Record Store Day 2014, which falls on April 19th, will see two iconic bands release some unheard goodies for vinyl loving fans.
Who could forget R.E.M.'s performances on MTV's seminal series "Unplugged?" The Athens, Georgia band was the only group to headline the series twice - once in 1991 and then again in 2001.The songs from the performances were never released, but Rhino is changing that. The record company is releasing Unplugged: The Complete 1991 And 2001 Sessions containing every performance from the original broadcasts, as well as 11 songs that never aired.
Drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and singer Michael Stipe recorded their first “Unplugged” session in 1991. Much of the performance spotlights songs from R.E.M.’s then-current album Out of Time, which sold over 18 million copies worldwide and was the band’s first #1 album in the U.S. From the album, the band performed “Radio Song,” “Low” and its biggest American hit, “Losing My Religion.”
The remainder of the set list spans eight years of music and touches on five different albums, mixing “Perfect Circle” from R.E.M.’s 1983 debut Murmur and fan-favorites like “Fall On Me” and “Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” with a cover of The Troggs’ “Love Is All Around.” Five songs that never aired can be heard on this set for the first time, including two tracks from the multi-platinum Green – “Get Up” and “World Leader Pretend.”
R.E.M. made an extremely rare second appearance on “Unplugged” in 2001, but this time without original drummer Bill Berry, who left the band in 1997. For the show, the band focused mainly on its 12th studio album Reveal – which came out that year – with performances of the singles “Imitation of Life” and “All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star).” The song selection draws from eight different albums with “So. Central Rain” from 1984’s Reckoning, “Cuyahoga” from 1986’s Lifes Rich Pageant and “Find The River,” the elegiac album closer from the 1992 classic Automatic For The People.
This collection uncovers six songs from the session that were never broadcast, including tracks from Reveal and Up (1998), as well as a haunting and tranquil re-imagination of the band’s breakthrough single, “The One I Love” from 1987’s Document.
Rhino will release both performances as a limited edition, four-LP set for Record Store Day on the 4/19. Following their vinyl debut, both “Unplugged” performances will be released on CD and digitally on May 20.
Green Day is also releasing a collection of 18 demo songs for Record Store Day 2014. Demolicious was recorded at Jingletown Studios in Oakland, CA, in 2012 during sessions for the group's Green Day ¡Uno!, Green Day ¡Dos!, Green Day ¡Tré! trilogy.
The two-disc set will be released on red or clear vinyl, and will also be available on CD and cassette.
In addition to the demos, Demolicious includes a previously unreleased track, "State of Shock," and an acoustic version of "Stay The Night" from Green Day ¡Uno!.
For a list of participating stores, please visit www.recordstoreday.com.
