(2021) R.E.M. - New Adventures In Hi-Fi [25th Anniversary Edition]
Review:
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. Deluxe Edition 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. 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.”
Track Listing:
Disc 1:
01.How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us
02.The Wake-Up Bomb
03.New Test Leper
04.Undertow
05.E-Bow the Letter
06.Leave
07.Departure
08.Bittersweet Me
09.Be Mine
10.Binky the Doormat
11.Zither
12.So Fast, So Numb
13.Low Desert
14.Electrolite
Disc 2:
01.Tricycle
02.Departure
03.Wall of Death
04.Undertow (Live)
05.Wichita Lineman
06.New Test Leper (Live Acoustic)
07.The Wake-Up Bomb (Live)
08.Binky the Doormat (Live)
09.King of Comedy (808 State Remix)
10.Be Mine (Mike on Bus Version)
11.Love is All Around
12.Sponge
13.Leave (Alternate)
Media Report:
Genre: alternative rock, indie-pop
Country: USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
