R.E.M. have announced a 25th anniversary reissue of their 1996 album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, due out October 29th via Craft Recordings. As a preview, the legendary Athens, Georgia rockers have shared an alternate version of “Leave,” which you can stream below.
The deluxe CD edition includes three discs featuring newly remastered audio, 13 B-sides and rarities, and a Blu-ray containing an unreleased film that was originally projected on buildings to promote the album’s release. The Blu-ray also features five HD-restored music videos from the New Adventures in Hi-Fi era.
It’s all packaged in a 52-page hardcover book with new liner notes from journalist Mark Blackwell, archival photographs, and commentary from all four original band members, Patti Smith, Thom Yorke, and producer Scott Litt. A two-disc expanded edition is also available without the Blu-ray, as well as a 2xLP set featuring lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.
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The New Adventures in Hi-Fi reissue is the latest in a series of archival releases from R.E.M. In recent years, they’ve re-released Monster, Automatic for the People, and Out of Time.
As a preview, R.E.M. shared an alternate version of “Leave” that was originally recorded for the soundtrack to the 1997’s A Life Less Ordinary. “I actually might prefer this version to the one that’s on the record,” lead singer Michael Stipe said in a statement. “Well, I wouldn’t say I prefer it, it just tells a different story with the lyric.”
Drummer Mike Mills added, “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.”
Head on over to the official R.E.M. store to purchase an exclusive clear and black marbled vinyl limited to 1,000 copies. Pre-orders for all editions of the New Adventures in Hi-Fi reissue are available now. Watch unboxing trailer below, followed by the tracklist.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi 25th Anniversary Edition Tracklist:
Disc 1 — Remastered Album
01. How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us
02. The Wake-Up Bomb
03. New Test Leper
04. Undertow
05. E-Bow the Letter
06. Leave
07. Departure
08. Bittersweet Me
09. Be Mine
10. Binky the Doormat
11. Zither
12. So Fast, So Numb
13. Low Desert
14. Electrolite
Disc 2 — B-sides and Rarities
01. Tricycle (Instrumental)
02. Departure (Live Rome Soundcheck / Rome, Italy / 2/22/1995)
03. Wall of Death
04. Undertow (Live / Atlanta, GA / 11/18/1995)
05. Wichita Lineman (Live / Houston, TX / 9/15/1995)
06. New Test Leper (Live Acoustic / Seattle, WA / 4/19/1996)
07. The Wake-Up Bomb (Live / Atlanta, GA / 10/4/1995)
08. Binky the Doormat (Live / Atlanta, GA / 11/18/1995)
09. 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
01. E.M. Outdoor Projections – Saturday Sept 7th, 1996 – 5 cities (64:56)
02. New Adventures in Hi-Fi EPK – previously unreleased 30 min version (29:13)
03. New Adventures in Hi-Fi 5.1 Audio
04. New Adventures in Hi-Fi Hi-Resolution Audio
05. E-Bow the Letter (Music Video)
06. Bittersweet Me (Music Video)
07. Electrolite (Music Video)
08. How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us (Music Video)
09. New Test Leper (Music Video)
