R.E.M. - new album era (late '07)

[joker]

BURBANK, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/09/07 -- R.E.M. -- singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills -- will record their fourteenth studio album this Spring with Grammy Award-winning producer Jacknife Lee. Lee, most noted for his production on U2's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," has also produced albums by Snow Patrol, The Hives, and indie stalwarts Kasabian, Aqualung, and Bloc Party.

"R.E.M. are consistently one of the Great Bands, if not the greatest," Lee says. "The new songs they've written are some of their most exciting and visceral yet. They're a beacon for any band wishing to remain honest and challenging."

"We are psyched to work with Jacknife Lee," R.E.M.'s Mills says. "We've got a great batch of songs, and can't wait to put them down."

R.E.M.'s forthcoming release will be the Grammy-winning band's first studio album since 2004's "Around the Sun."

www.sys-con.com/read/347222.htm

------------------------------------------

According to Billboard, the album will be released before the end of the year.

"Around the Sun" was bad by their standards, and it's been about 15 years since their last truly great album, but they've shown flashes since then, usually a couple songs per album, and particularly "The Great Beyond" from the Man on the Moon soundtrack. It's still friggin' R.E.M., so I can't help but wanna give this new cd a chance.

[oscillations.]

My sentiments mirror yours.

[banet2001]

I am looking forward to their new album, even though the last few albums they have released have been sub standard. Hopefully they will regain their old form once again.

[damnnnitzzjohn]

^Yes

[Nick]

Their last album was on the slower side, but I liked a good part of it.

"Leaving New York" and "Aftermath" were the best songs on there.

Looking forward to their return.

[jaxxalude]

R.E.M. have pretty much become like Pearl Jam, in the sense that they are now quite happy to pander to their large fanbase and give an air of not bothering too much about pushing their own buttons. I agree that Automatic For The People was their last great record. But until Up they still made solid records, and at least were trying not to stagnate musically. Then came Reveal and, save for one or two really good moments per album (say what you will, "All The Way To Reno" was a really good single), they have not only pretty much got back to their comfort zone, they've been going through the motions at it. So, in a way, I'm already lowering my expectations here. Hey, at least I don't run the risk of ending up feeling disappointed or something. ;)

[joker]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs tonight (VH1 Classic, 8:30 p.m. eastern, 5:30 pacific). It's "live and unedited".

R.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, the Ronettes and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are the honorees.

Perhaps appropriately given the previous post, Eddie Vedder will induct R.E.M., while Jay-Z and Keith Richards are among the other presenters.

[SHOOTER]

I had completely forgotten about Around The Sun. I guess that's why it only sold 235k.

[joker]

San Diego Union-Tribune article

For R.E.M.'s Mills, induction is a 'double-edged sword'

With Van Halen seemingly imploding anew on a weekly basis, Mike Mills has a novel solution for how to salute the veteran Los Angeles band when it is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow night in New York.

“Maybe we'll have to play a Van Halen medley,” quipped Mills, the bassist in R.E.M. who will be inducted and perform tomorrow with R.E.M.'s three other founding members.

“But I think it's pretty cool that we're being inducted with Patti Smith and The Ronettes, and that it's in the same year the first hip-hop band is going in. We used to listen to Grandmaster Flash all the time.”

In contrast with fellow inductees Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, The Ronettes and Smith – all of whom were eligible for induction years earlier but failed to make the cut – R.E.M. and Van Halen were both voted in during their first year of eligibility.

It's an honor that Mills is proud of, but not too proud to express some reservations.

“I think it's a double-edged sword,” he said, speaking from Los Angeles. “It's always nice to be recognized, I guess. And, certainly, given the class we're going in with, it feels very nice. But there's also the danger that people perceive it as a cap on our career. And our career is nowhere ready to be capped.”

An Orange County native who moved to Georgia with his family while he was still an infant, Mills co-founded R.E.M. in 1980 with guitarist Peter Buck, drummer Bill Berry and spotlight-shunning singer Michael Stipe. The four came together at the University of Georgia in Athens, where Mills, Stipe and Berry were students. Buck worked at an area record store.

Influenced by both punk and the jingle-jangle style of folk-rock popularized by The Byrds in the 1960s, R.E.M. released its first album, the cryptic “Murmur,” in 1983. The band became the decade's most popular college-rock band.

With the Top 10 success of its 1987 album, “Document,” and its brooding single, “The One I Love,” R.E.M. moved from underground sensations to mainstream success. A year later, the band was signed by major label powerhouse Warner Bros. and scored a Top 10 single with the unabashedly sing-song-y “Stand.” The band's 1991 album, “Out of Time,” sold more than 10 million copies, as did “Automatic for the People,” its 1992 successor.

“When we started out, we didn't want to be seen as self-indulgent, even though we were,” Mills, 48, recalled.

“We were just reacting to so much of what was popular in the late '70s and early '80s. We didn't want to have wacky 'fashion hair.' We didn't want to play with synthesizers or fight about money, so we split everything equally. And we didn't want to be on the police blotter.”

In 1986, the group was re-signed by Warner Bros. for a reported $80 million. Drummer Berry, who will be on hand for tomorrow's induction, left the band in 1997. R.E.M. has never been the same since, artistically or commercially, but Mills is enthusiastic about the group's longevity and its plans to record a new album.

“We were very lucky our rise was gradual,” he said. “There are so many pitfalls and dangers that can keep a band from surviving. So to last this long is a bit of a shock. It's a combination of luck and determination.”

– George Varga

[joker]

R.E.M., Green Day, Aguilera cover Lennon for charity

R.E.M.'s original foursome has recorded a cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream" as the centerpiece of the charity album "Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur." The song will be released to U.S. radio outlets today (March 12) and to digital retailers tomorrow, while the album is due June 12 via Warner Bros.

The full track list for "Instant Karma" has yet to be revealed, but it will feature Lennon covers from Green Day, Christina Aguilera, Snow Patrol, the Postal Service, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jack Johnson and Regina Spektor. All proceeds will benefit Amnesty International's efforts to halt the human rights horrors in Darfur.

[jaxxalude]

NME

REM hire Bloc Party producer for new album
Jacknife Lee says the band's new songs are 'exciting'

REM are to record their 14th studio album with Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee, the man behind recent LPs by Bloc Party and Snow Patrol.

Singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills hope to release the follow-up to 2004's 'Around The Sun' before the end of the year.

The band had used Pat McCarthy as producer on their last three albums, but have decided on a change for the new record.

Lee said of his new challenge: "REM are consistently one of the great bands, if not the greatest. The new songs they've written are some of their most exciting and visceral yet. They're a beacon for any band wishing to remain honest and challenging."

REM's Mike Mills admitted: "We are psyched to work with Jacknife Lee. We've got a great batch of songs, and can't wait to put them down."

The band's original line-up - Stipe, Buck, Mills and original drummer Bill Berry, who quit in 1997 - will today (March 12) be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder in a ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

And the original line-up have recorded their fist song together since 1996, a cover of John Lennon's '#9 Dream' for Amnesty International.

It will be available as a download from tomorrow (March 13) from amnestyorg/noise..

[joker]

Rolling Stone Audio

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck joined us in our offices to reminisce about the past, talk about influences and give us some insight into the band’s future. We felt bad we couldn’t fit all of you in the room, so we’re doing the next best thing and sharing a handful of audio highlights from the interview:

Michael Stipe talks about how he feels about The Beatles:
Listen

On the band’s love of Velvet Underground and Patti Smith:
Listen

Michael Stipe admitting the lyrics on the first two albums were “nonsense”:
Listen

Find out the band’s favorite new music and what Michael Stipe thinks is “best record of the last seven years”:
Listen

On being chosen as Rolling Stone’s Album of the Year in 1983, over Michael Jackson’s Thriller:
Listen

[joker]

gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=29197

The original REM line-up reunited last night as the Athens band were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Drummer Bill Berry, who left the band a decade ago, performed a medley of early songs with Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills.

They performed ‘Man on the Moon’ with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder on backing vocals, ‘Begin The Begin’ and Gardening At Night at the New York, Warfdale Astoria Hall ceremony.

Upon handing them their honour Eddie Vedder paid tribute to REM, calling their music “all-encompassing” and “a mural of sound and emotion.”

Unfortunately, Van Halen showed no sign of regrouping with only their frontman Sammy Hagar and former bassist Michael Anthony picking up their honour.

Grandmaster Flash, Patti Smith and The Ronettes were also inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

[joker]

From the Billboard.biz Progress Reports:

R.E.M.'s cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream" enters the Triple A radio chart at No. 30, placing the newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers in a tie for fourth-most hits in the chart's history. Only Dave Matthews Band (20), U2 (18) and Sheryl Crow (14) have made more appearances than R.E.M. and the Wallflowers, each with 12 ... The cover is from the upcoming benefit album, "Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur," and it marks R.E.M.'s first trip to the Triple A list since 2005's "Aftermath." With departed band member Bill Berry returning on drums, it's also R.E.M.'s first single in a decade to feature all four of the group's founding members.

[joker]

From murmurs.com:



Some fans got this in their e-mail today:

Dear Fan Club Members,

Please stay tuned to your email for a very special announcement from R.E.M. HQ around this same time tomorrow.

You are probably wondering what the surprise is: well, all we can say right now is: stay tuned tomorrow and you will find out at the same time as your fellow fan club members. Some of you will be particularly happy.

SO...PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL TOMORROW!

[busyboy]

R.E.M. To Unveil New Songs At Dublin Shows

March 30, 2007, 10:20 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

R.E.M. will unveil material intended for its 14th studio album during a five-night run of live dates in Dublin this summer. The shows, set for June 30, July 1 and July 3-5 at the Olympia Theatre, will mark the first time in a decade that the band has played new songs live before they appeared on an album.

As previously reported, R.E.M. will record the album in the coming months with producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol). The as-yet-untitled set is expected out before the end of the year via Warner Bros.

"The way we normally work is, (guitarist) Peter (Buck) and I are overproductive," bassist Mike Mills told Billboard earlier this month at the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. "We tend to write a lot of music. (Vocalist) Michael (Stipe) requires a little more time to focus on it. Musically, I'd say we're pretty far along. Lyrically, we're probably just beginning."

On the heels of 2004's "Around the Sun," which offered a dearth of rock songs, Mills says R.E.M. is "certainly aiming for a more live feel and maybe a little more uptempo" approach this time around. "The trouble with making records is that you can plan all you want. But what we find is that the records tend to take on a life of their own, so it could go in any direction."

R.E.M.'s new single, a cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream," was released digitally earlier this month as the lead track from the Darfur benefit album "Instant Karma." The track features original drummer Bill Berry for the first time since he retired from the band in 1997.

www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003565709

[busyboy]

REM move to Ireland

REM will begin recording their new album in Canada next week, the band have announced.

Work on the follow-up to 2004's "Around The Sun" will start in Vancouver, before the rock legends decamp to Ireland to continue sessions.

According to a post on their official website, Jacknife Lee, who helmed Bloc Party's "A Weekend In The City", will produce the album.

Apparently Michael Stipe and co plan to "set up shop" in Ireland as they prepare to showcase some of the new material at their forthcoming Dublin residency.

As previously announced, REM are scheduled to play the following dates this summer:

June 2007

30 Olympia Theatre, Dublin

July

01+03+04+05 Olympia Theatre, Dublin

[joker]

^Looking forward to the new material. REMHQ put up this short YouTube clip of Peter Buck in the studio.

[areyoureadytojump]

The new studio album has been pushed back to 2008.

[areyoureadytojump]

Billboard.com:

New R.E.M. Song Debuting In CNN Special

October 09, 2007

by Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

A previously unreleased R.E.M. song, "Until the Day Is Done," will premiere tomorrow (Oct. 10) on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." The song is synced to clips from the CNN special "Planet in Peril," which airs Oct. 23-24.

"Until the Day Is Done" will also be included in the "AC360" podcast, which goes live Thursday, and in a video trailer for "Planet in Peril" on CNN.com. It is not yet known if it will appear on R.E.M.'s next album, due in the spring via Warner Bros.

The song was played live several times this summer during a run of shows in Dublin. With its acoustic guitar melody and mid-tempo pace, the track recalls prior R.E.M. songs such as "Swan Swan H" or "Drive."

This is not the first time R.E.M. has utilized Cooper's show to unveil new music. In 2002, the group debuted the video for new song "Bad Day" on the program.

[busyboy]

New album is called Acceleration, out April 1st 2008.

[areyoureadytojump]

Billboard.com:

R.E.M. Prepares To 'Accelerate'

January 02, 2008

by Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Nobody would ever confuse R.E.M. for Metallica, but the guitars have definitely been turned up for the Georgia group's 14th studio album, "Accelerate," due April 1 via Warner Bros.

Nearly all the material was tested out during a summer run in Dublin, although manager Bertis Downs tells Billboard a few of those songs didn't make the cut, and that a couple of album tunes were held back from live airings.

Mostly gone is the drowsy vibe of 2004's "Around the Sun," with "Living Well Is the Best Revenge," "Horse to Water," "Aftermath" and "Until the Day Is Done" recapturing the old R.E.M. energy. "It's not like we're going to pretend these are ballads. These are rockers," Downs says.

"I feel like there's a confidence in the material, and a communication between the three of us that hasn't been there for some time," frontman Michael Stipe told Uncut. "We didn't talk to each other for a couple of records -- as friends or as bandmates. And we reached a point before this LP where we just sat down at a table and hashed it out."

R.E.M. will tour this spring; for now, the lone confirmed date is an appearance at the Langerado Festival, which runs March 6-9 in Big Cypress, Fla.

[reception]

Jan 15, 2:25 AM EST
Stipe Dismissed As Potential Juror

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe was among more than a dozen potential jurors dismissed at the beginning of the trial for a man accused of sneaking into a middle school and trying to sexually assault a girl.

Stipe told Clarke County Superior Court Judge Lawton Stephens on Monday he could not be fair and impartial in the case because he has been the target of stalkers and death threats, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

Apart from Stipe, 15 other potential jurors were dismissed because they said they had already made up their minds about the suspect's guilt or innocence.

[busyboy]

They have a website with daily video updates:

www.ninetynights.com/

[busyboy]

Track listing:

1. Living Well is the Best Revenge
2. Man Sized Wreath
3. Supernatural Superserious
4. Hollow Man
5. Houston
6. Accelerate
7. Until the Day is Done
8. Mr. Richards
9. Sing for the Submarine
10. Horse to Water
11. I'm Gonna DJ

The first single is "Supernatural Superserious" and should be out next month. Snippet here:

www.murmurs.com/node/2063

[busyboy]

[banet2001]

REM TO TOUR NORTH AMERICAN IN SUPPORT OF ACCELERATE

R.E.M. will tour North America this May and June in support of Accelerate, their new record which is set to be released on April 1. The band will be joined on the North American tour by Modest Mouse and The National. Please stay tuned to remhq.com for more details.

May
23--Vancouver--Deer Lake Park
29--Los Angeles--Hollywood Bowl
31--Berkeley--The Greek Theatre
June
03--Denver--Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06--Chicago--United Center
08--Toronto--Molson Amphitheatre
10--Raleigh--Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
11--Washington, DC--Merriweather Post Pavilion
13--Boston--Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
14--Long Island--Jones Beach Theater
18--Philadelphia--Mann Center for the Performing Arts
19--New York City--TBA
21--Atlanta--Lakewood Amphitheatre

remhq.com/news_story.php?id=662

[busyboy]

Full version of "Supernatural Superserious" here:

www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/forkcast/48521-rem-supernatural-superserious-stream

[jazklash]

As I already said here, on first listen, my reaction is something along the lines of "sorry, guys, this is not 1994 anymore".

[busyboy]

Leaked.