R.E.M. Live

R.E.M. Live
Live album by R.E.M.
Released	October 15, 2007 (2007-10-15)
Recorded	February 26–27, 2005, Point Theatre, Dublin, Leinster, Ireland
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	102:19
Language	English
Label	Warner Bros.
Director	Blue Leach
Producer	Emer Patten
Professional reviews
Allmusic 2007 Pitchfork Media (5.8/10) 2007 Rockfeedback 2007 Rolling Stone 2008
R.E.M. chronology
Around the Sun (2004) R.E.M. Live (2007) Accelerate (2008)
R.E.M. video chronology
When the Light Is Mine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987 (2006) R.E.M. Live (2007) This Is Not a Show (2009)
R.E.M. live album chronology
R.E.M. Live (2007) Live at The Olympia (2009)

Promotional banner for R.E.M. Live. From left to right: Peter Buck (guitar), Michael Stipe (image), Mike Mills (bass).

R.E.M. Live is a live album from R.E.M., recorded at the Point Theatre, Dublin, on February 26 and 27, 2005, the closing nights of the winter European leg of the Around the World Tour in support of their thirteenth studio album Around the Sun released in late 2004. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2007 and in the United States a day later as a two-Compact Disc audio set and a DVD, then released in February 2008 as a triple vinyl set. The performance was filmed by Blue Leach.

R.E.M. Live features rare performances of "I Took Your Name" from 1994's Monster and "Ascent of Man" from Around The Sun as well as the previously unreleased "I'm Gonna DJ." A studio version of that song would later appear on the band's 2008 effort, Accelerate.

On September 26, 2007, the band launched R.E.M. Live Zine to solicit reviews from fans and promote the album.^[1]

On October 12, 2007, the two-CD audio part was leaked onto the Internet with a message to the downloaders encouraging them to buy the official package, not only to get the DVD, but to support releases with lower prices within the music industry such as this triple-disc-set.^[2]

The DVD has the option for stereo or digital 5.1 surround sound.

Track listing

The DVD presents all of the following songs in the same sequence.

CD 1

1. "I Took Your Name" (from Monster) – 4:08
2. "So Fast, So Numb" (from New Adventures in Hi-Fi) – 4:40
3. "Boy in the Well" (from Around the Sun) – 5:16
4. "Cuyahoga" (from Lifes Rich Pageant) – 4:25
5. "Everybody Hurts" (from Automatic for the People) – 6:49
6. "Electron Blue" (from Around the Sun) – 4:13
7. "Bad Day" (from In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003) – 4:26
8. "The Ascent of Man" (from Around the Sun) – 4:12
9. "The Great Beyond" (from Man on the Moon Soundtrack) – 4:49
10. "Leaving New York" (from Around the Sun) – 4:48
11. "Orange Crush" (from Green) – 4:27
12. "I Wanted to Be Wrong" (from Around the Sun) – 5:02
13. "Final Straw" (from Around the Sun) – 4:10
14. "Imitation of Life" (from Reveal) – 3:53
15. "The One I Love" (from Document) – 3:27
16. "Walk Unafraid" (from Up) – 5:02
17. "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time) – 4:53

CD 2

18. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (from Monster) – 4:06
19. "Drive" (from Automatic for the People) – 5:41
20. "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" (from Reckoning) – 4:39
21. "I'm Gonna DJ" (later released on Accelerate) – 2:27
22. "Man on the Moon" (from Automatic for the People) – 6:46

The original show was played on February 27, 2005 (except "Electron Blue", from the night before at the same venue) but had a longer setlist, and four songs were cut from the DVD. These were "Animal", "High Speed Train", "Sweetness Follows", and "The Worst Joke Ever".^[3]

Personnel

R.E.M.

• Peter Buck – guitar
• Mike Mills – bass guitar, background vocals, keyboards, lead vocals on "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville"
• Michael Stipe – Vocals, harmonica on "Bad Day"

Additional musicians

• Scott McCaughey – guitar, keyboards, background vocals
• Bill Rieflin – drums
• Ken Stringfellow – keyboards, guitar, melodica, background vocals
• Daniel Ryan of The Thrills – guitar and background vocals on "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville"

Release history

The two-CD/DVD version was first released in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2007 and the United States the following day. A triple vinyl LP was released in the UK on January 21, 2008, with the US release on February 19, 2008.

References

External links

• R.E.M. Live Zine
• R.E.M. Live at R.E.M.HQ
• McCaughey announcing the album
• Chris Bilheimer discusses designing the album
• R.E.M. Live at Allmusic
• R.E.M. Live at Metacritic