Name: Unplugged 1991/2001: The Complete Sessions (2CD)
Brand: Rhino
SKU: 53507723
Price: 15.73 USD
Availability: InStock

Unplugged 1991/2001 [2 Discs]

Rating

Album: Unplugged 1991/2001: The Complete Sessions
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Half A World Away	More Info...
2)	Disturbance at the Heron House	More Info...
3)	Radio Song	More Info...
4)	Low	More Info...
5)	Perfect Circle	More Info...
6)	Fall on Me	More Info...
7)	Belong	More Info...
8)	Love is All Around	More Info...
9)	Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)	More Info...
10)	Losing My Religion	More Info...
11)	Pop Song 89	More Info...
12)	Endgame	More Info...
13)	Fretless	More Info...
14)	Swan Swan H	More Info...
15)	Rotary 11	More Info...
16)	Get Up	More Info...
17)	World Leader Pretend	More Info...
1)	All The Way To Reno	More Info...
2)	Electrolite	More Info...
3)	At My Most Beautiful	More Info...
4)	Daysleeper	More Info...
5)	So. Central Rain	More Info...
6)	Losing My Religion	More Info...
7)	Country Feedback	More Info...
8)	Cuyahoga	More Info...
9)	Imitation of Life	More Info...
10)	Find the River	More Info...
11)	The One I Love	More Info...
12)	Disappear	More Info...
13)	Beat a Drum	More Info...
14)	I've Been High	More Info...
15)	I'll Take the Rain	More Info...
16)	Sad Professor	More Info...

Album: Unplugged 1991/2001: The Complete Sessions
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Half A World Away	More Info...
2)	Disturbance at the Heron House	More Info...
3)	Radio Song	More Info...
4)	Low	More Info...
5)	Perfect Circle	More Info...
6)	Fall on Me	More Info...
7)	Belong	More Info...
8)	Love is All Around	More Info...
9)	Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)	More Info...
10)	Losing My Religion	More Info...
11)	Pop Song 89	More Info...
12)	Endgame	More Info...
13)	Fretless	More Info...
14)	Swan Swan H	More Info...
15)	Rotary 11	More Info...
16)	Get Up	More Info...
17)	World Leader Pretend	More Info...
1)	All The Way To Reno	More Info...
2)	Electrolite	More Info...
3)	At My Most Beautiful	More Info...
4)	Daysleeper	More Info...
5)	So. Central Rain	More Info...
6)	Losing My Religion	More Info...
7)	Country Feedback	More Info...
8)	Cuyahoga	More Info...
9)	Imitation of Life	More Info...
10)	Find the River	More Info...
11)	The One I Love	More Info...
12)	Disappear	More Info...
13)	Beat a Drum	More Info...
14)	I've Been High	More Info...
15)	I'll Take the Rain	More Info...
16)	Sad Professor	More Info...

Performer Notes

Creators: Bob Small; Jim Burns .
Originally released as a quadruple-vinyl Record Store Day exclusive then later a double-CD set, Complete Unplugged Sessions captures two separate acoustic shows from R.E.M.: one from 1991, performed just after the release of Out of Time, the other from a decade later, just after they released Reveal, their second album without Bill Berry. Oddly, of these two performances, the one that feels the most like classic R.E.M. is the 2001 gig; even with the absence of Berry and an emphasis on latter-day Baroque pop typified by "At My Most Beautiful," this is a band that's playing as a band, augmented by some extra musicians -- trusty Scott McCaughey, along with Posie Ken Stringfellow, fill out the band while Joey Waronker provides percussion -- but nevertheless evoking nearly every era of R.E.M. by providing tight, assured versions of "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)," "Cuyahoga," and "The One I Love," along with a savvy acoustic revision of "Country Feedback." Naturally, there are quite a few selections from Up and Reveal, but those songs sound a bit richer when stripped down and placed in context with the rest of the band's catalog. In contrast, the 1991 set seems like a snapshot of a particular point in time, namely the florid folk-rock of Out of Time. Berry anchors the band on congas, Peter Buck never skimps on mandolin, Peter Holsapple offers sonic coloring (sometimes via an organ), and Mike Mills harmonizes sweetly with Michael Stipe. This is a sound the group never tried before and never did again (Automatic for the People grew out of this but its melancholy stands as a counterpoint to the essential lightness of Out of Time). R.E.M. also peppered their 1991 set list with song choices that remain surprising -- the Troggs' "Love Is All Around" is covered, the B-sides "Fretless" and "Rotary 11" are unearthed, and they performed a nimble rearrangement of "Radio Song," which was distinguished on record by KRS-One's rap -- and that, along with the distinct instrumentation, keeps the 1991 set fresh. Together, these two Unplugged Sessions -- which, in this incarnation, include 11 performances not featured on either broadcast -- make for a bit of a treat for hardcore R.E.M. fans, a document when the group was near the peak of their powers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "No band but Nirvana made more breathtakingly transformative use of MTV Unplugged than R.E.M., the only act to headline the show twice."