With work winding down on their 14th studio album, alt rock elder statesmen R.E.M. look to whet our appetites with the release of their first ever live album, aptly entitled R.E.M. Live.
The two CD, one DVD set was recorded at Dublin’s Point Theatre on February 26th and February 27th, 2005. The DVD section, which regrettably is edited in a flashy, headache inducing MTV style, was filmed by the director Blue Leach (Depeche Mode, Snow Patrol) who accompanied the band on their 116 date Around the Sun tour.
The Dublin dates are not to be confused with R.E.M.’s recent five night stand “working rehearsal” at the Irish capital’s Olympia Theatre, which confirmed reports that the new album will boast a harder, more guitar dominated rock sound than we’ve come to expect from the trio of late.
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Given how utterly charitable R.E.M. have been with collected works and rarities in the past, it’s surprising, and somewhat frustrating, it’s taken this long for them to get around to an official live album. Until now diehards have had to spend unhealthy amounts of time tracking down soundboard quality bootlegs.
Fortunately the album was worth the wait, with recent entries ‘Bad Day’ and ‘Leaving New York’ sitting comfortably alongside live favourites ‘Everybody Hurts’, ‘Man on the Moon’ and ‘Orange Crush’. Obscure gems such as Monster’s ‘I Took Your Name’ and the previously unreleased ‘I’m Gonna DJ’ also make an appearance.
The band sound sensational too. Buck and Mills have never been tighter, while the years have been particularly kind on Stipe’s vocal cords, his angelic warbles reaching skywards as he dishes out one impenetrable lyric after another. You’d forgive them for simply going through the motions when playing something like ‘The One I Love’ for the millionth time (listen to U2 tackling ‘Pride’ to see what I mean), but here it sounds just as relevant and malevolent as the day it was conceived.
Now if only they would get their backsides in gear and release a performance from the Document era. Now that would be something.
Like this? Try these:
Idlewild – Scottish Fiction
R.E.M. – And I Feel Fine...
U2 – Under a Blood Red Sky
RELEASED
Out now
LABEL
Warner
POSTED...
Tue 16 Oct 2007 at 11:51am
