An REM thread for r.e.m. stuff

[gargumma]

Do you guys remember which show R.E.M. ended up playing mostly only covers?

Wasn't it this one?

A HECKLER STIRS UP R.E.M. DURING FABLED 1985 GIG (AND THE BAND NEARLY FIGHTS THE HECKLER!)

Actually, in 1985 they used to play lots of covers per gig. See also Albany and Toronto, for example.

 

[Ambassador Hyena]

Someone asked a while back but it was never answered, so I'll ask again... In 2009 to promote Live at The Olympia, The Times released an iTunes-exclusive EP that is now unavailable called "The Times Presents R.E.M. Live in Dublin" that features 10 songs: 5 are from the final album, and the other 5 were unreleased, they are...

• Losing My Religion
• Man on the Moon
• The One I Love
• Orange Crush
• (Don't Go Back To) Rockville

On the EP, every song-title has "(Live in Dublin)" attached without any specific date. Like the person who asked before said, I'm assuming that those 5 unreleased songs weren't actually from the 2007 rehearsals like the rest of the album, but instead from the 2005 Dublin show that was released on R.E.M. Live. The latter is most-likely because the final Olympia album doesn't include these tracks or any other concert-staples from the time such as Everybody Hurts, Bad Day or Imitation of Life. If anyone actually manages to still have the EP in their iTunes can they check and make-sure those songs are indeed the same as the ones from R.E.M. Live, thanks.

 

[fanofrem]

Monster 25 tracklist I found on facebook
Coming November 1st, 2019
DISK: 1
1. What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
2. Crush With Eyeliner
3. King Of Comedy
4. I Don't Sleep, I Dream
5. Star 69Strange Currencies
6. Strange Currencies
7. Tongue
8. Bang And Blame
9. I Took Your Name
10. Let Me In
11. Circus Envy
12. You
DISK: 2
1. Pete's Hit
2. Uptempo Mo Distortion
3. Uptempo Ricky
4. Harlan County with Whistling
5. Lost Song
6. AM Boo
7. Mike's Gtr
8. Sputnik 1 Remix
9. Black Sky 4-14
10. Revolution 4-21
11. Rocker with vocal
12. Time Is On Mike's Side
13. 1Experiment 4-28 no vocal
14. Highland Fling 4-29
15. Cranky 4-29
DISK: 3
1. What's The Frequency, Kenneth? (2019 Remix)
2. Crush With Eyeliner (2019 Remix)
3. King Of Comedy (2019 Remix)
4. I Don't Sleep, I Dream (2019 Remix)
5. Star 69 (2019 Remix)
6. Strange Currencies (2019 Remix)
7. Tongue (2019 Remix)
8. Bang And Blame (2019 Remix)
9. I Took Your Name (2019 Remix)
10. Let Me In (2019 Remix)
11. Circus Envy (2019 Remix)
12. You (2019 Remix)
DISK: 4 (Live 3 June 1995 - Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, IL)
1. What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
2. Circus Envy
3. Crush With Eyeliner
4. Near Wild Heaven
5. Welcome To The Occupation
6. Undertow
7. I Took Your Name
8. Strange Currencies
9. Me In Honey
10. Revolution
11. Tongue
12. Man On The Moon
13. Country Feedback
14. Monty Got A Raw Deal
DISK: 5 (Live 3 June 1995 - Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, IL)
1. Losing My Religion
2. You
3. Departure
4. Orange Crush
5. Get Up
6. Star 69
7. Let Me In
8. Everybody Hurts
9. So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
10. Pop Song 89
11. Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
DISK: 6
1. Monster - 5.1 Surround Sound
2. Monster - Hi-Resolution Audio
3. Road Movie (concert film)
4. What's The Frequency, Kenneth? (music video)
5. Crush With Eyeliner (music video)
6. Star 69 (music video)
7. Strange Currencies (music video)
8. Tongue (music video)
9. Bang and Blame (music video)

 

[inyourroom]

Monster 25 tracklist I found on facebook
Coming November 1st, 2019
DISK: 1
1. What's The Frequency, Kenneth?....

I'm a little doubtful:
- the 2 albums even more successful than this one "only" had 3+1 disc reissues
- an entire disc of (possibly) only unreleased songs/demos, plus a full live show that might have been chosen because of its suspiciously high amount of songs performed during the tour but not found on Road Movie or the BBC Milton Keynes show (Circus Envy, Near Wild Heaven, Welcome To The Occupation, Me In Honey, Monty Got A Raw Deal, You, So. Central Rain) seem like wishful thinking to me
- an entire disc of brand new remixes wouldn't be the most R.E.M. thing to do
Still, it could be accurate, we should know quite soon.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm a little doubtful:
- the 2 albums even more successful than this one "only" had 3+1 disc reissues
- an entire disc of (possibly) only unreleased songs/demos, plus a full live show that might have been chosen because of its suspiciously high amount of songs performed during the tour but not found on Road Movie or the BBC Milton Keynes show (Circus Envy, Near Wild Heaven, Welcome To The Occupation, Me In Honey, Monty Got A Raw Deal, You, So. Central Rain) seem like wishful thinking to me
- an entire disc of brand new remixes wouldn't be the most R.E.M. thing to do
Still, it could be accurate, we should know quite soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Monster-CD-B...ix=r.,music-intl-ship,224&sr=1-1&tag=v06a8-20

 

[inyourroom]

I was wrong, but I really don't mind
https://www.remhq.com/news/monster-...ue-set-for-release-november-1-2019-monster25/

 

[gargumma]

I'm a little doubtful:
- the 2 albums even more successful than this one "only" had 3+1 disc reissues
- an entire disc of (possibly) only unreleased songs/demos, plus a full live show that might have been chosen because of its suspiciously high amount of songs performed during the tour but not found on Road Movie or the BBC Milton Keynes show (Circus Envy, Near Wild Heaven, Welcome To The Occupation, Me In Honey, Monty Got A Raw Deal, You, So. Central Rain) seem like wishful thinking to me
- an entire disc of brand new remixes wouldn't be the most R.E.M. thing to do
Still, it could be accurate, we should know quite soon.

According to the email I got today, and the many message boards I've been reading yesterday and today about the new release:

- it's weird that they dedicate this much room and effort to Monster while OOT and AFTP had less, I agree. But we got something different. That should be good.
- the demos disc is not all unreleased. The band used different working titles for one same song. Some of the titles you see on the post are songs we already know. To pull something from another forum I read, "Time Is On Mike’s Side is Strange Currencies. Cranky is Star 69. Mike’s Gtr is Let Me In. 1Experiment (shortened from Experiment In Terror) is I Don’t Sleep, I Dream."
- the live CD is a reality. According to a guy who worked on this release, from what I read in another forum, the main concern was getting a good show that wasn't widely circulated this time around. Apparently, R.E.M. has A LOT of shows from this era recorded in multitrack.
- the remix disc is not made out of remixes in the, say, "house music sense", or in the sense that KOC had that awful 808 State remix. These are remixed tracks by Scott Litt himself, and this is likely the album as he wanted it to be originally, but apparently didn't have time to give it a proper consideration at the time, as he was rushed to present a final product.

I'm sure the "remastered" original CD will suck as badly as all the ones that came before, from Murmur to AFTP. But I'm excited to hear the remixes and the demos!

 

[gargumma]

Here's a taste of the remixed CD. No idea if this link will work for everyone, but here it goes:

https://open.spotify.com/search/what's the frequency kenneth remix

I find it closer to the live version we came to know and love -- and probably listen to a lot more often than the album version. Vocals are a lot more up front, bass is slightly louder too, drums are buried and kinda muted and the guitar tremolos and overdubs have mostly been removed to get a more direct, natural sound. I need to listen to it again and again to better get used to it, but it's indeed closer to the live version.

Edit: much easier on YouTube:

 

[inyourroom]

- the demos disc is not all unreleased. The band used different working titles for one same song. Some of the titles you see on the post are songs we already know. To pull something from another forum I read, "Time Is On Mike’s Side is Strange Currencies. Cranky is Star 69. Mike’s Gtr is Let Me In. 1Experiment (shortened from Experiment In Terror) is I Don’t Sleep, I Dream."

Yeah, they used to include the titles of the finished songs with the demos (see The Athens Demos for Lifes Rich Pageant), but they stopped doing that with Automatic, so it seems reasonable that some of these working titles hide songs that did get a release.

- the live CD is a reality. According to a guy who worked on this release, from what I read in another forum, the main concern was getting a good show that wasn't widely circulated this time around. Apparently, R.E.M. has A LOT of shows from this era recorded in multitrack.

I never doubted that they must have tons of high-quality live recordings, especially from a tour where they were travelling with a portable studio in order to record new stuff, and it makes sense that they would choose a show that's both good enough for release and different enough in content from the previously released stuff.

- the remix disc is not made out of remixes in the, say, "house music sense", or in the sense that KOC had that awful 808 State remix. These are remixed tracks by Scott Litt himself, and this is likely the album as he wanted it to be originally, but apparently didn't have time to give it a proper consideration at the time, as he was rushed to present a final product.

- I wasn't expecting dancefloor-oriented reworkings
- Based on the Shiny Happy People remixes, Scott Litt as a remixer wouldn't seem like a brilliant idea. After listening to the Kenneth remix, it's not that bad, but it doesn't make much sense to me to release slightly different versions of these songs - in my book, if you change it, make the change significant, otherwise, what's the point? And I really like the 808 State remix of King Of Comedy

 

[doctoracula]

I can’t get over how much of the ending was chopped off of Kenneth. I love that repeated chorus.

 

[gargumma]

- I wasn't expecting dancefloor-oriented reworkings
- Based on the Shiny Happy People remixes, Scott Litt as a remixer wouldn't seem like a brilliant idea. After listening to the Kenneth remix, it's not that bad, but it doesn't make much sense to me to release slightly different versions of these songs - in my book, if you change it, make the change significant, otherwise, what's the point? And I really like the 808 State remix of King Of Comedy

I get it. It's just to get out of the way that notion of "just another dance-y remix", you know. And, even surpassing what you said, I believe that R.E.M. should never be remixed as dancefloor material. I just think really, properly, re-mixing the original album "as they think it should be" could be interesting -- actually, I am eager to hear the "intended" versions (which were also approved by the band themselves). But hey, I fully respect that you like the 808 State remix. I didn't express myself very well either: when it comes to R.E.M. remixes, that one is not all that awful. I just dislike them as a rule, lol

 

[gargumma]

I can’t get over how much of the ending was chopped off of Kenneth. I love that repeated chorus.

Count me as disappointed as well. I was singing along and it just stopped. That's not right.

 

[FrankD]

Hello out there!
Has someone a recording of the
2, 3, 4 June 1995 - Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, IL shows?
Thanks for an answer and greetings
Frank

 

[gargumma]

Scott Litt talks about his remixed version of WTFK as seen in my post above:

 

[mangue]

Haven't been here for a long while, but the recent issue WTFK [remix], made me think about this, one of my favourites, tracks.
There have been many live versions, even an instrumental version, BUT I've never heard an acoustic version of WTFK!
Does anybody know if this is ever played aco, and if so if audio exists and may be, may be I might be able to hear it ever.

 

[Anonymous]

When REM planned this album (Monster) wanted to part with everything he did years ago, I mean the acoustic instruments, they wanted to make a different album to their three previous albums, so I don't think there is any acoustic version of any song of this disc, after twenty-five years something would have come out if it had been done

 

[fanofrem]

Some "unofficial artwork" for the official live albums we have got, and for the Chicago 95 show from the Monster boxset

 

[Anonymous]

The band is sharing previously unreleased song “Fascinating” to benefit @mercycorps ' Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas. Recorded in 2004 at Nassau’s Compass Point Studios, it's now available for download for the first time:

https://t.co/APwXxhsF7Z
https://t.co/kIfeY7dlQa

https://remhq.bandcamp.com/

 

[Anonymous]

The band is sharing previously unreleased song “Fascinating” to benefit @mercycorps ' Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas. Recorded in 2004 at Nassau’s Compass Point Studios, it's now available for download for the first time:

https://t.co/APwXxhsF7Z
https://t.co/kIfeY7dlQa

https://remhq.bandcamp.com/

To me, this sounds identical to the version they recorded in 2001 for Reveal:

Anyone hear any differences they could point out?

 

[Anonymous]

To me, this sounds identical to the version they recorded in 2001 for Reveal:

Anyone hear any differences they could point out?

There is no possibility this is a different recording than the Reveal outtake.