“It’s just like me to overstay my welcome, bless,” Michael Stipe sings on “All The Best,” the second track on R.E.M.’s 15th and final studio album Collapse Into Now, which was released in March. And, perhaps not wanting to have art fully imitate life, the band announced last week that they’ve parted ways (much to Coldplay’s dismay). R.E.M.’s final release is the two-disc, 40-song R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 – 2011, which arrives on November 15. Catch the tracklist below.
Three new tracks round out the career-spanning collection: “Hallelujah, “A Month of Saturdays” and “We All Go Back to Where We Belong,” which will be released as a single on October 18. All were produced by Jacknife Lee.
“There is sadness because I will never play on the same stage as Peter and Michael again,” bassist Mike Mills tells Rolling Stone in a new interview conducted after the band’s break-up announcement last week. “We’re doing this for good reasons, and we end up looking back at all the fun, the joy and the incredible opportunities we had. It’s not because we have to or we can’t stand each other or we suck. We’re happy. But we’re done.”
One gripe with this new collection (make it three, actually): no “Drive,” “Strange Currencies” or “E-Bow The Letter”?
R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 – 2011
Disc 1:
Gardening At Night
Radio Free Europe
Talk About The Passion
Sitting Still
So. Central Rain
(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
Driver 8
Life And How To Live It
Begin The Begin
Fall On Me
Finest Worksong
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
The One I Love
Stand
Pop Song 89
Get Up
Orange Crush
Losing My Religion
Country Feedback
Shiny Happy People
Disc 2:
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Everybody Hurts
Man On The Moon
Nightswimming
What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
New Test Leper
Electrolite
At My Most Beautiful
The Great Beyond
Imitation Of Life
Bad Day
Leaving New York
Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Supernatural Superserious
ÜBerlin
Oh My Heart
Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter
A Month of Saturdays
We All Go Back To Where We Belong
Hallelujah
Good call on those three songs left off; 3 of my favorites. And man, they must really hate “Monster,” which again is one of my faves.