REM to release BBC Sessions Box Set featuring vast collection of “rare and unreleased” recordings
R.E.M. have confirmed plans for a massive new box set featuring rare and unreleased material from the archives of their BBC sessions.
The alt rock pioneers enjoyed a lengthy relationship with the broadcasters, who backed them when they were still underground heroes and followed their path to world fame. In a sense, R.E.M. grew up with the BBC, and this historic relationship is celebrated across a prolific collection that beautifully illustrates the career trajectory of one of modern music’s greatest bands.
The new box set is titled 'R.E.M. At The BBC' and features numerous highlights, gathered across 8CDs (or 2CDs in the slim-line version) that spans across 30 years. Highlights from the box set include a John Peel Session (1998), Drivetime and Mark and Lard appearances (2003) together with a live performance in Radio 1’s Live Lounge (2008). Other highlights include REM's Nottingham’s Rock City performance from 1984 and the Milton Keynes Monster Tour from 1995. Their headline set from Glastonbury 1999 also features, as does an invitation-only show at London’s St James’s Church from 2004.