R.E.M. (REM) - Album Reissues, Remasters, 'Rarities', etc

[driver8]

Thought I'd start a new thread for this, rather than clutter up the Collapse Into Now thread which is already up to 4 pages. Thanks to rustybin for this REM Wikipedia discography link, which set me off researching the re-issues. Upto about 5yrs ago I was bang up to date with everything REM had done, but lapsed a bit recently.

So firstly I wanted to get my head around the various re-issues over the years, and then checkout the internet-only releases. I'd already bought the 'Dutch' releases with extra tracks, followed by the CD+DVD twin packs, and then there's the 25yr anniversary remasters (ongoing project) ...

MFSL 'Original Master Recordings' (no extra tracks, improved sound quality especially the bass)
- Murmur
- Reckoning

1992/1997 'Dutch' or 'IRS Years Vintage' (with extra tracks, no remastering)
- Murmur
- Reckoning
- Fables

1999 - CD remaster ('mini-LP' style, by Bob Ludwig)
- Document (details here)

2005 - dvd and 'dual disc cd/dvd'
- Document - with 5.1 audio and promo videos

2005 CD+DVD (original quality CD, remastered 2.0/5.1 audio DVD, some video)
- Green
- Out Of Time
- Automatic For The People
- Monster
- New Adventures in Hifi
- Up
- Reveal
- Around The Sun
- 'In Time' Best Of

Internet-only releases
2001 - Not Bad For No Tour EP - Reveal promo audio & videos
2002 - r.e.m.IX album - Reveal remixes promo (free download here @ remhq.com)
2003 - A Joyful Noise : In Time With REM - free streaming interview
2003 - Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes here at iTunes - Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes (5 tracks)
2004 - iTunes Originals (30 tracks/interviews)
2008 - iTunes Live from London (9 tracks)

DVD/VHS releases
1987 - Succumbs (Videos)
1990 - Tourfilm (Concert Documentary) - £6.99
1990 - Pop Screen (Videos)
1991 - This Film Is On (Videos) - £5.85
1995 - Parallel (Videos) - £5.45
1996 - Road Movie (Documentary) - £14.79
2003 - In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Videos) - £8.99
2004 - Perfect Square (Live) - £10.99
2006 - When the Light Is Mine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 (Videos) - £17.99
2007 - R.E.M. Live (Live) dvd+2cd - £5.98
2009 - Live At The Olympia (This Is Not a Show) dvd+2cd - £12.99
2009 - Live At The Olympia - 2cd - £6.99
2010 - Live from Austin, TX (Live) - £10.99

Studio Bootlegs

• 1981-86 - The Essential Demos vol1
• 1983-86 - Those Were The Days (demos)
• 1983 - Elliot Mazer Demos
• 1987 - 'Sleeping Songs' (Document Demos, John Keane's Studio)
• 1988 - Green Demos, The Complete Green Demos
• 1991 - Outtakes Of Time, Slightly Out of Time, Time of Outtakes
• 1993 - Life's Rich Pageant demos
• 1998 - Up Demos (Zimmerman-remastered)
• 2001 - Reveal (Version 1.0 tracks)
• 'Ultra Rare Tracks'
• Fan Club or 'Xmas Single' releases

REM 'bootlegs' for sale at Amazon
There now appears to be a loophole that allows US broadcasts to be released in the UK
Songs For A Green World: The Classic 1989 Broadcast [Live] - £7.76

REM breakup discussion thread is here - R.E.M. no more

25th Anniversary re-issues (remastered original, plus 2nd disc) - ongoing project
2008 - Murmur (cd2: live in Toronto, 1983) - from £9.93
2009 - Reckoning (cd2: live in Chicago, 1984) - from £8.49
2010 - Fables (cd2: Athens demos) - from £11.80
2011 - Pageant (cd2: Athens demos) - from £11.99
2012 - Document (cd2: 1987 live @ Muziekcentrum Vredenburg, Utrecht, Holland - from £14 (£11 download)
2013 - Green (cd2: Live - Greensboro Coliseum, NC 11/10/1989)
2016 - Out Of Time (cd2: demos and outtakes) - £15 on Amazon
2017 - Automatic for the people
2019 - Monster
2021 - New Adventures in Hifi
2023 - Up
2026 - Reveal
2029 - Around the Sun
2033 - Accelerate
2036 - Collapse Into Now

[ascender]

Great thread and opening post!

My REM collection in terms of singles, b-sides, rarities etc was going well until round about the time of New Adventures and then I tended to just buy the albums. I've always meant to try and check out their back catalogue and see if I can pick up some of the other tracks I've missed so this will give me impetus to start looking.

[obidan23]

To repeat ascender, good opening post!

I've also got IRS Vintage Years of the following with bonus tracks which are worth adding to the list:

Lifes Rich Pagent
Tired Of Singing Trouble
Rotary Ten
Toys In The Attic
Just a Touch (Live In Studio)
All I Have To Do Is Dream
Swan Swan H (Acoustic Version)

Document
Finest Worksong (Other Mix)
Last Date
The One I Love (Acoustic Live)
Time After Time Etc. (Live)
Disturbance At The Heron House (Live)
Finest Worksong (Lengthy Club Mix)

Dead Letter Office
Gardening At Night (Acoustic)
All The Right Friends (Two Track)

I've also got a US DVD version of Document that was never issued over here in a similar oversized jewel case like the first issue DVD version of Reveal etc. Not listened to it for a long time though but worth tracking down as they never re-issued it as a CD/DVD version.

[driver8]

[driver8]

thanks obidan23 - I'll look into that Document dvd, but 'IRS Vintage Years' are listed in the op - I avoided detailing the tracks cos it would make things too cluttered.

EDIT

2005 - Document (DVD) - Capitol Records (whose parent company EMI now own I.R.S. Records' catalog) issued an expanded DualDisc edition of Document which includes a digitally remastered version of the album on the CD side, a DVD-Audio, DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner on the DVD side, and the original CD booklet.

This disc will not play on a conventional CD player. Play this disc only on systems that feature a DVD logo. This disc will play four ways:
Advanced Resolution Surround, Advanced Resolution Stereo, DTS 5.1 Surround Sound and DVD-Video Compatible Dolby Digital 5.1.

[mikef]

Isn't there a kerfluffle over the 2008 remaster of Murmur (and possibly the 2009 Reckoning)? Hadn't it been remixed or restructured somehow so that the 'murkiness' was lost?

I ought to go and get the early albums on CD, I havent played the vinyl for years...I loved them massively at the time...I remember the gigs promoting Reckoning

thanks for the post!!

mikef

[obidan23]

The Document DVD I've got isn't the DualDisc, it's a one sided DVD Audio. I guess it's probably the same as the DualDisc apart from the overside jewel packaging. You'll find it on Amazon.com if you search for rem document dvd.

I didn't see those three IRS releases listed in your original post - good point about the tracklisting though

[Guest 25784]

Originally Posted by mikef

Isn't there a kerfluffle over the 2008 remaster of Murmur (and possibly the 2009 Reckoning)? Hadn't it been remixed or restructured somehow so that the 'murkiness' was lost?

I ought to go and get the early albums on CD, I havent played the vinyl for years...I loved them massively at the time...I remember the gigs promoting Reckoning

thanks for the post!!

mikef

Yup, the 2008 Murmur remaster really does make the whole album sound quite different. Murmur is one of my favourite albums, and I was very excited to get hold of the remaster, but I can't listen to the remaster at all, I just find it very grating. I'm not enough of an audiophile to know the right words to describe what's been done, but yes, the remaster definitely loses the 'murkiness'.

[driver8]

So these are the studio bootlegs that I've collected -

- anyone know of any more worth hunting down ?
- of the 'Out of Time' demo discs, anyone know which is considered the best ? (I've listened enough (a while back) to know that the vocals are different across the 3 versions, but not done side-by-side comparisons or each track.)

Studio Bootlegs

• 1981-86 - The Essential Demos vol1
• 1983-86 - Those Were The Days (demos)
• 1983 - Elliot Mazer Demos
• 1987 - 'Sleeping Songs' (Document Demos, John Keane's Studio)
• 1988 - Green Demos
• 1988 - The Complete Green Demos
• 1991 - Outtakes Of Time
• 1991 - Slightly Out of Time
• 1991 - Time of Outtakes
• 1993 - Life's Rich Pageant demos
• 1998 - Up Demos (Zimmerman-remastered)
• 2001 - Reveal (Version 1.0 tracks)
• 'Ultra Rare Tracks'
• Fan Club or 'Xmas Single' releases - guessing everyone knows about these, but thought I'd add them here. The fanclub is actually great value - US$12 iirc - I was a member for a few years. (I wonder how much the packs go for on ebay - anyone know ?)

[driver8]

updated with dvd info

[biddy]

I wish someone would issue legitimate releases of both of the MTV unplugged recordings. The Nirvana CD is superb and all the REM tracks I have from the recordings sound great, but I really wish I could get them in a proper release.

[ascender]

Thanks for the updates and the info about the study bootlegs which I missed before, I'll have a look at the weekend and try to fill in some of the missing blanks in my collection.

[Woz]

If you want recommendations for non-studio bootlegs, then Bingo Handjob From The Borderline is fantastic. Recorded when they were just about at their peak in a tiny club under an assumed name. Includes Billy Bragg on some tracks.
They were supported by The Chickasaw Mud Puppies. I have both their albums too - very hard to get hold of. REM appear on a number of tracks.

[larrymarr]

couple of R.E.M things on BBC4 tonight, 'R.E.M at the BBC' and 'Later with Jools Holland presents R.E.M'

gotta catch as much R.E.M as you can these days on TV

[driver8]

Anyone got this yet ? Seems to get a couple of good reviews on Amazon, although as usual you're not sure whether these are industry insiders, or whether the posters have even heard the latest reissue.

£14 - Document - 25th Anniversary Edition [Double CD] // Pricedemon - £14+ (£10.99 download)

This is one of their best albums for me, and 'Oddfellows Local' one of my fave tracks - hoping it sounds awesome remastered.

[ColinD]

its also on spotify

[Guest 83578]

thanks for sharing R.E.M albums update here. I love their music and I have some collections here too.

[Guest 79606]

Originally Posted by driver8

Anyone got this yet ? Seems to get a couple of good reviews on Amazon, although as usual you're not sure whether these are industry insiders, or whether the posters have even heard the latest reissue.

£14 - Document - 25th Anniversary Edition [Double CD] // Pricedemon - £14+ (£10.99 download)

This is one of their best albums for me, and 'Oddfellows Local' one of my fave tracks - hoping it sounds awesome remastered.

I pre-ordered this as soon as it was announced seeing as the deluxe set for Life's Rich Pageant seemed to disappear from retailers pretty quickly.

I've not listened to the first disc yet but have done a copy of the live disc for the car and that seems ok.

Interestingly, I paid £13 for this from HMV.com but when I went to their Doncaster store that same week it was only £10.

[McD]

Originally Posted by Nostromo71

I pre-ordered this as soon as it was announced seeing as the deluxe set for Life's Rich Pageant seemed to disappear from retailers pretty quickly.

I've not listened to the first disc yet but have done a copy of the live disc for the car and that seems ok.

Interestingly, I paid £13 for this from HMV.com but when I went to their Doncaster store that same week it was only £10.

I picked it up from HMV on release day for £10. Although it initially came up as £24 at the till.

[Guest 14046]

Anyone know if these 25th anniversary re-issues are continuing onto the Warners years ?

Also, are we likely to get single discs versions of the remasters ? box set ??