Revitalizing the ’80s-rock sound has been keeping Motley Crue very busy.

Monday the band took part in a live taping of the weekly USA Network wrestling show “Raw is War.” Last night the metal band taped a live performance in Madison, Wis.

Tonight the Crue’s “Greatest Hits” tour will kick off right here in Ames. The tour will coincide with the release of Motley Crue’s “Greatest Hits,” hitting stores Oct. 27.

If you miss the concert or just want more of the Crue, tune in to the USA Network next Sunday for the live debut of “Bitter Pill,” which will air on “Sunday Night Heat.”

Then on Monday, Motley Crue’s “Wild Side” will appear on “Raw is War.” The song will feature D-Generation X wrestler Road Dog Jesse James helping out on vocals, reported Mike Magnuson of Rocktropolis.

Upcoming Releases

Pop vocalist Bob Khaleel will be greeting the new year with a new album, co-written by his longtime songwriting partner John O’Brien. “Known as ‘Bronx Style Bob,’ Khaleel first came to prominence as one of the early architects of the east coast old-school hip-hop scene,” a Hollywood Records press release said.

The upcoming album features guest appearances from many artists, including Poe and Josh Freese of Guns ‘N’ Roses. “People Watching” hits stores Jan. 26.

While Guns ‘N’ Roses is far from releasing any new material, the masses can flash back to the band’s glory days Oct. 27 via a 70-minute video.

“Welcome to the Videos” contains 13 of the band’s “greatest hits” spanning most of its albums. The video for “Don’t Cry” contains a clip with the late Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon.

Metallica will release a double disc compilation album on Nov. 24. “The album features material from the two previous ‘Garage Days’ cover albums, plus 11 new tracks,” MTV News said.

On Dec. 8, a DVD with footage from Metallica’s Load/Re-Load world tour will arrive in stores.

In other Metallica news, the band recently played a gig at the Playboy Mansion to celebrate Trey Parker’s upcoming movie, “Orgazmo.”

The eight song set included two covers. The Misfits’ “Die Die My Darling” and Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page,” which will also appear on “Garage Inc.”

Yesterday, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion released a new album titled “Acme.”

“This is the record that pulls together the wild and disparate world of the Blues Explosion into a sophisticated new dimension,” the band’s homepage said.

The 13-track album’s first video, “Talk About the Blues,” debuted on last Sunday’s “120 Minutes,” which also featured an interview with Liz Phair.

Through The Grapevine

If you enjoy the sound of such bands as Primal Scream and Prodigy, you may want to check out M2 on Nov. 5. The MTV offshoot network’s “Artist of the Month” for October, Kent, will be guest VJs.

The band’s overseas popularity is slowly but surely catching on in the United States.

Kent’s U.S. debut album, “Isola” was preceded by three releases in Sweden, two of which went platinum.

“The band also received Swedish Grammys for Best Pop Rock Group in ’96 and ’98,” an RCA press release said.