Talk about feeling old. R.E.M.’s tenth studio album was released in 1996 and Craft Recordings are celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special reissue which will be available on October 29th. New Adventures in Hi-Fi feels slightly dated but considering how Michael Stipe recorded it on the road during their Monster tour — it’s passable if you have the patience to listen to it all. The best track is the duet with Patti Smith (“E-Bow the Letter”) and there are moments in “Departure” that bring the album back to life.
The bonus-filled 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Deluxe Edition offers a trove of audio-visual content, including the newly remastered album, 13 B-sides and rarities, a never-before-released 64-minute outdoor projection film (shown on buildings across five cities in 1996 to promote the album’s original release), and a previously unreleased 30-minute EPK.
Additionally, the Blu-ray features New Adventures in Hi-Fi in stunning Hi-Res and 5.1 Surround Sound audio, plus five HD-restored music videos including “Bittersweet Me,” “Electrolite,” and “E-Bow the Letter.”
Housed in a 52-page hardcover book, the collection includes archival photographs—many of which have never been published—plus new liner notes from journalist Mark Blackwell and reflections from all four original band members, as well as from Patti Smith, Thom Yorke, and producer Scott Litt. An Expanded Edition is also available as a 2-CD or digital collection, including the remastered album along with B-sides and rarities.
The 2-CD offers an exclusive 24” x 24” poster and four collectible postcards, as well as a booklet featuring new liner notes and archival photos. Additionally, the newly remastered album will be available as a 2-LP set, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.
Available via digital platforms now is the advance single “Leave – Alternate Version.” Originally recorded for the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack, the single offers a haunting, sparse, siren-less version of New Adventures album track “Leave,” for which Michael Stipe re-recorded the vocals.
Where to buy:
- $49.98 at Amazon (2-CD + 1 Blu-ray)
- $34.98 at Amazon (2-LP)
- $24.98 at Amazon (2-CD)
