R. E. M. - Document, Reconsidered (aka The Athens Variations)

 A Classic Albums Revisited project

Document, Reconsidered

Live & studio recordings, none officially released
Soundboard & preFM sources (quality: Ex to Ex-)

An all-soundboard, all-lossless reassessment of album no. 5, with alternative versions

SAMPLE TRACK: "The One I Love" live in Athens, Aug. 19, 1987 (sbd)

ROB SEZ:  What if R. E. M. took all those adjectives they used to describe album no. 5 (noisy, angular, sparky, crunchy, etc.), kept them firmly in mind while playing the songs as if their lives depended on it, and let the fans hear the results? What if that music (much of it recorded decades ago in Athens, GA) could become a soundtrack to the discontent so many are feeling now? That's the concept that animated this project, but it was just my private pipe dream for many moons.

Fast forward to early 2025, when I gained access to a tasty haul of early 1980s-era R. E. M. 
soundboard recordings.  Among them was a pristine digital file capturing the band's brief, jaw-dropping set at the 40 Watt Club on Aug. 19, 1987 -- recorded just after completing Document with Scott Litt. As I listened, I realized my whacky idea might just have legs. The 9-song set included no less than 5 stunning versions of Document songs, performed with a kind of virtuosic fury that would certainly impress hometown friends and peers. My source also supplied me with a soundboard recording of another brief set at the 40 Watt, this one recorded Feb. 10, 1987. It had 2 additional — impressively angular & noisy — versions of songs that would appear months later on the completed album.  

Those 7 live variants, preserved in excellent audio quality and copied directly from the master analog reels, left me looking for alternative recordings of just 4 more songs from Document. The 1989 vinyl bootleg Finest Worksongs supplied 2 full-band demos, recorded at John Keane's Athens studio in February 1987. That left "King of Birds," with a couple of excellent live versions from the 1989 world tour to choose from. The last song I needed was "Strange," the Wire cover. After listening to dozens of possibilities, I couldn't source anything in good quality with a strong performance. (It didn't help that Michael never seemed to be able to remember the verses!) But then I recalled the Red Rain bootleg CD, featuring the band's live performance in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1987. Although most of the bootleg material was nabbed for Document's 25th anniversary edition bonus disc, a couple of tracks were omitted -- including "Strange."

Job done. Now it's time for you to try out my labor of love. (I suggest sampling the tracks in the Leftovers folder. You might just find something you like better than what I chose.)

By the way: all that "political stuff" Peter and Michael talked about in the late 1980s -- the comments a lot of fans didn't appreciate? Go back and read 'em. They were SPOT ON, applying as much or more today than they did in the late 1980s. "Exhuming McCarthy"? More like revivifying and cloning him. "Crazy, crazy world. Crazy, crazy times." (M. Stipe, "Fireplace")

HUMONGOUS thanks to my source in Athens, someone close to the band in the 1980s. Sincere thanks also to Colin for helpful audio consultation.

FLAC

 

MP3@320

****STAY TUNED**** There's more where this came from...