Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

R.E.M. "Unplugged" Set to Complicate Your Life on Record Store Day

March 17, 2014 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

REM Unplugged RSD

A then-unheard of gap of three years stood between R.E.M.'s first two albums for Warner Bros. Records - 1988's Green and 1991's Out of Time - so there's still time to go before the departed band's ongoing 25th anniversary album remaster campaign enters the 1990s. With that, Warner Bros. is instead releasing, for the first time, two complete live sets the band recorded for the beloved MTV Unplugged series. Both sets will first be available in a single, four-disc vinyl box set to be released on Record Store Day.

The Athens, Georgia quartet's first appearance on the program followed the release of seventh studio album Out of Time, which would become a massive hit off the strength of Top 10 singles like "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People." Six of the set's 17 performances hail from tracks recorded during the album's sessions, including non-LP B-sides "Fretless" and "Rotary 11." (Those two tracks, as well as acoustic renditions of  Document's "Swan Swan H" and Green's "Get Up" and "World Leader Pretend," were never included in the original broadcast and are heard here for the first time.

Almost exactly a decade later, R.E.M. reappeared on Unplugged a somewhat different band - not the least of which was due to the departure of drummer Bill Berry. In promotion of the band's second album as a trio, Reveal, the group delivered a slightly more diverse set, stretching all the way back to 1984's "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and including some of the best tracks from the band's early trio years, including "Daysleeper," "At My Most Beautiful" and "Imitation of Life." Six of the 16 performances from this set were excised from the original airing.

For those who are looking for a smaller or less expensive way to enjoy this one, fear not: a two-disc CD edition will be released on May 20. But for those looking to put this on your RSD shopping list - and don't forget, the full list is live this Thursday - this is definitely going to be one to look for. (Doubly so if you frequent Bull Moose Records in Scarborough, Maine, where R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills will be on hand on April 19 to sign copies of the RSD-exclusive box.)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpjk55MYzMI]

After the jump, check out the full track list for the set!

Unplugged 1991/2001: The Complete Sessions (Warner Bros., 2014)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 

LPs 1-2: MTV Unplugged - 4/10/1991

  1. Half a World Away
  2. Disturbance At the Heron House
  3. Radio Song
  4. Low
  5. Perfect Circle
  6. Fall on Me
  7. Belong
  8. Love is All Around
  1. Its the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)
  2. Losing My Religion
  3. Pop Song 89
  4. Endgame
  5. Fretless *
  6. Swan Swan H *
  7. Rotary 11 *
  8. Get Up *
  9. World Leader Pretend *

LPs 3-4: MTV Unplugged - 5/21/2001

  1. All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star)
  2. Electrolite
  3. At My Most Beautiful
  4. Daysleeper
  5. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
  6. Losing My Religion
  7. Country Feedback
  8. Cuyahoga
  1. Imitation of Life
  2. Find the River
  3. The One I Love *
  4. Disappear *
  5. Beat a Drum *
  6. I’ve Been High *
  7. I’ll Take the Rain *
  8. Sad Professor *

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: Record Store Day, REM, Vinyl

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • Version 1.0.0Every Move He Makes: Sting Plans Multiple Formats of '3.0 LIVE' Album
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • Talking Heads Live on Tour 78They'll Be There for You: 10 Record Store Day Exclusives Getting CD Releases

Comments

  1. Don says

    March 17, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    This is definitely the best release on the RSD list this year. I'm glad they're putting it out on CD a few weeks later too!

    Reply
  2. Jason Michael says

    March 17, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    I have this on my RSD list, but if I miss the vinyl the CD will be fine. Very nice track listings for both dates. Have these ever been released on home video/DVD?

    Reply
  3. John says

    March 17, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    That cover design is terrible! It looks like an average-quality bootleg release.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Barbra Streisand Partners Volume Two
    The Secret of Life: Partners Volume Two
    Barbra Streisand
    June 27, 2025
    US UK
  • Version 1.0.0
    The Manticore Tapes
    Motörhead
    June 27, 2025
    US UK
  • Toy Story 30 vinyl
    Toy Story: Songs to Infinity and Beyond
    Randy Newman
    June 27, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,676 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Dionne Warwick Make It Easy on Yourself(Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12...
  • Tracks II CD packshot no disc artShut Out the Light: Bruce Springsteen Offers Seven Unheard Albums on 'Tracks II'
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy