R. E. M. - 1986-09-05 Pelham, AL (sbd - Buren Fowler master tape) UPGRADE

UPGRADE - soundboard master

  

Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

Pelham, AL

Sept. 5, 1986

 

soundboard recording (quality: EX, master tape transfer)

artwork, revised from original post, is included

  

AUDIO SAMPLE: Driver 8 - upgraded version

ROB SEZ: UPGRADE - MASTER TAPE SOURCE, REVISED. The source for this recording is Buren Fowler (R.I.P.), the band’s guitar tech and second guitarist for live performances in 1986 & 1987. (Michael introduces Buren briefly after Driver 8.) Before the show, Fowler gave the FOH sound guy a C-90 and asked him to record as much as would fit. Apparently, he held onto the tape as a keepsake of his time with R. E. M.  Later, Buren gave this and other live tapes to his friend, T. Patton Biddle (“Pat the Wiz”) for safe keeping. 

A friend of Pat's digitized the master tape, revised it with subtle-but-significant enhancements made with high-end equipment, and kindly shared it with me. My debt of gratitude lies with Mr. Anonymous, Buren, and Pat — all behind-the-scenes heroes who played their part in the phenomenon that was R. E. M. As for the performance, you can feel the pent-up energy of the band, which hadn't played together for many months after completing Lifes Rich Pageant. After a week of tour rehearsals in Knoxville, TN, the guys obviously were ready to roll. The lucky fans in attendance witnessed the live debut of 9 songs, including 6 from the new album. This recording does not represent the entire performance: it's missing 6 songs played that night, including the first 4. You can hear 5 of the missing songs, in fairly good audience quality, in this recording.

  

FLAC

 

MP3@320

Stay tuned; more to come.

      

    

R. E. M. - 'Surprise Guest' at The 40 Watt, Feb. 10 & Sept. 3, 1987 (sbd M1) - NEW

The 40 Watt Club

Athens, GA

Feb. 10, 1987

  

soundboard recording

(Pat the Wiz's digital revision from his master reel)  

00 stage entrance

01 Begin the Begin (fades in) 

02 Oddfellows Local 151

03 Lightnin’ Hopkins

04 Just a Touch (aborted)

     Note: Drew Worsham subbed for Bill Berry on drums

SAMPLE TRACK - Oddfellows Local 151 (live on Feb. 10, 1987)

The 40 Watt Club

Athens, GA

Sept. 3, 1987

  

soundboard recording

(Pat the Wiz's digital revision from his master reel)

00 stage entrance

01 Finest Worksong

02 These Days

03 Title

04 I Believe

05 It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

06 unknown, untitled+

07 Disturbance at the Heron House

08 The One I Love

09 Begin the Begin

      +Michael claims this previously unknown song was written “at 9:20 this evening” — which is quite possible, given how shambolic & unfinished it sounds.

ROB SEZ: I'm calling this one “Surprise Guest” due to the nature of the performances. I like the thought of a few people in & around Athens knowing R. E. M. would be making an appearance these nights, but others only hearing rumors about a surprise guest. The February set is noteworthy because two songs from Document see their live debut: “Oddfellows Local 151” and “Lightnin’ Hopkins.” These recordings are yet more goodness from the sound archives of T. Patton Biddle (Pat the Wiz), who made some of the most historically significant recordings of R. E. M. in the 1980s. Pat was kind enough to share with me digital transfers from his safety tapes. These two opening sets have previously circulated in soundboard quality, but they're not currently available through the usual channels. To my knowledge, this is the first time they've been placed into circulation with a known lineage, so this may be a new source even for those who already have other versions. I don't know if they're an upgrade or not, since I don't own any other versions. Check the comments if you want the untracked, raw files as I received them.

The view from the floor at The 40 Watt
  

FLAC

MP3@320

FURTHER DETAILS & RECORDING LINEAGE

REMTimeline says:

Feb. 10, 1987: Peter Buck, Mike Mills & Michael Stipe along with Drew Worsham on drums, play an impromptu set after Mystery Date. “Just A Touch” is aborted halfway through due to Peter Buck blowing out the [borrowed] guitar amp he was using.

Sept. 3, 1987: Smokin' Dave and the Premo Dopes show. R. E. M. perform unannounced as a supporting act, and according to Michael Stipe during the show, the unknown track was written at 9:20 p.m. that evening.

LINEAGE: T. Patton Biddle's master cassette —> TPB's digital transfer, using unknown equipment —> unknown digital editing, including added compression —> Audacity for tracking, fades, normalization, deleting dead spots, tempo adjustment, and 1 pass of eq to boost bass frequencies and lower treble --> FLAC

Stay tuned; more to come.

       

       

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 reputations depended on it, and let the fans hear the result? What if that music—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 1980s-era R. E. M. 
soundboard recordings, courtesy of Pat the Wiz—the legendary sound tech whose superb recordings are revered in and around Athens, GA The recordings were digitally transferred from Pat's first-generation analog copy of the master reels. They're as close to perfect as you can get, absent a new transfer from Pat's master. THANK YOU, PAT!  

Among these recordings 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 was bound to impress hometown friends and peers. Pat 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 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. Time for you to see what you think. (Don't overlook the tracks in the Leftovers folder. You might find something you like better than what I chose for the comp.)

One correction: after I created the artwork, I discovered that "King of Birds" is from the Miami gig on 4/29/89 instead of next day's show in Orlando. At some point, I will update the artwork & post it here.

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 Pat the Wiz. Sincere thanks also to Colin for helpful audio consultation.

FLAC

 

MP3@320

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

            

R. E. M. + X T C - One Night in Athens, GA 1981-04-24 (NEW SOUNDBOARD source)

B & L Warehouse
Athens, GA
April 24, 1981

soundboard & audience recordings (M1 soundboard source for R. E. M. set)

R. E. M. - opening set

soundboard recording (M1 - transferred from analog safety copy)

01 Radio Free Europe (fades in) 

02 Burning Down

03 Dangerous Times

04 All the Right Friends

05 Shaking Through

06 Body Count

07 Pretty Persuasion

08 (Don't Go Back to) Rockville

09 Hey Hey Nadine

10 That Beat*

11 Sitting Still

12 9-9

13 Windout

14 Gardening at Night (fades out)

 

      *live debut — as best I can tell

X T C - headline set

  

excellent audience recording (low generation source, exact lineage unknown)

01 Respectable Street

02 Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me) 

03 No Language In Our Lungs

04 Ball & Chain

05 Paper & Iron

06 Love at First Sight

07 Roads Girdle the Globe

08 Scissor Man

09 Towers of London

10 Burning with Optimism's Flames 

11 Living Through Another Cuba

12 Generals & Majors

13 This Is Pop

14 Making Plans for Nigel

15 Helicopter

16 Outside World

17 Statue of Liberty

FLAC

 

MP3@320

ROB SEZ:  Something brand new here, along with something pulled from the archive. What's new is the soundboard recording for the R. E. M. set. My source is Pat the Wiz, the legendary sound tech whose superb recordings are revered in and around Athens, GA. This recording has been digitally transferred from Pat's first-generation analog copy of the master reel, digitally revised by Pat. It's as close to perfect as you can get, absent a new transfer from Pat's master.

According to Remtimeline, the only other known recording for the R. E. M. set is a so-so sounding audience capture that's been in general circulation since 2011. By contrast, this pristine first-generation soundboard recording represents a very significant upgrade, which I'm happy to put into general circulation. When I received the source files, they only needed tracking and fading. No eq, no compression, no jiggery pokery. As far as I can tell, Pat didn't hit record until a minute into set opener Radio Free Europe, and his tape apparently ran out about a minute into closing song Gardening at Night.

HUGE THANKS to Pat the Wiz.

The X T C set comes from an excellent, low-generation audience recording, for which I am indebted to the kind souls at the now-defunct XTC4U and XTCWeeds.

There's a bonus goodie for X T C fans baked into the download. 

READ a 2018 remembrance of this show by Vanessa Briscoe Hay (of Pylon / Pylon Reenactment Society fame) at Flagpole, with quotes from Mike Mills.

PLEASE ENJOY. Still more to come.

   

 

R. E. M. - 1981-07-23 Tyrone's, Athens, GA (sbd M1) - NEW SOURCE - UPGRADE

Tyrone's O.C.
Athens, GA
July 23, 1981

soundboard (first-generation copy from master reel)

Dream Remaster (thanks, Colin)

A joint venture of this blog and Colin's Dream Remaster site

FLAC
 
MP3@320

Well, this is a nice way to return, I think.

My source for this recording is Pat the Wiz, the legendary sound tech whose superb recordings are revered in and around Athens, GA. This recording has been digitally transferred from Pat's first-generation analog copy of the master reel. This version is as close to perfect as you can get, absent a new transfer from Pat's master. THANK YOU, PAT! Colin's excellent remaster brings out the full dynamics of the performance. He received from me a couple of unedited files and created this lovely musical artifact. Kudos to him as well.

According to Remtimeline, the only other source for this performance is the bootleg "That Beat In Time," first released on CD in 1991. The bootleg is mis-dated, claiming that it came from a performance earlier in 1981, one that did not actually take place on the purported date. Not only is the lineage for the bootleg unknown, it also substitutes a different version of the song "That Beat" (from the band's performance at Tyrone's on 23 Sept. 1981) for the blistering, longer one featured here. This version of "That Beat" segues directly into "Ska"—also missing from the bootleg. This set represents the first time the 23 July versions of "That Beat" and "Ska" have been placed into general circulation. Will leave the final judgment up to your ears, but to mine, this sounds like a nice upgrade compared to the bootleg version.

Although Remtimeline notes several other songs played on 23 July 1981, our source recording suggests the songs absent here were not recorded from the board that night.

Remaster notes from Colin:

HUGE thanks to Rob for sending this to me, much appreciated. This needed some restoration then gentle remastering. Apparently, this particular recording has NEVER CIRCULATED, at least not beyond an inner circle of R.E.M. fans in & around Athens. My basic artwork included. Enjoy...

"Look To The Days, How Long Can This Last" Dream Remastered March 2025.

Thank you, Pat the Wiz!

Stay tuned. There's more where this came from...

  

Rapid Eye Movement - Holiday Fanclub Singles (complete)

bumped from several Christmases ago...

R.  E.  M.

Holiday Fanclub Singles (complete)

1988-2011

ROB SEZ: I can think of no better musical celebration of the holidays than listening to the complete set of fanclub singles issued by R.  E.  M.  After calling it quits, the guys shut down the fanclub in 2011. In early 2013, a certain Mr. Buck made noises about releasing these on a possible future boxed set for charity.

soundboard recordings (sound quality range VG+ to Ex-; many are vinyl rips with attendant pops & a few skips)

First fanclub single, issued in 1988

THANK YOU KINDLY to the original rippers, sharers & posters.

1988a Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

1988b See No Evil (Television cover)

1989a Good King Wenceslas

1989b Academy Fight Song

1990a Ghost Reindeer In the Sky

1990b Summertime (final seconds cut)

1991a Baby Baby (Vibrators cover)

1991b Christmas Griping

1992a Where's Captain Kirk?
          (Spizzenergi cover)

1992b Toyland

1993a Silver Bells

1993b Christmas Time Is Here

1994a Sex Bomb (Flipper cover)

1994b Christmas In Tunisia

1995a Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)

1995b Java (Allen Toussaint cover)

Artwork for 1999 holiday single

1996a Only In America
           (Jay & The Americans cover)

1996b I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)

1997a Live for Today

1997b Happy When I'm Crying
           (Pearl Jam cover)

1998a Lucky (M. Stipe w/Radiohead)

1998b E-Bow the Letter
           (live w/Thom Yorke)

1999a Country Feedback
           (Live w/Neil Young)

1999b Ambulance Blues
          (Live w/Neil Young)

2000a Christmas Time (Is Here Again)

2000b Hastings & Main

2000c Take Seven

2001a Let Me In (Live)

2001b Find the River (rehearsal)

2002a No Matter What (Badfinger cover)

2002b Jesus Christ (LX Chilton cover)

2002c M. Stipe reads Martin Luther King

2003a Country Feedback (Live)

2003b It's the End of the World As We 
          Know It (And I Feel Fine) (Live)

2004a I Wanted to Be Wrong (Live)

2004b She Just Wants To Be (Live)

2005a Turn You Inside-Out (Live)

2005b The Great Beyond (Live)

2006a Tongue (Live) [performed by Tin Cup Prophette]

2006b So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) (Live)

2006c These Days (Live) [performed by The Observatory]

2006d Begin the Begin (Live)

Final fanclub single, issued in 2011

2007a Merry Xmas Everybody
          (Slade cover)

2007b Magnetic North

2008a Living Well Is the
          Best Revenge (Live)

2008b Let Me In (Live)

2008c Just a Touch (Live)

2009a Santa Baby

2009b Crazy Like a Fox
      (Link Cromwell & The Zoo cover)

2010a Christmas
          (Baby Please Come Home)

2010b IHT->U->EDIYTW (Dubmix)

2011a Perfect Circle (Live)

2011b Life and How to Live It (Live)

MP3@320

(includes artwork for all singles)

Check out the many connections between 
R.  E.  M. and The dB's at THIS earlier post.

For complete fanclub singles discography info, look at these
two great fan sites: HERE and HERE.