R.E.M. Live 2CD/1DVD

R.E.M. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Warner Brothers
• ASIN: B000VI04HK
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,706 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. I Took Your Name

2. So Fast, So Numb

3. Boy In the Well

4. Cuyahoga

5. Everybody Hurts

6. Electron Blue

7. Bad Day

8. The Ascent Of Man

9. The Great Beyond

10. Leaving New York

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

2. Drive

3. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville

4. I'm Gonna DJ

5. Man On the Moon

Editorial Reviews

CD/DVD combo. 2007 two CD + DVD live release from one of the truly great American Alternative bands, their first-ever official live album! Recorded and filmed in February 2005 at The Point in Dublin, Ireland, this exceptional performance lasts nearly two hours and features many of the band's finest musical moments. 22 tracks including 'Everybody Hurts', 'The One I Love', 'Man On The Moon', 'Losing My Religion', '(Don't Go Back To) Rockville' and many others. Warner Brothers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Hate To Pile On, But..., November 6, 2007

By 

S. Kurtz (Almost Asbury Park) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: R.E.M. Live 2CD/1DVD (Audio CD)

I find it hard to believe that Peter, Mike, and Michael would actually sit down, watch this DVD, and pronounce it fit for human consumption.

As stated in other reviews, this IS virtually unwatchable.

And that's a shame, 'cause it's a wonderful rock show that sounds great, but looks awful.

Seriously, what could they be thinking when they okayed something that just looks like they set a couple of hyperactive kids loose in the production room, told them to push as many buttons as often as possible, and then instructed the camera crew to just fudge with all the bells and whistles on their equipment, and, oh, every once in a while, for a second or two, show something IN FOCUS?

The concept of concert DVD's is a great one, and one that I've invested a lot of time and money in, as far as owning and watching. There are so many lessons to be learned from watching a Jonathan Demme or Martin Scorsese-shot show...watch The Last Waltz or Heart Of Gold to see what I mean. Why some of these directors find it necessary to give us something so muddied, something so out of sync with the original intent (which I would imagine would be a visual souvenir to go with the CD), is beyond me.

UNLESS...the original intent WAS this headache-causing, nausea-inducing mess.

Again, the music is great, performed well, and is a joy to listen to.

Sadly, the DVD drags the package down to the point where, after one aborted attempted viewing, it will probably never see my DVD player again, unless the government recruits me to torture suspected terrorists, in which case I would slip this in, turn the sound down, leave the room, and wait for the impending screamfest.

Three stars out of five for the music alone.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars REM has been so much better live than this, November 10, 2007

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: R.E.M. Live 2CD/1DVD (Audio CD)

CDs: 3.5 stars; DVD: 2.5 Stars

This is the first official live album release in REM's illustrious career, and what a curious choice it is. This is released 2.5 years after its recording at 2 shows at The Point Depot in Dublin, Ireland (why now, and not say 2 years ago?), when REM was touring behind the "Around the Sun" album, arguably its weakest album ever.

As to the audio CDs, "R.E.M. Live" (2 CDs, 22 tracks, 103 min.) brings a mix of the newer tunes, mixed with some older tracks. The album starts off with the best track on here, a blazing "I Took Your Name" (from the underappreciated "Monster" album). The problem is there are way too many tracks from "Around the Sun", 6 to be exact, bunched up in the first half of the show. Yet, there are some great nuggest as well: "Bad Day", "Orange Crush", "What's the Frequency Kenneth" and "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville", with a guest appearance from Daniel Ryan of The Thrills (from Ireland), obviously getting a huge crowd response.

As to the DVD (105 min.), well it's almost unwatchable, to be honest. Edited in MTV-style, it changes angles literally every second during most songs, just about causing motion-sickness. I couldn't stand for most of it. There are no extras whatsoever on the DVD, no interviews, or other goodies you might expect from this.

R.E.M. released a concert movie once before, "Road Movie", taped in the mid-90s durng their "Monster" tour, and still available as DVD. While the editing is just as migraine-inducing, the music on it is MILES better than this release, so if you wanna explore REM at their height of a live band (with Bill Berry as their drummer), I would highly encourage you to check that out.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Questioning the format, October 24, 2007

By 

Ethan Straffin (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: R.E.M. Live 2CD/1DVD (Audio CD)

While the performances here are solid, one CD with 17 tracks and a second CD with 5 just doesn't seem like the way to go, at least for those who aren't just going to rip it to their iPods anyway. That second CD is crying out for filling up with...oh, c'mon guys, you're geniuses when you can put your minds to it. A double-live CD packed to the brim with 159 minutes of your best songs would have been legendary. This is merely adequate.