R.E.M. To Reissue 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi' For 25th Anniversary
Tuesday, 24 August 2021
Written by Jon Stickler
R.E.M. have announced a reissue of their 10th studio album 'New Adventures in Hi-Fi'.
To celebrate the record’s 25th anniversary, a deluxe and expanded edition will arrive on October 29 across multiple formats as part of the band's 40th anniversary celebrations.
Included in the release is a remastered version of the LP, along with b-sides, rare cuts from the time of recording, an hour-long film previously projected onto a building to promote the 1996 record, and a hardcover book containing photographs. Head here for full details and pre-orders.
As a preview, a new mix of the haunting song Leave has been shared, for which singer Michael Stipe re-recorded the vocals. It was originally recorded for the soundtrack of the 1997 film A Life Less Ordinary. Stipe said:
"I actually might prefer this version to the one that's on the record… Well, I wouldn’t say I prefer it, it just tells a different story with the lyric."
Drummer Mike Mills commented: "We wanted to make a record about being on the road without singing about being on the road. The idea was that the feeling of being on the road would come through in the sound and feel of the record itself."
Guitarist Peter Buck added: "The idea was, 'Let’s challenge ourselves'. My feeling was, it’ll show exactly where we’re at right now in a way that maybe some of the records don’t at all. This record was just an attempt to be who we were at that minute."
'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' tracklist:
Disc 1 (remastered audio)
1. How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us
2. The Wake-Up Bomb
3. New Test Leper
4. Undertow
5. E-Bow the Letter
6. Leave
7. Departure
8. Bittersweet Me
9. Be Mine
10. Binky the Doormat
11. Zither
12. So Fast, So Numb
13. Low Desert
14. Electrolite
Disc 2 (b-sides and rarities)
1. Tricycle (instrumental)
2. Departure (Live Rome Soundcheck / Rome, Italy / 2/22/1995)
3. Wall of Death
4. Undertow (Live / Atlanta, GA / 11/18/1995)
5. Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/1995)
6. New Test Leper (Live Acoustic / Seattle, WA / 4/19/1996)
7. The Wake-Up Bomb (Live / Atlanta, GA / 10/4/1995)
8. Binky the Doormat (Live / Atlanta, GA / 11/18/1995)
9. King of Comedy (808 State remix)
10. Be Mine (Mike on Bus version)
11. Love Is All Around
12. Sponge
13. Leave (alternate version)
Disc 3 (blu-ray)
R.E.M. Outdoor Projections – Saturday Sept 7, 1996 – 5 cities (64:56)
'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' EPK – previously unreleased 30 min version (29:13)
'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' 5.1 Audio
'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' – Hi-Resolution Audio
E-Bow the Letter (music video)
Bittersweet Me (music video)
Electrolite (music video)
How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us (music video)
New Test Leper (music video)
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