R.E.M. to reissue late career albums on vinyl

Craft Recordings will put out vinyl reissues for two long out-of-print titles from the second half of the R.E.M.’s career: 2004’s Around the Sun and 2011’s Collapse Into Now. Arriving July 14 and available for pre-order, both albums were pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Records Pressing.

Additionally, fans can find limited editions exclusively at REMHQ.com: the 2-LP Around the Sun will be available on an Opaque White color variant, while the 1-LP Collapse Into Now can be found in Milky Clear vinyl, along with exclusive official merchandise.

R.E.M.’s 13th album Around the Sun was written as America grappled with the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War. It reflected the somber tone of the era and found the band blending political commentary with meditations on love, loss, and a fast-changing world.

Marking the band’s final collaboration with producer Pat McCarthy (The Waterboys, U2) and their first with drummer Bill Rieflin, Around the Sun features the single “Leaving New York” (a Top 5 hit in the UK and No.1 on Billboard’s AAA chart). “Outsiders” features guest vocals by rapper Q-Tip. Around the Sun topped the album charts in the UK, Germany, and Sweden, among other territories, and landed at No.13 on the Billboard 200.

Not long after the release of their following album, Accelerate (2008), the members of R.E.M. collectively decided to conclude their time together with one final album. Produced by Jacknife Lee (The Cars, Taylor Swift, U2), Collapse Into Now was recorded over the course of a year in Berlin, New Orleans, and Nashville. For their 15th studio effort, the band took a broader approach to their writing, allowing for an expansive collection of songs that spoke to universal themes. “Discoverer” is one of Michael Stipe’s only autobiographical songs. It features an appearance by Patti Smith (who also lends her voice to closer “Blue”).

“It’s about realizing that the city offers you this unbelievable potential and opportunity; all the things you are looking for in your teens and your twenties,” Stipe told Interview Magazine. The album also includes "It Happened Today,” featuring guest vocals by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and The Hidden Cameras’ Joel Gibb. “Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter” finds Stipe duetting with Peaches, with a special appearance by longtime Patti Smith guitarist, Lenny Kaye.

While the band chose not to tour behind the album, they partnered with a variety of prominent filmmakers and artists (including Sam Taylor-Wood, Jim Herbert, and James Franco), who directed music videos for each track. Speaking to Interview, Stipe explained, “The idea was to present a 21st-century version of an album. What does an album mean in the year 2011, especially to generations of people for whom the word album is an archaic term? I wanted to present an idea of what an album could be in the age of YouTube and the Internet.”

Released one year after R.E.M.’s 30th anniversary, Collapse Into Now landed in the Top 5 in the US, UK, and across Europe.

Click here to pre-order Around the Sun and Collapse into Now.

Around the Sun Vinyl Track List:

Side A

1. Leaving New York

2. Electron Blue
3. The Outsiders

Side B
1. Make It All Okay
2. Final Straw
3. I Wanted To Be Wrong

Side C
1. Wanderlust
2. Boy In The Well
3. Aftermath

Side D
1. High Speed Train
2. The Worst Joke Ever
3. The Ascent Of Man
4. Around The Sun

Collapse Into Now Vinyl Track List:

X-Axis
1. Discoverer
2. All the Best
3. Überlin
4. Oh My Heart
5. It Happened Today
6. Every Day Is Yours To Win

Y-Axis
1. Mine Smell Like Honey
2. Walk It Back
3. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter
4. That Someone Is You
5. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I
6. Blue