R.E.M.: 25th-anniversary reissue of “Reveal” announced with unreleased Paris show

There's a lot of talk, especially within the analytical and often self-referential bubbles of social media, about a supposed and inexorable “oblivion” into which the name R.E.M. would gradually have slipped, with people asking themselves at almost regular intervals just how much the newer generations have by now lost any structural awareness of what the noble fathers of college-rock represented for the construction of alt-rock worldwide. Yet this is a logical paradox even before being a critical one: the very fact that people keep debating so animatedly over the specific weight of their legacy, and over how much media space is still reserved for them, shows with stark clarity that the Athens band has never truly stepped outside the perimeter of contemporary cultural discourse. Fifteen years on from their definitive split, the name R.E.M. is still far from fading into the shadows of music historiography, sustained by a constant presence that lives both in outside celebrations — as shown by the announcement, made only yesterday, of yet another tribute tour devised by actor Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy to mark the fortieth anniversary of “Document” — and in the philological initiatives promoted by the band's own members, who today reveal the details of the expanded reissue conceived for the twenty-fifth anniversary of “Reveal”.

Released in May 2001, “Reveal” captured a lineup now fully immersed in the autumnal, monolithic phase of its artistic arc, having to manage the complex transition that followed the traumatic departure of longtime drummer Bill Berry — an event that had already marked the genesis of the controversial “Up” in 1998, and that had forced Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills to reinvent their performing and compositional identity from the ground up. Where the previous chapter sought an escape route through fragmented textures and electronic fascinations, “Reveal” chose to veer toward a sunny yet disenchanted elegance, able to recover the legendary jangle-pop architecture of the band's early years and reread it through a layered, warm production tinged with a knowing adult resignation. Met at the time with mixed reactions from a critical establishment thrown off balance by the change of pace, the album has gradually earned, within the fanbase, a reputation as a misunderstood and heavily underrated work, making this new reissue project the ideal occasion for a much-needed, in-depth historical reappraisal.

Curated on the visual side by the band's longtime graphic designer Chris Billheimer, the new edition pairs the original album — given a complete sonic restoration available in both high resolution and 5.1 surround multichannel format — with a precious, previously unreleased archival document titled “The Black Sessions Revealed”, which documents in full the seventeen-song performance the band recorded at Radio France's Paris studios back in May 2001, also made available as a standalone double-vinyl release.

Rounding out the deluxe edition of the release are a video section on Blu-ray, containing the promotional videos of the era and the rare original Electronic Press Kit, together with a 32-page hardback book featuring analytical essays and liner notes penned by journalist and music critic Birgit Fuss. Below is the live version of “Imitation Of Life”:

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