R.E.M. shares previously unreleased live performance of The Great Beyond

## The version appears on Black Sessions Revealed, a 17-track live recording included in the band’s Reveal (25th Anniversary Edition)

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R.E.M. has shared a previously unreleased live performance of _The Great Beyond_, previewing _The Black Sessions Revealed_, a 17-song live recording arriving 20 November as part of the band’s _Reveal_ (25th Anniversary Edition).

Recorded for Radio France in Paris on 7 May 2001, the performance revisits one of R.E.M.’s biggest international hits, originally released on the soundtrack to the 1999 film _Man On The Moon_.

Written for the Miloš Forman-directed film starring Jim Carrey as comedian Andy Kaufman, _The Great Beyond_ reached No.3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also revisited the subject of Kaufman, whom the band had referenced in their 1992 hit _Man On The Moon_.

Unlike most R.E.M. albums, _Reveal_ was not followed by a traditional tour. Instead, the band played a handful of promotional performances, making _The Black Sessions_ a rare live document of the era. Joined by guitarist Scott McCaughey, keyboardist Ken Stringfellow and drummer Joey Waronker, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills performed songs from _Reveal_ alongside classics including _Losing My Religion, What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?, The One I Love_ and _Man On The Moon_.

Listen below

#### The Great Beyond

Arriving 20 November via Craft Recordings, _Reveal_ (25th Anniversary Edition) celebrates 25 years of R.E.M.’s 12th studio album. Originally released in May 2001, _Reveal_ blended expansive pop melodies with layered guitars, keyboards and electronic textures.

Featuring _Imitation of Life, All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)_ and _I’ll Take The Rain,_ the album reached No.1 in the UK.

Available as a deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray set and expanded digital edition, the release pairs the original 12-track album with the previously unreleased Black Sessions performance. The collection features new liner notes by journalist Birgit Fuss, including reflections from Stipe, Buck and Mills. The Blu-ray includes high-resolution audio and 5.1 surround sound, the album’s three official music videos and original EPK.

_The Black Sessions Revealed_ also arrives as a standalone 2LP set, bringing the performance to vinyl for the first time. Exclusive Neon Orange vinyl of the original _Reveal_ album and Neon Pink vinyl of The Black Sessions Revealed are available here, alongside new anniversary merchandise.

Click hereto pre-order/pre-save _Reveal_ (25th Anniversary Edition) and _The Black Sessions Revealed_.

#### Supernatural Superserious

In other R.E.M. news, the band recently debuted a new video for _Supernatural Superserious_, the lead single from their 2008 album _Accelerate_. The video was created in collaboration with MUBI and the filmmakers behind _Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma_, featuring footage from the film, written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (_I Saw The TV Glow_) and starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder.

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe said about the film, “With _Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma_, Schoenbrun has somehow made the funniest, deepest and most transgressive film of the year. On par with _Being John Malkovich._”

’s music, opening with a cover of “Nightswimming” and closing with “Supernatural Superserious.” The film’s soundtrack will also be released by Waxwork Records.

Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun said, “R.E.M.’s music is simply one of the most beautiful gifts out there, and the two songs I’m so honored to feature in _Camp Miasma_ mean so much to me, and are so influential to the DNA of this movie. ‘They cannot see me naked…’”

Featured image credit: Anton Corbijn

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