Rock
WATCH: R.E.M. share previously unreleased live performance of The Great Beyond
R.E.M. have shared a previously unreleased live performance of their hit single The Great Beyond as they mark the 25th anniversary of their acclaimed album Reveal.
R.E.M. have shared a previously unreleased live performance of their single The Great Beyond.
The Losing My Religion band have dropped the unseen performance as a preview of The Black Sessions Revealed – a 17-song live recording that will arrive on November 20 as part of the band's Reveal (25th Anniversary Edition) reissue.
The performance was recorded for Radio France in Paris in May 2001 and revisits one of R.E.M.'s biggest international hits – which featured on the soundtrack to the 1999 film Man on the Moon.
The movie featured Jim Carrey as the late comedian Andy Kaufman and The Great Beyond reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in January 2000 – becoming R.E.M's highest-charting single in the country.
The song saw The One I Love band revisit the topic of Kaufman, who they had previously referenced in their 1992 hit Man on the Moon.
In an interview with MTV in 1999, frontman Michael Stipe recalled that the movie's director Miloš Forman had requested a companion to the earlier track.
He said: "The Great Beyond, in a way, is about someone who's trying to achieve the impossible."
Unlike the majority of R.E.M. albums, Reveal was not followed by a typical tour – with the band instead playing a handful of promotional performances.
Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills – accompanied by guitarist Scott McCaughey, keyboardist Ken Stringfellow and drummer Joey Waronker – performed songs from the 2001 album alongside classics such as Losing My Religion and What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
The Great Beyond follows the previously released live performance, which launched the anniversary celebrations in September.
Reveal was released in May 2001 – featuring tracks such as Imitation of Life, All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star) and I'll Take the Rain – and reached the top of the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard 200.
Reveal (25th Anniversary Edition) is released on November 20 and is available as a deluxe 2-CD/Blu-ray set and expanded digital edition.
It pairs the original album with the previously unreleased Black Sessions performance.
The collections feature new liner notes from journalist Birgit Fuss and reflections from Stipe, Buck and Mills.
The Black Sessions Revealed also arrives as a standalone 2-LP set, bringing the performance to vinyl for the first time.
Exclusive Neon Orange vinyl of the original Reveal album and Neon Pink vinyl of The Black Sessions Revealed are available at REMHQ.com alongside new anniversary merchandise.
Click here to pre-order/pre-save Reveal (25th Anniversary Edition) and The Black Sessions Revealed.
