New from R.E.M. ‘Up’ Tracks (Live At The Palace 1999 Remastered 2023)
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF R.E.M.’S Up
SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 10
Available now are never-before-heard live versions of “Daysleeper,” “The Apologist,” and “Losing My Religion” along with Remastered versions of ‘Up’ album tracks “Daysleeper” and “The Apologist”
Newly remastered and expanded, the reissue features a never-before-heard 11-song set from R.E.M.’s 1999 Party of Five taping
A deluxe 2-CD/1 Blu-ray offers expansive liner notes including new interviews with the band, HD-restored music videos, performance footage from the era, and more
Also available on 2-CD, 2-LP, and digital formats
Craft Recordings / Concord celebrates the 25th anniversary of R.E.M.’s bestselling 11th studio album Up with a series of expanded and remastered reissues, all of which are set for release on November 10th. Created in partnership with the band, the Deluxe 2-CD/1 Blu-Ray edition offers a wealth of material for fans, including the band’s previously unreleased set from their guest appearance on the hit TV series Party of Five. Captured in 1999, the performance includes an 11-song setlist (including enduring hits like “Man on the Moon,” “Losing My Religion,” and “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”), plus a spoken-word introduction. The accompanying Blu-ray features HD music videos from the 1998 album (“Daysleeper,” “Lotus,” “At My Most Beautiful”), a six-song performance from the era (titled Uptake) recorded in a London studio, the album’s original EPK, plus stunning hi-resolution and 5.1 surround sound audio. Housed in a 32-page hardcover book, the collection also includes new liner notes from journalist and Talkhouse Executive Editor Josh Modell (A.V. Club, SPIN, Rolling Stone, Vulture), featuring new interviews with the band members.
Available now are the remastered version of “Daysleeper” as well as the band’s never-before-released performance of the song from the Party of Five taping. The lead single from the album, the song topped Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart and was a Top 10 hit in Canada and the UK. The contemplative track, which falls stylistically into “classic R.E.M.” territory, tells the story of a night-shift worker who falls into despair amid the isolation of their flip-flopped schedule. R.E.M.’s appearance on the teen drama (which launched the careers of Matthew Fox and Neve Campbell, among others) remains a fond memory. “The intersection of visual and musical art is always interesting, so it was cool to be a part of TV,” recalls bassist Mike Mills.
The intimate concert, recorded at Los Angeles’ Palace Theatre, was populated by R.E.M. fan club members and served as an opportunity for the band to rehearse their latest material – plus beloved hits – ahead of touring. “There are dozens of great R.E.M. live sets out there, but nothing quite like this up-close oddity,” writes Josh Modell. “Loose and happy, the band runs through a good chunk of Up in front of a small crowd…Stipe is chatty, telling stories about accidentally ripping off Billy Corgan (and telling Corgan about it), playing with the Human League on a funny stage at that very venue, and more.”
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When legendary alt-rockers R.E.M. entered San Francisco’s Toast Studios to record their 11th studio album, they were at a significant crossroads in their celebrated career. Specifically, the 1998 release would be their first without their founding drummer Bill Berry who amicably stepped down from the band months earlier. After 17 years together, his absence weighed heavy on Michael Stipe (vocals), Mike Mills (bass), and Peter Buck (guitar). But it also forced the remaining members to reinvent themselves – while pushing their creative limits. “Once we made the decision to continue without Bill, we had to look at it as a freeing thing, otherwise why do it at all?” says Mills. “We had to approach it with enthusiasm and hope, as a brave new world of unexplored possibilities.”
The band chose not to fill Berry’s seat, which led them to experiment with drum machines and other electronic elements, including tape loops and synths. “I think in all of our minds, we were trying to discover how to be a different band,” explains Buck. Helping the musicians achieve their sonic goals was producer Pat McCarthy (U2, Counting Crows, The Waterboys) with assistance from Nigel Godrich, who was on the verge of breakout success with Radiohead’s OK Computer. “A lot of [McCarthy’s] work with the programming end of things was really vital to giving this record the unity that it has,” says Mills. “His work cannot be overstated on this record.”
Modell describes Up as, “The beautiful but misunderstood, complex but overlooked, difficult but incredibly rewarding red-headed stepchild of the R.E.M. catalog,” adding that it “features some of the best songs R.E.M. ever committed to tape.” Eschewing much of the jangly, guitar-driven rock that made R.E.M. one of the biggest bands in the world, Up found the trio channeling the likes of Brian Eno, Leonard Cohen, and the Beach Boys, as they married vintage flavors with the futuristic vibes of electronic music.
As the band put the finishing touches on Up, they also decided to make another bold choice: printing Stipe’s lyrics for the very first time. “I felt like everything was new,” he recalls. “I had rules that lasted for albums…I just threw [them] out the window.” Much to the delight of fans, the practice would continue on R.E.M.’s subsequent studio albums.
Upon its release in the autumn of 1998, Up proved to be another commercial and critical success for the band. A No.2 bestseller in the UK and Canada, Up spent 16 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No.3, while it landed in the Top 5 and Top 10 across Europe and Oceania. Ranked in a variety of outlets as one of the best releases of the year, Up was received warmly by the press, including Blender which called the album, “Their most intimate in years,” while Spin declared, “This latest move suits R.E.M., as it’s a return to the cradle (if not womb) of their creativity,” adding “Up’s lushly arranged tunes show off Stipe at his most…beautiful.” Rolling Stone, meanwhile, hailed that Up “Is a look back and a dream forward from the greatest rock-ballad band that ever existed, a group whose fast songs even made you think slow, the one that made introspection not just a sideline but the whole game.”
While the recording process for Up was challenging – both creatively and emotionally – it set the band on course for the triumphant second half of their career. Stipe reflects, “The growing pains of becoming a three-piece were really evident throughout the entire making of the record, and it left three best friends very distant from each other as creative partners, but we managed to hold it together, and I believe a very good record came out of it.”
The expanded reissue, which features the album, plus the Party of Five performance in its entirety, can also be found on 2-CD, digital, and hi-res configurations, while the 14-track, 2-LP album will be reissued on 180-gram vinyl. A limited-edition pressing on Green Marble vinyl is also available exclusively at R.E.M.’s official store along with special Up merchandise. All reissue formats feature newly remastered audio by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.
Click here to pre-order now and view trailer
About R.E.M.:
Having established a powerful legacy as one of the most enduring and essential rock bands in popular music history, R.E.M. pioneered the alt-rock movement of the ’90s, influencing the likes of Radiohead, Nirvana, Pavement, and Pearl Jam. Formed in 1980, the group enjoyed an extraordinary three-decade-long run of creative vitality and multi-platinum sales before amicably disbanding in 2011. Despite great success, the band members never lost track of their core values—remaining outspoken in their views about political, social, and environmental issues, and never wavering when it came to artistic integrity. Throughout the course of their career together, R.E.M. released a total of 15 studio albums, won three GRAMMY® Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
About Craft Recordings:
Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, HITCO, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.
Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.