R.E.M. and MTV Team Up for REMTV Six-DVD Retrospective

R.E.M. and MTV have announced REMTV, a six-disc DVD retrospective that compiles R.E.M. performances from MTV award shows, “MTV Unplugged”, concerts between 1995 and 2008, “VH1 Storytellers”, a new documentary, and more. It’ll be out November 24. 

The first disc includes the band’s first (1991) and second (2001) performances on “MTV Unplugged”, plus outtakes. The second has the band’s 1998 “VH1 Storytellers” episode, including unaired versions of “New Test Leper” and “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville”, along with performances from various MTV award shows and music shows, plus the band’s 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Three more discs compile live performances between 1995 and 2008, comprising 99 songs, nearly half of which are unique. (So you won’t be watching three dozen takes on “Losing My Religion”.)

The final disc includes “R.E.M. By MTV”, a feature-length documentary that chronicles the parallel development of the band and the network. (R.E.M. released their first single in 1981, the same year MTV was launched.) “R.E.M. By MTV” will also premiere on VH1 Classic and Palladia in November.

Find the full tracklist here.

“It occurred to us that there’s all this footage of some of the band’s absolute career highlights sitting in some MTV vaults in London and New York– and thanks to a lot of effort and digging and arranging, this is our chance to share that music with various generations of R.E.M. fans in a pretty unique release,” band manager Bertis Downs said in a press release. “And Alexander Young’s documentary is a fine way to tell the story of R.E.M. through its various twists and turns, as captured in real time by MTV’s cameras– it has some great funny bits too!”

Pre-ordering REMTV will allow fans to download a mono recording of a 2003 show in Milan, Italy that won’t be included in the retrospective. 

Read Ryan Dombal’s interview with R.E.M. after they announced their 2011 breakup. 

Watch R.E.M. perform “Everybody Hurts” and “Drive” at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards:

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