R.E.M. to release new BBC sessions box set

R.E.M. will release a new box set spanning over 20 years of concerts, interviews, and performances for the BBC.

The collection, R.E.M. at the BBC, will be available as a super-deluxe edition 8-CD/1-DVD box set, as well as 2-CD, 2-LP and digital formats. All editions are due out October 19 via Craft Recordings.
This box set comprises a treasure trove of rare and unreleased live and studio recordings culled from the BBC and band archives.

In-studio performances featured in the 8-CD/1-DVD box set include a John Peel Session (1998), Drivetime and Mark and Lard appearances (2003) and a glorious Radio 1 Live Lounge performance (2008). Live broadcasts include a rough-and-tumble show from Nottingham’s Rock City (1984), the stunning 1995 Milton Keynes Monster Tour (their first after a six-year break), a blistering 1999 Glastonbury headline set and an invitation-only 2004 show at London’s St James’s Church.

The DVD kicks off with a sixty-minute intimate retrospective of the band’s legendary performances at the BBC in the Accelerating Backwards film – previously broadcast only in the UK and available commercially for the first time here.

In addition to the comprehensive box set, The Best of R.E.M. at the BBC is also available via 2-CD and 2-LP formats. The Best of collection offers a selection of in-studio performance and live broadcast highlights. R.E.M. at the BBC will also be available to stream or download, with the digital album offering mirroring discs 1 to 8 from the box set.