Adams' Bare Bones debuted at #35.  Phil Collins' Going Back fell 9 places to #38.  Cliff Richard's Bold As Brass dropped 17 spots to #39.

Shakespears Sister's "Stay" returned to the U.K. Singles chart after 18 years claiming the #12 spot.

Singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, 63, was admitted to a hospital in Bournemouth, England last week and was put on life support after collapsing at his home.  Spinner.com reported that it was due to kidney failure and the London Evening Standard reported that it was liver failure.  His fiancee, daughter and two step-daughters were told that he had little chance of survival and the life support machine was turned off.  Oddly enough, his condition began to improve and, although he remains in critical condition, doctors hope he will stabilize enough to be moved to London for treatment.  Rafferty released 3 albums during the decade (1980's Snakes And Ladders, 1982's Sleepwalking and 1988's North And South) but is best known for his 1978 massive hit single, "Baker Street."

The first official single to be released of Michael Jackson's posthumous album, Michael, will be "Hold My Hand" featuring Akon.  An unfinished version of the song leaked back in 2008 but you can pick up the real deal on Nov. 15th.  Michael is due out Dec. 14th via Epic Records.

Suicide Commando will release, "Death Cures All Pain," as the second single from their Implements Of Hell album on Nov. 26th.

Erasure plan to record a new version of their hit, "A Little Respect," next month to benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute and Cyndi Lauper's charity, the True Colors Fund.  The new version will be released as a download and will be accompanied by a documentary-style video.

Einsturzende Neubauten have released a new compilation, Strategies Against Architecture IV, via iTunes to celebrate their 30th anniversary.  A double-disc physical release is expected via Mute Records on Dec. 7th.

Jimmy Somerville recently worked with producers Jimmy and John Winfield on 4 songs for a new 4-track release, Bright Thing EP, which has been making its rounds to French radio stations as he is currently touring the area with RFM Party 80: Love & Party 2010.

The Human League have announced that they will release, Credo, their new studio album early next year.  The first single, "Night People," will be released on Nov. 22nd.

Donnie Iris & The Cruisers will be releasing a new holiday CD entitled Ah! Leluiah!: The Christmas Album on Nov. 18th.  Fans that pre-order the album at DonnieIris.com may even see it shipped a bit early.

Mr. Big singer Eric Martin will release his new solo album, Mr. Vocalist 3, exclusively in Japan.  The series has seen him covering hit songs by many Japanese female artists.  In fact, Debbie Gibson has sung a duet of the song "Sekaiju no Dare Yori Kitto" for the album.  He will be returning the favor on her first Mrs. Vocalist album.

Mr. Mister will see, Pull, their previously-unreleased fourth and final studio album (recorded in 1990) released digitally on Nov. 23rd via RCA/Legacy while physical CD packages will be made available at MrMisterOfficial.com and LittleDumeRecordings.com.

Happy Mondays leader Shaun Ryder has signed up for the U.K. celeb reality series, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.  He told Britain's Daily Mail, "I'm going to be very nice in the jungle.  People are going to see a new side to me.  I'm a 48 year-old family man now.  I won't be swearing and I'm going to miss my kids loads in there."

Drummer Lars Ulrich recently told The Pulse Of Radio that the main thing Metallica wants to do is "to get back to writing again."  "We haven't really written since, what, '06, '07, and we want to get back to kind of just being creative again."

Graham Parker will release his first-ever live performance DVD, Graham Parker & The Figgs: Live At The FTC, via Primary Wave Records on Dec. 7th.

Gang Of Four will release, Content, their first new studio album in 16 years via Yep Rock Records on Jan. 25th.

Guns N' Roses have reportedly started talking amongst themselves about a new album.  Guitarist D.J. Ashba got more than a few people excited by mentioning this at a video game release party for Call Of Duty: Black Ops last week in Santa Monica.  Guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal addressed it this week on his Facebook page, "We've yet to get in a room and write as a band."  And said that he didn't "want y'all expecting anything soon."

Cleopatra Records plan to release a 12-track CD/DVD White Lion live compilation, Concert Anthology 1987-1991, on Nov. 23rd.

REO Speedwagon have re-released their Christmas album, Not So Silent Night...Christmas With REO Speedwagon, through Sony Music/Legacy.  The album features the original 13 tracks and adds 3 bonus tracks ("Sleigh Ride," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "I Believe In Santa Claus.")  Fans purchasing the album through the band's website or at merchandise booths at live shows will receive exclusive autographed copies and an additional exclusive download track, "We Three Kings."

A sample of "Being Followed," a new song off Duran Duran's upcoming Mark Ronson-produced album, has surfaced on YouTube.  Ronson debuted the sample of the song on his East Village Radio program.  The album will be titled All You Need Is Now and it will be released exclusively via iTunes on Dec. 21st with a physical release heading to stores in February.  The title track will be released as the first single via iTunes on Dec. 14th.



The song isn't the first to debut on Ronson's show.  "Blame The Machine" has also popped up.



Plans are also to film a video for each song on the album, which they haven't done for a long time.

Norwegian rock act TNT release their new studio album, A Farewell To Arms, in Japan on Dec. 15th via Avalon/Marquee. 

Janes Addiction continue to write new material with plans to enter the studio next month to start the recording process.  Hopes are to get a new album out early next year.

Agnostic Front have entered the studio to work on their follow-up to 2007's Warriors.  Nuclear Blast plan to release the album early next year.

Original Jetboy vocalist Mickey Finn has officially announced his departure from the band.  Jetboy have plans to continue without Finn and tour Europe during November and December.  Finn has urged the band to choose another name as he believes it would not be Jetboy anymore.  Meanwhile, Finn has a new band called Cold Blue Rebels that have completed work on a debut album.

Manowar bassist/producer Joey DeMaio has cleared up the confusion on why the new album, Hammer Of The Gods, seems to be in limbo.  It seems that their original drummer Donnie Hamzik has returned and they had to evaluate, re-write and, in some situations, throw out some of the songs they'd written.  The album is expected to be the first installment of The Asgard Saga -- a unique multimedia collaboration with best-selling fantasy fiction author Wolfgang Hohlbein.

Just before the celebration begins on the 40th anniversary of Queen's formation, in 1971, Universal Music Group have signed a deal that will see their Island label remaster and repackage each of the band's 15 studio albums.  The first 5 albums will surface in March.

German record label Edel has announced deluxe-edition reissues of W.A.S.P.'s first two albums (1984's W.A.S.P. and 1985's The Last Command) due out on Nov. 19th.  The reissues include the original album and a second disc of B-sides and live tracks.

Jazz pianist/keyboardist James "Sid" Simmons, 63, died from cardiac arrest on Nov. 5th at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after a long battle with cancer.  Simmons had appeared on many albums by Grover Washington, Jr. including 1988's Then And Now.  He would also appear on violinist John Blake's 1988 solo album, New Beginning.

Heading to stores near you next week:  Annie Lennox - A Christmas Cornucopia, Bryan Adams - Bare Bones, Freddie Jackson - For You, Heaven & Hell - Neon Nights, The Church - Seance, The Church - Heyday, Dwight Yoakam - Population Me/Dwight's Used Records, Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker, Fugazi - Red Medicine, Fugazi - Steady Diet Of Nothing, Jesu - Heart Ache & Dethroned, The Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro, Motorhead - Another Perfect Day, Motorhead - Orgasmatron, Motorhead - Rock 'N' Roll, Motorhead - No Remorse, Billy Joel - The Hits, Bee Gees - Mythology, Camel - Rainbow's End: A Camel Anthology 1973-1985, Dave Brubeck - The Definitive Dave Brubeck On Fantasy, Concord Jazz And Telarc, Dennis Brown - Crown Prince Of Reggae Singles 1972-1985 and Julian Cope - Floored Genius Vol. 2