Unplugged 1991 & 2001 : the complete sessions

"R.E.M. were once a great band, and I don't mean before they called it a day, I mean specifically from 1982's Chronic Town EP through 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant ... Unfortunately, Unplugged 1991-2001-The Complete Sessions barely touches on this period. You'll find a couple of stragglers: the just-mentioned "Perfect Circle" from Murmur, a slower and more piano-based "So. Central Rain" from Reckoning, competent readings of a couple of songs from Lifes Rich Pageant ... In less words, a 31-track collection that only sometimes shows the greatness of what was once a great band. For fans of their output from 1998-2001, but the real question is: are there any?".

"No band but Nirvana made more breathtakingly transformative use of MTV Unplugged than R.E.M., the only act to headline the show twice. This set of 33 songs, 11 of which never aired, revisits both sessions, boiling their magical greatness down to two base elements: achingly sugared melodies and Michael Stipe's potent voice, in all its deep grain, swooning vibrato and radiant empathy".

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