R.E.M. have shared a previously unreleased demo version of ‘Revolution’ – listen to it below.
The demo version of ‘Revolution’ will appear on a special deluxe edition of ‘Monster’ that is being released to mark the landmark album’s 25th anniversary.
Released November 1, the five-CD, one-Blu-ray deluxe box set will include the original album, a special 2019 remix from ‘Monster’ producer Scott Litt, a CD of previously unreleased demos from the album and a complete live 1995 performance captured in Chicago.
‘Revolution’ didn’t end up making it on to ‘Monster’ but it later appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 Batman & Robin movie starring George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Arnold Schwartzenegger and Uma Thurman.
Listen to the unreleased version of ‘Revolution’ below:
An expanded edition of ‘Monster’, offering the original album and the 2019 remixed version, will also be available on two 180-gram vinyl LPs or two CDs, both featuring reimagined cover art by longtime R.E.M. designer Chris Bilheimer. The remastered album will also be available as a standalone 180-gram vinyl LP, with Bilheimer’s original ‘Monster’ art.
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You can pre-order ‘Monster 25’ as a deluxe box set, on CD or LP here.
Back in 2017, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills spoke to NME about the legacy of the band’s ‘Automatic For The People’ album.
“I think it had a consistency,” Mills said. “When we made records, we always saw them as a journey. You’re inviting the listener to go on a 40-45 minute trip with you. If a mood is sustained for that trip, unless you’re trying to jerk from one place to the next which is fine, but if you’re trying to achieve a flow, then this record has that – in a way that I don’t think that any of our records other than maybe ‘Murmur’ or ‘Collapse Into Now’ had.”