Next week sees the release of the latest installment in R.E.M.’s ongoing reissue series: an expanded 2CD, 25th anniversary re-release of Lifes Rich Pageant. Thanks to an exclusive pre-release stream at Spin.com, you can go ahead and check out the fully remastered 1986 album and the 19-track bonus disc, featuring demos recorded at John Keane’s studio in Athens, Ga.
The bonus disc, dubbed “The Athens Demos,” features early recordings of all 12 Lifes Rich Pageant tracks, plus several songs later recorded for subsequent releases: “Bad Day,” “Rotary Ten,” “Two Steps Onward,” “Mystery To Me,” “All The Right Friends” and “March Song (King Of Birds),” an early instrumental of “King Of Birds” from Document. The real treasure, for longtime fans, is the inclusion of the demo for “Wait,” a track never before officially released by R.E.M., although it’s been heavily bootlegged.
FULL-ALBUM STREAM: R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant: 25th Anniversary Edition
