R.E.M.’s eleventh studio album, Up, is being reissued for its 25th anniversary. The 1998 album features the singles ‘Daysleeper’, ‘Lotus’, ‘Suspicion’ and ‘At My Most Beautiful’ and was the band’s first album without drummer Bill Berry. The deluxe edition comes in 2CD and 2CD+blu-ray variants both with a previously unreleased, 11-song live set from the band’s ’99 taping for the TV series ‘Party of Five’. The blu-ray with the 3-disc edition is disappointing – it isn’t much different from the DVD-A issued 18 years ago. It includes the same 5.1 mix, a hi-res stereo mix and a few videos. There’s no new Atmos Mix, for example.

Fables of the Reconstruction was intentionally murky, and Lifes Rich Pageant was constructed as its polar opposite. Teaming with producer Don Gehman, who previously worked with John Mellencamp, R.E.M. developed their most forceful record to date. Where previous records kept the rhythm section in the background, Pageant emphasizes the beat, and the band turns in its hardest rockers to date, including the anthemic "Begin the Begin" and the punky "Just a Touch." But the cleaner production also benefits the ballads and the mid-tempo janglers, particularly since it helps reveal Michael Stipe's growing political obsessions, especially on the environmental anthems "Fall on Me" and "Cuyahoga." The group hasn't entirely left myths behind – witness the Civil War ballad "Swan Swan H" – but the band sound more contemporary both musically and lyrically than they did on either Fables or Murmur, which helps give the record an extra kick. And even with excellent songs like "I Believe," "Flowers of Guatemala," "These Days," and "What if We Give It Away," it's ironic that the most memorable moment comes from the garage rock obscurity "Superman," which is sung with glee by Mike Mills.

R.E.M. abandoned the enigmatic post-punk experiments of Murmur for their second album, Reckoning, returning to their garage pop origins instead. Opening with the ringing "Harborcoat," Reckoning runs through a set of ten jangle pop songs that are different not only in sound but in style from the debut. Where Murmur was enigmatic in its sound, Reckoning is clear, which doesn't necessarily mean that the songs themselves are straightforward. Michael Stipe continues to sing powerful melodies without enunciating, but the band has a propulsive kick that makes the music vital and alive. And, if anything, the songwriting is more direct and memorable than before – the interweaving melodies of "Pretty Persuasion" and the country rocker "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" are as affecting as the melancholic dirges of "Camera" and "Time After Time," while the ringing minor-key arpeggios of "So. Central Rain," the pulsating riffs of "7 Chinese Bros.," and the hard-rocking rhythms of "Little America" make the songs into classics. On the surface, Reckoning may not be as distinctive as Murmur, but the record's influence on underground American rock in the '80s was just as strong.

R.E.M. abandoned the enigmatic post-punk experiments of Murmur for their second album, Reckoning, returning to their garage pop origins instead. Opening with the ringing "Harborcoat," Reckoning runs through a set of ten jangle pop songs that are different not only in sound but in style from the debut. Where Murmur was enigmatic in its sound, Reckoning is clear, which doesn't necessarily mean that the songs themselves are straightforward. Michael Stipe continues to sing powerful melodies without enunciating, but the band has a propulsive kick that makes the music vital and alive. And, if anything, the songwriting is more direct and memorable than before - the interweaving melodies of "Pretty Persuasion" and the country rocker "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" are as affecting as the melancholic dirges of "Camera" and "Time After Time"…

Released in 1994 by I.R.S. Records, Singles Collected is a 20-track retrospective that chronicles R.E.M.'s formative years during their iconic run with the I.R.S. label in the 1980s. Gathering key European A-sides alongside essential B-sides and rare live cuts, the compilation traces the Athens, Georgia band's meteoric evolution from underground college radio pioneers to world-renowned alternative rock icons. Key A-sides include foundational hits like Radio Free Europe, So. Central Rain, Fall On Me, The One I Love, and It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Meanwhile, deep-cut B-sides reveal the group's musical influences and playful spirit, featuring a cover of The Velvet Underground's There She Goes Again, a humorous rendition of Roger Miller's King of the Road, the instrumental surf jam White Tornado, and the expansive live medley Time After Time Etc. Serves as an essential chapter in 80s alternative rock history.

Released in 1995 by Europe's premier independent imprint Glitterhouse Records, Old Liquidator is the magnificent debut studio album from the legendary indie rock collective The Minus 5. Brainchild of the indefatigable Scott McCaughey (leader of The Young Fresh Fellows and longtime R.E.M. auxiliary member), the project serves as a beautifully loose, highly literate playground for some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest alternative musicians. Anchored by the core collaboration of Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Jon Auer (The Posies), the record effortlessly weaves crisp, jangly folk-rock acoustic textures with bitingly cynical wit, soaring power-pop melodies, and experimental lo-fi flourishes. From the gorgeous, melancholic harmonies of the opening Winter Goes Away to the driving jangle of Find a Finger and the quirky brilliance of Emperor of the Bathroom, this pristine high-fidelity archive complete with full scans preserves an absolute milestone of 1990s underground guitar pop excellence.