Craft Recordings is continuing its ongoing R.E.M. reissue series with a 25th anniversary edition of the Georgia band's tenth studio album New Adventures in Hi-Fi.  On October 29, a 2CD/1BD Deluxe Edition will present the newly remastered original album, a disc of B-sides and rarities, and a Blu-ray with numerous features including a 64-minute outdoor projection film (originally shown on buildings across five cities in 1996 to promote the album release), a 30-minute EPK (Electronic Press Kit), five HD-restored music videos, and the album in both high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround sound.  It's all housed in a 52-page hardcover book with liner notes by Mark Blackwell, archival photos, and reminiscences from all four band members plus Patti Smith, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, and producer Scott Litt.  The single "Leave (Alternate Version)," recorded for the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack, is streaming now.

New Adventures in Hi-Fi was R.E.M.'s fifth album for the Warner Bros. label and the final album with both Scott Litt and drummer/founding member Bill Berry.  Its inspirations were diverse - from Neil Young (with his blend of acoustic country-rock with harder sounds) to Radiohead (who toured with R.E.M. and from whom they borrowed the process of recording tracks during soundcheck, on the tour bus, and backstage to then utilize on the studio album).  Patti Smith added vocals to "E-Bow the Letter," a No. 2 Alternative Rock hit that also reached No. 4 on the U.K. Singles Chart.  "Bittersweet Me" did almost as well, making No. 6 Alternative Rock and No. 19 across the pond.  Both of those singles cracked the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 49 and No. 46, respectively; "Electrolite" squeaked in at No. 96 with a U.K. placement of No. 29.

The album, released in September 1996, fared even better than its singles.  While it stalled just shy of the top spot in the U.S. at No. 2, it topped the charts internationally in over a dozen countries including in the U.K., Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.  R.E.M.'s longest studio album, it has since been certified double platinum in the United States and Gold and Platinum throughout the world.

Those looking for fewer Adventures than on the 2CD/1BD set will find a 2CD or digital collection without the Blu-ray content.  The 2CD iteration boasts an exclusive 24" x 24" poster and four postcards as well as a slimmed-down booklet.  The remastered album only will be available as a 2-LP set pressed on 180-gram vinyl with lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio.  A limited-edition pressing on clear and black marbled vinyl was briefly available at R.E.M.'s official store (limited to 1,000 units worldwide); it appears to have sold out within moments yesterday.

In the press release, Peter Buck looks back on New Adventures: "Most records, you go in the studio and you just do 'em. And years later all you really remember is vaguely where you stayed, and the songs and the recording process. But this one I remember every bit of it. It was an experience. It was f**king tough, but we made a record. And it was as challenging as anything I've ever done."

New Adventures in Hi-Fi is due in various formats from Craft Recordings on October 29.  You'll find pre-order links as well as the complete track listing with discography below!

R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi: 25th Anniversary Edition (Craft/Concord CR00440, 2021)

2CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD (Discs 1 & 2 below only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (Original album only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Disc 1: Original album (released as Warner Bros. 46320, 1996)

1. How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us
2. The Wake-Up Bomb
3. New Test Leper
4. Undertow
5. E-Bow the Letter
6. Leave
7. Departure
8. Bittersweet Me
9. Be Mine
10. Binky the Doormat
11. Zither
12. So Fast, So Numb
13. Low Desert
14. Electrolite

Disc 2: B-Sides

1. Tricycle
2. Departure
3. Wall of Death
4. Undertow (Live)
5. Wichita Lineman
6. New Test Leper (Live Acoustic)
7. The Wake-Up Bomb (Live)
8. Binky the Doormat (Live)
9. King of Comedy (808 State Remix)
10. Be Mine (Mike on Bus Version)
11. Love is All Around
12. Sponge
13. Leave (Alternate)

Disc 2, Tracks 1-3 from "E-Bow the Letter" CD single - Warner Bros. 9 43763-2, 1996

• Track 1 recorded live in soundcheck at the Riverport Amphitheater, St. Louis, MO - 9/22/1995
• Track 2 recorded live in soundcheck at the PalaEur, Rome, Italy - 2/22/1995
• Track 3 also available on Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson - Capitol CDP 07777 95929 2 0, 1994

Disc 2, Tracks 4-6 from "Bittersweet Me" CD single - Warner Bros. 9 43790-2, 1996

• Track 4 recorded live at The Omni, Atlanta, GA - 11/18/1995
• Track 5 recorded live at The Woodlands, TX - 9/15/1995
• Track 6 recorded live at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, WA - 4/19/1996

Disc 2, Tracks 7-9 from "Electrolite" CD single - Warner Bros. 9 43810-2, 1997

• Tracks 7-8 recorded live at The Omni, Atlanta, GA - 11/18/1995

Disc 2, Tracks 10-12 from "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" European CD single - Warner Bros. 9362-43851-2, 1997

• Track 11 also available on I Shot Andy Warhol: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture - TAG Recordings/Atlantic 92690-2, 1996
• Track 12 also available on Sweet Relief II: The Gravity of the Situation (The Songs of Vic Chesnutt) - Columbia CK 67573, 1996

Disc 2, Track 13 from A Life Less Ordinary (Original Soundtrack) - Inner-State Recordings/London 314 540 809-2, 1997

Blu-ray

• R.E.M. Outdoor Projections
• New Adventures in Hi-Fi EPK
• New Adventures in Hi-Fi 5.1 surround and hi-res audio (from CD/DVD reissue - Warner Bros. R2 73950, 2005)
• E-Bow the Letter (music video)
• Bittersweet Me (music video)
• Electrolite (music video)
• How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us (music video)
• New Test Leper (music video)