Scott McCaughey, leader of the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5, and who spent 17 years as a touring guitarist and multi-instrumentalist for R.E.M., suffered a stroke while on a tour of the West Coast with Alejandro Escovedo, his wife announced today. He is in stable condition, but a long recovery is expected.
Michael Stipe returned to the concert stage Sunday night, performing a short set — he covered songs by Nat King Cole, Ringo Starr and the Velvet Underground — during the Pathway to Paris climate event at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Sunday. Watch the full performance right here.
Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs. All releases due out this Friday unless noted. This week’s releases include a new box set of early Husker Du material, an expanded R.E.M. reissue and a Tears For Fears best-of.
Michael Stipe will make one of his periodic returns to the concert stage this weekend when the former R.E.M. frontman performs alongside Patti Smith, Joan Baez, Talib Kweli and Flea at the Pathway to Paris climate event at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Sunday. Full details here.
R.E.M. has offered up the latest taste of its upcoming multi-disc 25th anniversary reissue of Automatic For the People in the form of a demo of the song “Photograph,” an AFTP-era track that, in its completed version, would feature a duet between Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant and appear on 1993’s Born to Choose.
A second previously unreleased demo of an unheard song from R.E.M.’s sessions for its 1992 classic Automatic for the People has been released ahead of that album’s reissue next month, a song called “Devil Rides Backwards” that’s being billed as the album’s “great lost track.”
We brought you news of R.E.M.’s expanded reissue of Automatic For the People yesterday, but now the band officially has announced the project, and given fans the first taste of one of its 20 unreleased demos in the form of “Mike’s Pop Song,” a sweet, “fully realized” track sung by Mike Mills. Stream it right here.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 