R.E.M. Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
Both performances from the MTV series plus 11 unreleased performances available from May 23 on double CD and for download!
R.E.M. delivered two absolutely brilliant performances for the legendary MTV Unplugged series – making them the only band to headline the format twice, which has been celebrated with Grammy® and Emmy® honors. The first time R.E.M. could be experienced without electric amplification was in 1991, and the second time in 2001. Unusually, both performances were never released in audio format and are among the most sought-after recordings by fans of the band. On May 23, these rarities will finally be available on CD and for download!
"Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions" includes the complete performances aired on MTV as well as 11 songs from the sessions that were never broadcasted!
The Unplugged performances are musical snapshots that showcase R.E.M. at key points in their career, during which the band from Athens, Georgia, evolved from pioneers of the alternative scene to international superstars, having sold 85 million albums worldwide to this day!
MTV Unplugged 1991
Their first Unplugged session was given by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and singer Michael Stipe in 1991 during their rapid rise, which began in 1987 with the massive success of the album "Document". A large portion of the songs references the then freshly released album Out Of Time, which sold over 18 million copies worldwide and was R.E.M.'s first US No. 1 album. Thus, there are grand acoustic versions of "Radio Song", "Low", and their biggest US hit "Losing My Religion" to be heard.
The further tracklisting includes songs from eight years and touches on five albums released up to that point. Songs like "Perfect Circle" from the 1983 debut "Murmur" and fan favorites like "Fall On Me" and "It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" are successfully mixed with the Troggs cover "Love Is All Around" in the setlist. Five songs that were never broadcasted can be heard live here for the first time, including "Get Up" and "World Leader Pretend" from the multi-platinum album "Green" (1988).
MTV Unplugged 2001
In 2001, R.E.M. performed for the second time in the Unplugged series, this time without drummer Bill Berry, who had left the band in 1997. In this second show, R.E.M. focused on their 12th album "Reveal", which was released that year, and presented the singles "Imitation Of Life" and "All The Way To Reno (You‘re Gonna Be A Star)". The remaining songs come from a total of eight previous R.E.M. albums, such as "So. Central Rain" from "Reckoning" (1984), "Cuyahoga" from "Life’s Rich Pageant" (1986), and "Find The River", the elegiac album closer from the classic "Automatic For The People" (1992).
The tracklisting also includes six additional songs that were not broadcasted at the time, including songs from "Reveal" and "Up" (1998) as well as a moving reinterpretation of the breakthrough single "The One I Love" from the album "Document" (1987).
Since the first concert broadcast in 1989, the MTV Unplugged series has been a highlight of musical moments that have brought unforgettable performances to the screen. Among the long list of protagonists of the MTV Unplugged shows are Nirvana, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Adele, Florence + The Machine, Miley Cyrus, and even Udo Lindenberg, Die Fantastischen Vier, and other German bands. Unplugged was initiated by Robert Small and Jim Burns and produced by Alex Coletti.
On April 19, the internationally celebrated Record Store Day, which was established a few years ago to support independent record stores, "R.E.M. Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions" was released as a limited 4-LP set in a gatefold cover with four pockets exclusively at independent music retailers.
UNPLUGGED: THE COMPLETE 1991 AND 2001 SESSIONS
Track Listing
CD 1: Unplugged ’91 – CD/Digital (+ 5 Bonus Tracks*)
01. Half A World Away (3:25)
02. Disturbance at the Heron House (3:45)
03. Radio Song (4:23)
04. Low (4:40)
05. Perfect Circle (4:10)
06. Fall on Me (3:10)
07. Belong (4:20)
08. Love is All Around Me (3:30)
09. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) (4:25)
10. Losing My Religion (4:50)
11. Pop Song ‘89 (3:13)
12. Endgame (3:50)
13. *Fretless (5:00)
14. *Swan Swan H (2:40)
15. *Rotary 11 (1:45)
16. *Get Up (2:45)
17. *World Leader Pretend (4:55)
TRT 63:01
CD 2: Unplugged ’01 – CD/Digital (+ 6 Bonus Tracks*)
01. All The Way To Reno (4:26)
02. Electrolite (3:57)
03. At My Most Beautiful (3:26)
04. Daysleeper (3:11)
05. So. Central Rain (4:00)
06. Losing My Religion (4:45)
07. Country Feedback (6:13)
08. Cuyahoga (4:26)
09. Imitation of Life (4:31)
10. Find the River (3:43)
11. *The One I Love (3:25)
12. *Disappear (3:56)
13. *Beat a Drum (4:21)
14. *I've Been High (3:20)
15. *I'll Take the Rain (4:30)
16. *Sad Professor (4:25)
TRT 66:45
Both performances from the MTV series plus 11 unreleased performances available from May 23 on double CD and for download!
R.E.M. delivered two absolutely brilliant performances for the legendary MTV Unplugged series – making them the only band to headline the format twice, which has been celebrated with Grammy® and Emmy® honors. The first time R.E.M. could be experienced without electric amplification was in 1991, and the second time in 2001. Unusually, both performances were never released in audio format and are among the most sought-after recordings by fans of the band. On May 23, these rarities will finally be available on CD and for download!
"Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions" includes the complete performances aired on MTV as well as 11 songs from the sessions that were never broadcasted!
The Unplugged performances are musical snapshots that showcase R.E.M. at key points in their career, during which the band from Athens, Georgia, evolved from pioneers of the alternative scene to international superstars, having sold 85 million albums worldwide to this day!
MTV Unplugged 1991
Their first Unplugged session was given by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and singer Michael Stipe in 1991 during their rapid rise, which began in 1987 with the massive success of the album "Document". A large portion of the songs references the then freshly released album Out Of Time, which sold over 18 million copies worldwide and was R.E.M.'s first US No. 1 album. Thus, there are grand acoustic versions of "Radio Song", "Low", and their biggest US hit "Losing My Religion" to be heard.
The further tracklisting includes songs from eight years and touches on five albums released up to that point. Songs like "Perfect Circle" from the 1983 debut "Murmur" and fan favorites like "Fall On Me" and "It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" are successfully mixed with the Troggs cover "Love Is All Around" in the setlist. Five songs that were never broadcasted can be heard live here for the first time, including "Get Up" and "World Leader Pretend" from the multi-platinum album "Green" (1988).
MTV Unplugged 2001
In 2001, R.E.M. performed for the second time in the Unplugged series, this time without drummer Bill Berry, who had left the band in 1997. In this second show, R.E.M. focused on their 12th album "Reveal", which was released that year, and presented the singles "Imitation Of Life" and "All The Way To Reno (You‘re Gonna Be A Star)". The remaining songs come from a total of eight previous R.E.M. albums, such as "So. Central Rain" from "Reckoning" (1984), "Cuyahoga" from "Life’s Rich Pageant" (1986), and "Find The River", the elegiac album closer from the classic "Automatic For The People" (1992).
The tracklisting also includes six additional songs that were not broadcasted at the time, including songs from "Reveal" and "Up" (1998) as well as a moving reinterpretation of the breakthrough single "The One I Love" from the album "Document" (1987).
Since the first concert broadcast in 1989, the MTV Unplugged series has been a highlight of musical moments that have brought unforgettable performances to the screen. Among the long list of protagonists of the MTV Unplugged shows are Nirvana, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Adele, Florence + The Machine, Miley Cyrus, and even Udo Lindenberg, Die Fantastischen Vier, and other German bands. Unplugged was initiated by Robert Small and Jim Burns and produced by Alex Coletti.
On April 19, the internationally celebrated Record Store Day, which was established a few years ago to support independent record stores, "R.E.M. Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions" was released as a limited 4-LP set in a gatefold cover with four pockets exclusively at independent music retailers.
UNPLUGGED: THE COMPLETE 1991 AND 2001 SESSIONS
Track Listing
CD 1: Unplugged ’91 – CD/Digital (+ 5 Bonus Tracks*)
01. Half A World Away (3:25)
02. Disturbance at the Heron House (3:45)
03. Radio Song (4:23)
04. Low (4:40)
05. Perfect Circle (4:10)
06. Fall on Me (3:10)
07. Belong (4:20)
08. Love is All Around Me (3:30)
09. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) (4:25)
10. Losing My Religion (4:50)
11. Pop Song ‘89 (3:13)
12. Endgame (3:50)
13. *Fretless (5:00)
14. *Swan Swan H (2:40)
15. *Rotary 11 (1:45)
16. *Get Up (2:45)
17. *World Leader Pretend (4:55)
TRT 63:01
CD 2: Unplugged ’01 – CD/Digital (+ 6 Bonus Tracks*)
01. All The Way To Reno (4:26)
02. Electrolite (3:57)
03. At My Most Beautiful (3:26)
04. Daysleeper (3:11)
05. So. Central Rain (4:00)
06. Losing My Religion (4:45)
07. Country Feedback (6:13)
08. Cuyahoga (4:26)
09. Imitation of Life (4:31)
10. Find the River (3:43)
11. *The One I Love (3:25)
12. *Disappear (3:56)
13. *Beat a Drum (4:21)
14. *I've Been High (3:20)
15. *I'll Take the Rain (4:30)
16. *Sad Professor (4:25)
TRT 66:45
