R.E.M. announce ‘Reveal’ 25th anniversary reissue – featuring previously unreleased live session

The expanded edition of the band’s 12th studio album will arrive on November 20 via Craft Recordings, pairing the original 12-track record with ‘The Black Sessions Revealed’ – a performance recorded for Radio France in Paris on May 7, 2001 (pre-order here).

• E.M. fala sobre 25 anos de ‘Monster’: “Precisávamos de atitude – ser alto e cru”.

Ocorreu apenas dias antes do lançamento de 'Reveal', a sessão de 17 músicas contou com Michael Stipe, Peter Buck e Mike Mills, acompanhados pelo guitarrista Scott McCaughey, tecladista Ken Stringfellow e baterista Joey Waronker.

The set mixes then-new material including ‘Imitation Of Life’, ‘All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)’, ‘I’ve Been High’ and ‘She Just Wants To Be’ with older favourites such as ‘Losing My Religion’, ‘The One I Love’, ‘Man On The Moon’ and ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’.

Unlike most R. E. M. albums, ‘Reveal’ was not followed by a conventional tour, with the band instead playing a relatively limited series of promotional shows around its release.

Buck added: “It’s a cool performance of a lot of songs that we didn’t really play live that much, so it’s nice to have that out there. Something a little different.”.

A live version of ‘Imitation Of Life’ from the session has been released today (September 30) as the first preview of the collection. Check it out here.

O Blu‑ray inclui o álbum em áudio de alta resolução e som surround 5. 1, além dos videoclipes originais de 'Imitation Of Life', 'All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)' e 'I’ll Take The Rain.

Originally released in May 2001, ‘Reveal’ was produced by the band alongside Pat McCarthy, who had previously co-produced its predecessor, 1998’s ‘Up’. It was recorded across Athens, Georgia, Vancouver, Dublin and Miami, and arrived as the band became more settled into life as a three-piece following founding drummer Bill Berry’s departure in 1997.

He described ‘Reveal’ as “our most underrated record”, adding: “Not only are the songs and the performances good, but it captures a feeling that holds throughout the entire record.”.

O conjunto de 25º aniversário segue a reedição ampliada de 'Up' de R. E. M. em 2023, que igualmente descobriu uma performance ao vivo previamente inédita da época.

R. E. M. split amicably in 2011, but all four original members have made a handful of rare appearances together in recent years. In 2024, Stipe, Buck, Mills and Berry performed ‘Losing My Religion’ together at their Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction, their first public performance as a quartet in years.

They subsequently reunited on stage in their hometown of Athens, Georgia in February 2025 to play ‘Pretty Persuasion’.

Apesar dessas aparências, a banda repetidamente descartou um retorno permanente, com Buck dizendo sobre uma reunião em grande escala: “Nunca seria tão boa.”.

The ‘Black Sessions Revealed’ tracklist is.

The world's defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what's new and what's next since 1952.

When you purchase through affiliate links on NME.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn More.

NME Networks, a part of Caldecott Music Group. All rights reserved.