It’s hard to believe, but 25 years have passed since R.E.M. first unleashed their major label debut to the world, Green. In celebration of the milestone, the alternative rock guys have announced that they’ll release a special deluxe reissue of the album on May 14.

Van Halen has a pretty busy touring schedule this year, which includes gigs in Australia in April and Japan in June, but according to bass player Wolfgang Van Halen, new music may also be a part of the band’s 2013 plans.

Last week Iggy and the Stooges announced they had completed Ready to Die, their second studio album since reforming a decade ago. Now, the pioneering punk band is offering a preview of the disc in the form of a stream of the album’s lead single. “Burn,” the single, offers an incendiary blast of proto-punk that more than lives up to its title. Unlike The Stooges’ 2007 comeback album The Weirdness, Ready to Die features Raw Power-era guitarist James Williamson. Hence, the new disc is being presented as the proper follow-up to that seminal album, released by the band 40 years ago. (Sadly, original Stooge Ron Asheton passed away in January 2009.)

Lenny Kravitz is no longer set to portray Marvin Gaye in the long-awaited biopic about the late American soul singer. As reported by Deadline Hollywood, the lead role for the film, titled Sexual Healing, will now be filled by Law & Order alumnus Jesse L. Martin.

Guitar legend Alvin Lee of Ten Years After has died of complications after routine surgery, reports BBC News. He was 68.

Noel Gallagher believes there’s a lesson to be learned from the way David Bowie staged his recent return to making music. In a new interview with New Musical Express, Gallagher says Bowie’s new album serves notice that established artists shouldn’t be so quick to trade on past glories. “It's great to hear his voice singing something new,” says Gallagher. “The more you hear [the single] 'Where Are We Now?,' the better it gets. The video's mad – like his cat directed it."

Alice in Chains' fifth studio album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here comes out in May. It is the grunge legends’ second album with singer William DuVall who took over for the late Layne Staley.

Spin Doctors are getting ready to release their sixth studio album. If The River Was Whiskey is scheduled for a May 6 U.K. release. This time the quartet, who gained worldwide fame in the early nineties with songs like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can't Be Wrong,” are going back to the blues that first inspired them to be a band.

You can never have too many supergroups right? The latest one feature Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan. Along with Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin the trio is looking for several singers to record both new and old material they've written.

Classic Rock report that Kansas are getting ready for a one-off reunion with original members Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope and Robby Steinhardt. The event is set to take place on August 17 in Pittsburgh, PA. Drummer Phil Ehart says the band chose Pittsburgh because "Pittsburgh and the whole state of Pennsylvania discovered the band first. We came here in the early days and it was like our home from home."