(RockAndMetal.com) (02/10/04)

By Michael Bennett

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - R.E.M. fans will have good reason to 'Get Up' on March 1st, the release date for reissues of the band's entire Warner Bros. catalog in deluxe two-disc editions, all of which will include previously unreleased material.

All nine CD/DVD combos ("Green," "Out Of Time," "Automatic For The People," "Monster," "New Adventures In Hi-Fi," "Up," "Reveal," "In Time: The Best Of R.E.M.," and "Around The Sun") will be available at all retail outlets or at www.rhino.com for a suggested retail price of $24.98 each.

Every R.E.M. reissue will consist of the album as it was originally released on one CD, plus a DVD with a 5.1 surround sound version of the album remixed by Grammy-winning engineer Elliot Schiener, exclusive web links, an expanded booklet that features new liner notes and rarely seen archival photos, documentaries, and much more.

"Green" (1989) marked R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. debut, and lifted the band to a new level of popularity, thanks to the hits 'Pop Song '89,' 'Stand,' and 'Orange Crush.' The bonus DVD includes an unreleased documentary video and two live performances from the "Tour Film" DVD.

"Out Of Time" (1991) continued to broaden R.E.M.'s audience with one of their biggest hit singles, 'Losing My Religion,' as well as 'Shiny Happy People' and 'Radio Song.' The DVD includes the unreleased "Time Piece" documentary, which mixes band member interviews with commentaries about the songs.

With "Automatic For The People" (1992), the band achieved their greatest commercial success as well as one of their finest artistic statements. The CD contains the smash 'Everybody Hurts,' and the audience favorite 'Man On The Moon.' The DVD features a short film set in Athens, GA, made to support the release, which includes segments showing the band playing portions of songs in the studio.

"Monster" (1994) saw the band expanding its sound, creating an album featuring the aggressive rockers 'What's The Frequency, Kenneth?' and 'Star 69,' as well as the delicate 'Tongue' and 'Strange Currencies.' This DVD offers interviews with the band and unreleased live performances of 'What's The Frequency, Kenneth?,' 'Let Me In,' and 'I Don't Sleep, I Dream.'

"New Adventures In Hi-Fi" (1996) showed the band pushing themselves even further artistically, offering a wide range of song styles with tracks like 'E-Bow The Letter,' 'Leave,' 'Bittersweet Me,' and 'Electrolite,' many of which were recorded live at soundchecks on the Monster tour. The DVD features an unreleased video documentary.

"Up" (1998) found the band redefining itself after the departure of drummer Bill Berry. Songs like 'Daysleeper,' 'At My Most Beautiful' and 'Walk Unafraid' demonstrated that R.E.M.'s creative juices flowed unabated. The DVD includes extracts from the unreleased film "Uptake," featuring three songs and interview footage.

"Reveal,"'s (2001) 'Imitation Of Life,' 'All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star),' and 'She Just Wants To Be' reflect a mood of contemplation and renewal in the best tradition of R.E.M.'s songwriting. This album's DVD includes a documentary about the album and the remixed video for 'I'll Take The Rain.'

"In Time: The Best Of R.E.M." (2003) collects the band's best-loved tunes from the Warner Bros. years, as well as 'All The Right Friends' (from the "Vanilla Sky" soundtrack) and the previously unreleased 'Bad Day' and 'Animal.' The DVD includes the ground-breaking video for 'Bad Day' in both the standard version and a multi-angle version shot at rehearsal in Seattle.

"Around The Sun" (2004), the band's latest offering, includes the single 'Leaving New York.' The DVD includes lyrics, a photo gallery, and unreleased video footage.

Taken as a whole, these R.E.M. reissues prove the band to be one of the most artistically challenging of the last 25 years, constantly pushing themselves to grow with each new CD while also being careful not to appear to be repeating themselves.

The Surround sound versions of the above releases are playable on any DVD player, with the advanced resolution audio being accessible on standard DVD-Audio equipment.

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