Just because one five-star live release isn’t enough, the gentlemen of R.E.M. have announced another. On October 26th, the Athens, Georgia outfit will unveil R.E.M. Live at the Olympia, which as you may expect based on the title, will feature live recordings from the band’s 2007 venture at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
As previously mentioned, R.E.M. used the performances to road test material off of last year’s Accelerate so, not surprisingly, a majority of the album’s tracks play a prominent part on this particular release.
“We were just trying to do something we hadn’t done before,” said guitarist Peter Buck, “which meant there was no relaxing during the set. Every second we were playing something we didn’t know all that well. Which was kind of good… there were all kinds of terror elements going on during that show.”
That said, of the 39-tracks making up the two-disc release, 29 of them are culled from other eras of the band’s storied existence, ranging from the 1982 EP Chronic Town to 1983’s Murmur up through 1988’s Document. In other words, there is something for everybody.
Also included in the release be a DVD directed by Vincent Moon and Jeremiah, who previously worked with R.E.M. on Ninetynights, Six Days, and the video for “Supernatural Superserious”. The film will feature footage of nearly 20 songs as well as behind-the-scenes footage.
In anticipation of the release, R.E.M. will stream several songs on remdublin.com. The first of these will be “Driver 8” and is available for listen right this very second.
R.E.M. Live at the Olympia Tracklist:
01. Living Well Is the Best Revenge
02. Second Guessing
03. Letter Never Sent
04. Staring Down the Barrel of the Middle Distance
05. Disturbance at the Heron House
06. Mr. Richards
07. Houston
08. New Test Leper
09. Cuyahoga
10. Electrolite
11. Man-Sized Wreath
12. So. Central Rain
13. On the Fly
14. Maps and Legends
15. Sitting Still
16. Driver 8
17. Horse to Water
18. I’m Gonna DJ
19. Circus Envy
20. These Days
21. Drive
22. Feeling Gravity’s Pull
23. Until the Day Is Done
24. Accelerate
25. Auctioneer
26. Little America
27. 1,000,000
28. Disguised
29. The Worst Joke Ever
30. Welcome to the Occupation
31. Carnival of Sorts
32. Harborcoat
33. Wolves, Lower
34. I’ve Been High
35. Kohoutek
36. West of the Fields
37. Pretty Persuasion
38. Romance
39. Gardening at Night
