AND NOW HERE’S THE NEWS: Hey, hey,...

AND NOW HERE’S THE NEWS: Hey, hey, the Monkees are back--and we mean the old gang (Davy, Micky and Peter), not the new improved version being packaged for an upcoming TV series. The group’s comeback album, “Pool It!,” will be out in mid-August from Rhino Records and represents the band’s first newly recorded disc in nearly 18 years. The first single will be a new song called “Heart & Soul,” with other titles including “Midnight,” “Movin’ In With Rico,” a new Tommy James song called “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “Long Way Home,” a new tune by Bobby Hart, who wrote several of the band’s original hits. . . . Wendy and Lisa (of Prince’s Revolution fame) have left the Purple Empire (the duo is on Columbia, not Prince’s Paisley Park Records label). And what can we expect from the pop pair’s new album? We’ll find out Aug. 24, when Columbia releases their new, self-titled album, co-produced by Wendy, Lisa and ex-Revolution drummer, Bobby Z. Songs include “Waterfall” (the first single), “Honeymoon Express,” “Sideshow” and “Blues Away.” . . . And paging NRBQ fans: Rounder Records has just released a CD-only compilation called “Uncommon Denominators,” featuring highlights from the band’s past six albums. NRBQ has also recently departed from Bearsville Records, and will be releasing a new album, tentatively titled “God Bless Us All,” for Rounder later this year.