As has been customary for a few years now, 2010 will see the release of another 25th anniversary reissue for R.E.M.; this time, Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) gets the deluxe treatment.
Like previous deluxe editions (Murmur in 2008 and Reckoning last year), the set will include a previously unreleased bonus disc. This time around, though, it’s going to be comprised of unearthed demos (the previous deluxe sets had live shows added).
The set is due from EMI* on July 13. Pre-order now and get the track list after the jump.
R.E.M., Fables of the Reconstruction: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (EMI)
Disc 1: Original LP (released as I.R.S. 5592, 1985)
- Feeling Gravitys Pull
- Maps and Legends
- Driver 8
- Life and How to Live It
- Old Man Kensey
- Cant Get There from Here
- Green Grow the Rushes
- Kohoutek
- Auctioneer (Another Engine)
- Good Advices
- Wendell Gee
Disc 2: Demos (all tracks previously unreleased)
- Auctioneer (Another Engine) (Demo)
- Bandwagon (Demo) **
- Cant Get There from Here (Demo)
- Driver 8 (Demo)
- Feeling Gravitys Pull (Demo)
- Good Advices (Demo)
- Green Grow the Rushes (Demo)
- Hyena (Demo) ***
- Kohoutek (Demo)
- Life and How to Live It (Demo)
- Maps and Legends (Demo)
- Old Man Kensey (Demo)
- Throw These Trolls Away (Demo) +
- Wendell Gee (Demo)
*(Side note: who exactly owns the I.R.S. catalogue today? EMI re-distributed the albums in R.E.M.’s catalogue – everything from 1983-1988 – back in the early ’90s. But both of the 25th anniversary sets came from Universal in both the U.S. and the U.K. And yet the Amazon page has EMI as the distributor. Anyone have any illumination)?
** finished version was the B-side to “Cant Get There from Here” (I.R.S. 52642, 1985)
*** finished version appeared on Lifes Rich Pageant (I.R.S. 5783, 1986)
+ has never been released in any form
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If I remember correctly, IRS switched distributors from A&M to CBS after Reckoning. I think this is the reason why part of R.E.M.’s IRS catalog is in the hands of Universal and part is with EMI.
Oops, make that MCA instead of CBS.
Natalie is correct – parts of the IRS catalogue are scattered across several label groups. The first 2 REM albums were on A&M (as was the rarities collection Dead Letter Office, if i recall), the next couple were handled by EMI (and from “Green” onward, they were signed to Warner Bros). Other old IRS’s with UMG are Go Go’s and Wall of Voodoo, but then stuff like Concrete Blonde, which came much later, is on EMI. And stuff like Fine Young Cannibals, which was once on IRS/London/MCA, is now owned by Warner by virtue of their purchase of London. So the stuff is all over the place due to distribution/ownership changes.
Thanks to both you and Natalie for clearing this up. You’d think having four major labels would make determining ownership easier!