Later With Jools Holland

Jools looks back at some of the unique collaborations that have appeared on the show, from the epic combination of Johnny and June Carter Cash, Pops Staples and Carleen Anderson in 1994 to a Dusty Springfield performance in 1995, featuring Sinead O'Connor and Alison Moyet on backing vocals, and the wonderful pairing of Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan from the first ever series of Later in 1992.

The A-Z of Later… with Jools Holland is a 90-minute journey through the show's history, stories, idiosyncrasies and of course the stars from its 25 years.

In the BBC's centenary year, Later… with Jools Holland also celebrates a big birthday marking 30 years of the show, with the first ever episode being broadcast on 8th October 1992.

In the BBC’s centenary year, Later… with Jools Holland also celebrates a big birthday marking 30 years of the show, with the first ever episode

Unlike its companion, Complete Rarities: IRS 1982-1987, the music collected on the 2014 digital-only Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988-2011 hasn't been anthologized often. Bits and pieces have been rounded up in singles boxes, and there was a "Rarities and B-sides" bonus disc added to the 2003 compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, but there was no Warner-era equivalent of Dead Letter Office, and the expanded editions of the albums often skimped on bonus tracks. So this mammoth collection – 131 tracks, all instrumentals, alternate, and singles, mixes, covers, and live tracks that never appeared on albums – is noteworthy for providing a service for dedicated fans who nevertheless stopped buying all those multi-part CD singles somewhere around New Adventures in Hi-Fi or Up. The eagle-eyed will notice there are a few songs missing – usually, these are alternate versions from the early '90s – but there are also a couple of live cover versions M.I.A., along with instrumental B-sides from Automatic for the People – but the sheer heft of the set guarantees that almost all will take its title claim of "Complete" as factual; it's close enough to complete for most intents and purposes.

Unlike its companion, Complete Rarities: IRS 1982-1987, the music collected on the 2014 digital-only Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988-2011 hasn't been anthologized often. Bits and pieces have been rounded up in singles boxes, and there was a "Rarities and B-sides" bonus disc added to the 2003 compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, but there was no Warner-era equivalent of Dead Letter Office, and the expanded editions of the albums often skimped on bonus tracks. So this mammoth collection – 131 tracks, all instrumentals, alternate, and singles, mixes, covers, and live tracks that never appeared on albums – is noteworthy for providing a service for dedicated fans who nevertheless stopped buying all those multi-part CD singles somewhere around New Adventures in Hi-Fi or Up. The eagle-eyed will notice there are a few songs missing – usually, these are alternate versions from the early '90s – but there are also a couple of live cover versions M.I.A., along with instrumental B-sides from Automatic for the People – but the sheer heft of the set guarantees that almost all will take its title claim of "Complete" as factual; it's close enough to complete for most intents and purposes.

Unlike its companion, Complete Rarities: IRS 1982-1987, the music collected on the 2014 digital-only Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988-2011 hasn't been anthologized often. Bits and pieces have been rounded up in singles boxes, and there was a "Rarities and B-sides" bonus disc added to the 2003 compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, but there was no Warner-era equivalent of Dead Letter Office, and the expanded editions of the albums often skimped on bonus tracks. So this mammoth collection – 131 tracks, all instrumentals, alternate, and singles, mixes, covers, and live tracks that never appeared on albums – is noteworthy for providing a service for dedicated fans who nevertheless stopped buying all those multi-part CD singles somewhere around New Adventures in Hi-Fi or Up. The eagle-eyed will notice there are a few songs missing – usually, these are alternate versions from the early '90s – but there are also a couple of live cover versions M.I.A., along with instrumental B-sides from Automatic for the People – but the sheer heft of the set guarantees that almost all will take its title claim of "Complete" as factual; it's close enough to complete for most intents and purposes.