I always liked this version of the video (with late John Giorno) more than the one with Kirsten Dunst. You can tell he's completely absorbing the song.
“Do not postpone happiness”
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
For the first time since its initial release 40 years ago, R.E.M. will be reissuing their debut release “Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-tone Single).” While many fans know the 1983 version of the song from the band’s first studio album, Murmur, only a lucky few have heard this rare 1981 cut. Available to pre-order now, get “Radio Free Europe” on its original format, as an Athens-pressed 45 RPM 7" single: http://found.ee/rem-radiofreeeu
In addition to the wide 7" release, the band will also be making their early 1981 demonstration recordings available for the first time. An ultra-rare cassette tape collection titled "Cassette Set" offers the some of the band's earliest recordings and will be available exclusively via the R.E.M. store as a bundle with the 7", limited to 1,500 copies. The tape will replicate the original packaging, which was self-assembled by the band, using photocopied cardstock for the J-card inlays and handwritten cassette labels by Michael.
Accompanying this, REMHQ.com is also offering a limited custom cassette player to commemorate these special releases. The portable player features R.E.M.'s '81 iconography and comes housed in "Radio Free Europe" branded packaging. Pre-order link above... available July 23rd.
“Do not postpone happiness”
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
For the first time since its initial release 40 years ago, R.E.M. will be reissuing their debut release “Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-tone Single).” While many fans know the 1983 version of the song from the band’s first studio album, Murmur, only a lucky few have heard this rare 1981 cut. Available to pre-order now, get “Radio Free Europe” on its original format, as an Athens-pressed 45 RPM 7" single: http://found.ee/rem-radiofreeeu
Really? Its on the 1988 compilation "Eponymous" I have a cassette copy somewhere in my garage.
For the first time since its initial release 40 years ago, R.E.M. will be reissuing their debut release “Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-tone Single).” While many fans know the 1983 version of the song from the band’s first studio album, Murmur, only a lucky few have heard this rare 1981 cut. Available to pre-order now, get “Radio Free Europe” on its original format, as an Athens-pressed 45 RPM 7" single: http://found.ee/rem-radiofreeeu
Really? Its on the 1988 compilation "Eponymous" I have a cassette copy somewhere in my garage.
Yeah, that's a bit confusing. They even have Eponymous for sale on their website, including this text: Released in October 1988, Eponymous was the first greatest hits album by R.E.M. The compilation album includes the original single of "Radio Free Europe"...
“Do not postpone happiness”
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
I might be wrong, but I think the Hib Tone single is a slightly different take from what’s on Eponymous. It could also just a wording issue, if hasn’t been “reissued since” Eponymous.
Murmur and Life’s Rich Pageant are just so good that I can’t agree with you. New Adventures is a great album, but the energy and vibe of the other two, for me at least, raises them above it. It is all subjective though.
Murmur and Life’s Rich Pageant are just so good that I can’t agree with you. New Adventures is a great album, but the energy and vibe of the other two, for me at least, raises them above it. It is all subjective though.
I both agree with you, because LRP is (if I had to choose) my favorite REM album for sure. And... I'm taking this re-issue and this discussion as a reminder that I need to revisit New Adventures since I never really truly dived into it. I've heard it many times and love many songs, but I never really really dug in, listened a few times all the way through with headphones, all that good stuff.
I'll watch the video above tomorrow, cool stuff when we get new (it is new, isn't it?) videos from back in the day...
I have an original copy on vinyl but will probably grab the reissue as well. One of my favorite albums of all time. Such a cool vibe and flow to this record that is different from other REM releases. It's looser and relaxed but also introspective and deep. I miss this band.
Virginia Beach 2000 DC 2003 DC 2004 (VFC) DC 2006 Pittsburgh 2006 Bonnaroo 2008 Virginia Beach 2008 DC 2008 Philly (Spectrum) 10/31/2009 DC 2010 (Jiffy Lube Live) PJ 20 night 1 PJ 20 night 2 Phoenix 2013 LA 1 2013 Memphis 2014 Jacksonville 2016 Greenville 2016 Hampton 2016 Columbia 2016 Fenway 1 2016 Fenway 2 2016 Wrigley 1 2018 Wrigley 2 2018 Fenway 1 2018 Fenway 2 2018 Sea Hear Now 2021 Nashville 2022 Louisville 2022
Preorders are up on remhq.com with a bunch of different bundle options
Craft Recordings proudly celebrates the 25th anniversary of R.E.M.’s tenth studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, with a special reissue, available for pre-order today and set for release on October 29. The bonus-filled 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Deluxe Edition offers a trove of audio-visual content, including the newly remastered album, 13 B-sides and rarities, a never-before-released 64-minute outdoor projection film (shown on buildings across five cities in 1996 to promote the album’s original release), and a previously unreleased 30-minute EPK. Additionally, the Blu-ray features New Adventures in Hi-Fi in stunning Hi-Res and 5.1 Surround Sound audio, plus five HD-restored music videos including “Bittersweet Me,” “Electrolite,” and “E-Bow the Letter.” Housed in a 52-page hardcover book, the collection includes archival photographs—many of which have never been published—plus new liner notes from journalist Mark Blackwell and reflections from all four original band members, as well as from Patti Smith, Thom Yorke, and producer Scott Litt.
An Expanded Edition is also available as a 2-CD or digital collection, including the remastered album along with B-sides and rarities. The 2-CD offers an exclusive 24” x 24” poster and four collectible postcards, as well as a booklet featuring new liner notes and archival photos. Additionally, the newly remastered album will be available as a 2-LP set, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Fans can preview all physical formats via the official unboxing trailer here. A limited-edition pressing on clear and black marbled vinyl is also available exclusively at R.E.M.’s official store(limited to 1,000 worldwide), along with special New Adventures in Hi-Fi merchandise.
Available via digital platforms today, ahead of the album, is the advance single “Leave – Alternate Version.”Originally recorded for the A Life Less Ordinarysoundtrack, the single offers a haunting, sparse, siren-less version of New Adventures album track “Leave,” for which Michael Stipe re-recorded the vocals. Reflects Stipe, “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.” Fans can stream or download the single now, and pre-save the album.
First released in September 1996, New Adventures in Hi-Fiendures as one of R.E.M.’s most acclaimed albums and stands as a favorite among band members and fans alike. The album was a global success, achieving platinum certification in the US and peaking at No.2 on the Billboard 200. Elsewhere, the album went to No.1 in more than a dozen countries, including Australia, the UK, and Canada. Critically, New Adventures in Hi-Fi received wide praise and was named as one of the best albums of the year by such outlets as Rolling Stone, Spin, Mojo, Entertainment Weekly, and the NME. Over the decades, the title has achieved cult status, with several press retrospectives ranking it among the top albums in R.E.M.’s rich catalog of releases.
Recorded at the height of their fame, New Adventures in Hi-Fi also marks R.E.M.’s final album with drummer and founding member Bill Berry, who left the group amicably the following year. Perhaps most remarkable, however, is that the album found the band taking a unique creative approach: writing and recording much of the LP on the road, during their 1995 Monster tour.
While writing new material on the road wasn’t an unusual feat for R.E.M., New Adventures was unlike anything they had done before. As they embarked on tour, the band sought to create an abstract travelogue documenting every emotion and experience as it happened. “We wanted to make a record about being on the road without singing about being on the road,” bassist Mike Mills explains in the liner notes. “The idea was that the feeling of being on the road would come through in the sound and feel of the record itself.”
The band traveled with a mobile recording truck, capturing new songs on an 8-track during soundchecks (as well as in various backstage areas and on the tour bus). “The idea was, ‘Let’s challenge ourselves,’” guitarist Peter Buck tells Blackwell. “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.”
The year-long outing, which began in January 1995, marked R.E.M.’s first tour in six years. As one of the biggest bands in the world, the quartet played to packed arenas across North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, with support from acts like Sonic Youth and Radiohead. But along the way, the tour was marred by medical emergencies. In March, Berry collapsed on stage from an aneurism and spent the next month recuperating. Mills, meanwhile, underwent intestinal surgery in June. A month later, Stipe had emergency surgery for a hernia (which, he asserts, occurred while performing the song, “Undertow”).
After the band returned from the eventful—yet highly successful—run of dates, they entered the studio with their longtime producer, Scott Litt, to record a few final tracks and put finishing touches on others. Among them was the epic, seven-minute-long “Leave;” “E-Bow the Letter,” featuring backing vocals from the legendary singer-songwriter Patti Smith; “New Test Leper,” which Buck proclaims is his favorite R.E.M. song; and “How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us,” one of several songs on the album inspired by Stipe’s experiences living in Los Angeles.
Upon its release, New Adventures in Hi-Fi marked R.E.M.’s longest studio album, with a total run-time of 65 minutes. Filled with cinematic storytelling, haunting effects, and dissonant notes, New Adventures in Hi-Fi found R.E.M. exploring diverse sonic territories—particularly in songs like “Low Desert,” which, Berry describes, is “just dusty and kind of slow and it’s swampy…I feel isolated when I listen to that song, but it’s a good thing.” Stipe adds that the song offers such questions as, “‘What are we doing in the desert? What are we doing in the American West? What are we doing in this unlivable, uninhabitable place?’” Other tracks, like “Departure” and “The Wake-Up Bomb” deliver classic R.E.M. rock vibes.
The band looks back on New Adventures in Hi-Fi with great pride. Buck, perhaps, sums it up best. “Most records, you go in the studio and you just do ’em. And years later all you really remember is vaguely where you stayed, and the songs and the recording process. But this one I remember every bit of it. It was an experience. It was f**king tough, but we made a record. And it was as challenging as anything I’ve ever done.”
Click here to pre-order New Adventures in Hi-Fi on 2-CD/1-Blu-Ray, 2-CD or 2-LP, or to stream the single and pre-save the deluxe digital album.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi 25th anniversarytracklists:
Deluxe Edition (2-CD/1-Blu-Ray):
Disc 1 – New Adventures in Hi-Fi (remastered audio)
Wish the vocals were better recorded, but anyway, here's a live version by The Baseball Project doing, "Texarkana" with Mike Mills on guitar and vocals, Peter Buck on guitar, Scott McCaughey on bass (he played with REM live and in the studio from 1994 to 2011), Steve Wynn, guitar and backing vocals, and Linda Pitmon on drums. Such a good song!
Comments
Thom Yorke doing Be Mine with REM is a highlight of min as well. Be Mine is a top 3 REM track for me
I always liked this version of the video (with late John Giorno) more than the one with Kirsten Dunst. You can tell he's completely absorbing the song.
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
www.headstonesband.com
Its on the 1988 compilation "Eponymous"
I have a cassette copy somewhere in my garage.
Eponymous (album) - Wikipedia
They even have Eponymous for sale on their website, including this text:
Released in October 1988, Eponymous was the first greatest hits album by R.E.M. The compilation album includes the original single of "Radio Free Europe"...
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
There are no kings inside the gates of eden
I'll watch the video above tomorrow, cool stuff when we get new (it is new, isn't it?) videos from back in the day...
DC 2003
DC 2004 (VFC)
DC 2006
Pittsburgh 2006
Bonnaroo 2008
Virginia Beach 2008
DC 2008
Philly (Spectrum) 10/31/2009
DC 2010 (Jiffy Lube Live)
PJ 20 night 1
PJ 20 night 2
Phoenix 2013
LA 1 2013
Memphis 2014
Jacksonville 2016
Greenville 2016
Hampton 2016
Columbia 2016
Fenway 1 2016
Fenway 2 2016
Wrigley 1 2018
Wrigley 2 2018
Fenway 1 2018
Fenway 2 2018
Sea Hear Now 2021
Nashville 2022
Louisville 2022
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
Craft Recordings proudly celebrates the 25th anniversary of R.E.M.’s tenth studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, with a special reissue, available for pre-order today and set for release on October 29. The bonus-filled 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Deluxe Edition offers a trove of audio-visual content, including the newly remastered album, 13 B-sides and rarities, a never-before-released 64-minute outdoor projection film (shown on buildings across five cities in 1996 to promote the album’s original release), and a previously unreleased 30-minute EPK. Additionally, the Blu-ray features New Adventures in Hi-Fi in stunning Hi-Res and 5.1 Surround Sound audio, plus five HD-restored music videos including “Bittersweet Me,” “Electrolite,” and “E-Bow the Letter.” Housed in a 52-page hardcover book, the collection includes archival photographs—many of which have never been published—plus new liner notes from journalist Mark Blackwell and reflections from all four original band members, as well as from Patti Smith, Thom Yorke, and producer Scott Litt.
An Expanded Edition is also available as a 2-CD or digital collection, including the remastered album along with B-sides and rarities. The 2-CD offers an exclusive 24” x 24” poster and four collectible postcards, as well as a booklet featuring new liner notes and archival photos. Additionally, the newly remastered album will be available as a 2-LP set, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Fans can preview all physical formats via the official unboxing trailer here. A limited-edition pressing on clear and black marbled vinyl is also available exclusively at R.E.M.’s official store (limited to 1,000 worldwide), along with special New Adventures in Hi-Fi merchandise.
Available via digital platforms today, ahead of the album, is the advance single “Leave – Alternate Version.”Originally recorded for the A Life Less Ordinarysoundtrack, the single offers a haunting, sparse, siren-less version of New Adventures album track “Leave,” for which Michael Stipe re-recorded the vocals. Reflects Stipe, “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.” Fans can stream or download the single now, and pre-save the album.
First released in September 1996, New Adventures in Hi-Fiendures as one of R.E.M.’s most acclaimed albums and stands as a favorite among band members and fans alike. The album was a global success, achieving platinum certification in the US and peaking at No.2 on the Billboard 200. Elsewhere, the album went to No.1 in more than a dozen countries, including Australia, the UK, and Canada. Critically, New Adventures in Hi-Fi received wide praise and was named as one of the best albums of the year by such outlets as Rolling Stone, Spin, Mojo, Entertainment Weekly, and the NME. Over the decades, the title has achieved cult status, with several press retrospectives ranking it among the top albums in R.E.M.’s rich catalog of releases.
Recorded at the height of their fame, New Adventures in Hi-Fi also marks R.E.M.’s final album with drummer and founding member Bill Berry, who left the group amicably the following year. Perhaps most remarkable, however, is that the album found the band taking a unique creative approach: writing and recording much of the LP on the road, during their 1995 Monster tour.
While writing new material on the road wasn’t an unusual feat for R.E.M., New Adventures was unlike anything they had done before. As they embarked on tour, the band sought to create an abstract travelogue documenting every emotion and experience as it happened. “We wanted to make a record about being on the road without singing about being on the road,” bassist Mike Mills explains in the liner notes. “The idea was that the feeling of being on the road would come through in the sound and feel of the record itself.”
The band traveled with a mobile recording truck, capturing new songs on an 8-track during soundchecks (as well as in various backstage areas and on the tour bus). “The idea was, ‘Let’s challenge ourselves,’” guitarist Peter Buck tells Blackwell. “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.”
The year-long outing, which began in January 1995, marked R.E.M.’s first tour in six years. As one of the biggest bands in the world, the quartet played to packed arenas across North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, with support from acts like Sonic Youth and Radiohead. But along the way, the tour was marred by medical emergencies. In March, Berry collapsed on stage from an aneurism and spent the next month recuperating. Mills, meanwhile, underwent intestinal surgery in June. A month later, Stipe had emergency surgery for a hernia (which, he asserts, occurred while performing the song, “Undertow”).
After the band returned from the eventful—yet highly successful—run of dates, they entered the studio with their longtime producer, Scott Litt, to record a few final tracks and put finishing touches on others. Among them was the epic, seven-minute-long “Leave;” “E-Bow the Letter,” featuring backing vocals from the legendary singer-songwriter Patti Smith; “New Test Leper,” which Buck proclaims is his favorite R.E.M. song; and “How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us,” one of several songs on the album inspired by Stipe’s experiences living in Los Angeles.
Upon its release, New Adventures in Hi-Fi marked R.E.M.’s longest studio album, with a total run-time of 65 minutes. Filled with cinematic storytelling, haunting effects, and dissonant notes, New Adventures in Hi-Fi found R.E.M. exploring diverse sonic territories—particularly in songs like “Low Desert,” which, Berry describes, is “just dusty and kind of slow and it’s swampy…I feel isolated when I listen to that song, but it’s a good thing.” Stipe adds that the song offers such questions as, “‘What are we doing in the desert? What are we doing in the American West? What are we doing in this unlivable, uninhabitable place?’” Other tracks, like “Departure” and “The Wake-Up Bomb” deliver classic R.E.M. rock vibes.
The band looks back on New Adventures in Hi-Fi with great pride. Buck, perhaps, sums it up best. “Most records, you go in the studio and you just do ’em. And years later all you really remember is vaguely where you stayed, and the songs and the recording process. But this one I remember every bit of it. It was an experience. It was f**king tough, but we made a record. And it was as challenging as anything I’ve ever done.”
Click here to pre-order New Adventures in Hi-Fi on 2-CD/1-Blu-Ray, 2-CD or 2-LP, or to stream the single and pre-save the deluxe digital album.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi 25th anniversary tracklists:
Deluxe Edition (2-CD/1-Blu-Ray):
Disc 1 – New Adventures in Hi-Fi (remastered audio)
Disc 2 – B-sides and Rarities
Disc 3 (Blu-Ray)
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)