Catalog reissues seem to be happening with great frequency lately.  The latest band to receive the reissue treatment is R.E.M.  This is only a Warner Bros. project; anything prior to 1988’s Green is not included.  So what we have here is the major-label, arena rock-sized R.E.M. From Green to last year’s Around the Sun, each album includes a disc for the original album and a DVD with the album in 5.1 surround sound and a few extras thrown in for good measure.

2005 marks 25 years of R.E.M. After releasing several critically acclaimed records and developing a loyal fan base the band moved to a major label and found themselves becoming one of the world’s most popular bands.  In the 1980’s R.E.M. had been brought up under the “alternative” sounds and attitudes that helped to influence a whole generation of new bands that were coming into fashion in the late 80’s, early 90’s.
 
The Warner Bros. debut, Green, is an album that has one foot firmly in the R.E.M. tradition but had also developed a broader sound.  R.E.M. became identifiable on MTV by being the exact opposite of what all the contemporary bands were doing on television at the time.  The DVD portion of Green includes the video for “Orange Crush”, demonstrating Michael Stipe’s “don’t lip-synch in videos” rule, and a short documentary filmed for the albums release.  The documentary is not too revelatory but interesting for fans.
 
In the years following Green, R.E.M. became one of the most popular bands in the world and did so without touring.  Out of Time was released in 1991 and is marked as a step forward in production values and experimentation.  The album’s centerpiece, “Losing My Religion”, is a song that is both difficult and universal, ranking as one of the best known songs of all-time.  The rest of the album includes pretty, but ultimately forgettable songs, barring a few exceptions like the Mike Mills sung “Near Wild Heaven”.
 
The Out of Time DVD includes another documentary about the making of the record; most notable for the stripped down, acoustic performances of several album tracks, and also the video for “Losing my Religion”.
 
R.E.M. followed Out of Time with the commercial and critical success of Automatic for the People, a grand and lush record that sits as the pinnacle of the band’s latter-career achievements.  
 
With the promise of the first tour in several years R.E.M. delivered their first loud rock album.  Monster was lauded by critics who wanted a rough R.E.M. album with a focus on coarse guitars and sonic sounds.  While not considered as superb as Automatic, the album still offered impressive songs and an upbeat noise to go out and tour with.  The DVD includes another short documentary with a few live performances.
 
The Monster tour was derailed when drummer Bill Berry suffered a brain aneurysm while on stage.  Emergency surgery saved him and put the band back on the road within a month.  The band went back to the studio and with the release of New Adventures in Hi-Fi; Berry announced he would be leaving the band.  The remaining members have carried on as a three-piece, quietly releasing albums (1998’s Up and 2001’s Reveal) up to last years Around the Sun.  Many of the “signature” R.E.M. sounds have been abandoned for songs with a pronounced singer-songwriter vibe.
 
All of the band’s Warner Bros. records, including the greatest hits set, are part of this reissue campaign.  The addition of the 5.1 audio DVD is great for fans who want to enjoy the soundscapes in high resolution audio.  The whole collection is an excellent reminder of R.E.M.’s great moments and remarkable songs.  A band that was once at the avant-garde of rock and pop has, over time, become one of the truly classic and essential bands.  Now if we can get an IRS reissue of the outstanding early albums.

R.E.M – Warner Bros. Reissues
Label: Warner Bros.
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Listen to Samples and Purchase The CD online by clicking on the album title
GREEN (1989)
OUT OF TIME (1991)
AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (1992)
MONSTER (1994)
NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI (1996)
UP (1998)
REVEAL (2001)
IN TIME: THE BEST OF R.E.M. (2003)
AROUND THE SUN (2004)

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