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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. marked the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock. When their first single, "Radio Free Europe," was released in 1981, it sparked a back-to-the-garage movement in the American underground. While there were a number of hardcore and punk bands in the U.S. during the early '80s, R.E.M. brought guitar pop back into the underground lexicon. Combining ringing guitar hooks with mumbled, cryptic lyrics and a D.I.Y. aesthetic borrowed from post-punk, the band simultaneously sounded traditional and modern. Though there were no overt innovations in their music, R.E.M. had an identity and sense of purpose that transformed the American underground.

DYNAMIC 1995 BROADCAST FROM R.E.M. s MONSTER TOUR R.E.M.'s 1994 album, Monster, was, as the band declared at the time, "a 'rock' record, with the rock in quotation marks." In contrast to the sound of its two predecessors - 1991 s Out Of Time and 92 s Automatic For The People - the music of Monster consisted of distorted guitar tones, minimal overdubs, and touches of 1970s glam rock. The album topped the charts in both the US and the UK. In January 1995, R.E.M. set out on its first tour in six years. The tour was a huge commercial success, although health issues plagued the group - on March 1st, Bill Berry collapsed on stage during a performance in Lausanne, Switzerland, having suffered a brain aneurysm. Michael Stipe required emergency surgery for a hernia and Mike Mills needed abdominal surgery mid-tour. Despite the above, the band generally performed superbly, with one of the stand-out shows taking place at The Milton Keynes Bowl in the UK, on July 30th, which was broadcast live nationally on UK FM Radio, and synched too, back home in the U.S. Previously unreleased this exceptional performance is now available for the first time on this double CD set.

A banda americana R.E.M. marcou o ponto em que o pós-punk se transformou em rock alternativo. Seu primeiro single, “Radio Free Europe”, de 1981, desencadeou a volta do rock de garagem e trouxe o pop de guitarra para os holofotes. Combinando letras murmuradas com uma estética caseira, a banda soava tradicional e moderna ao mesmo tempo. Ao longo da década de 80, eles trabalharam incansavelmente, lançando discos anualmente e fazendo turnês constantemente. Em 1987, eles emplacaram seu primeiro sucesso com a música “The One I Love”, que levou a um contrato com a Warner Bros Records. No início dos anos 1990, eles lançaram seus álbuns mais bem-sucedidos, Out of Time (1991), com o single “Losing My Religion”, e Automatic for the People (1992). A banda foi introduzida no Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame em 2007, e após lançar seu último álbum, Collapse Into Now, em 2011, se separou amigavelmente.

R.E.M. verscheen ten tonele toen post-punk overging in alternatieve rock. Hun eerste single, "Radio Free Europe," uit 1981, veroorzaakte een terug-naar-de-garage beweging in de Amerikaanse underground. Door de combinatie van gitaarsolo's, gemompelde, cryptische teksten en een D.H.Z. esthetiek die was overgenomen van de post-punk, klonk de band zowel traditioneel als modern. Gedurende de jaren '80 werkten ze onafgebroken; ze brachten elk jaar platen uit en waren voortdurend op tournee. Tegen het eind van de jaren '80, was hun fanbase groot genoeg om goede verkopen te garanderen, maar het top tien succes van Document en "The One I Love" in 1987 was toch onverwachts. Na Document groeide R.E.M. langzaam uit tot een van 's werelds populairste bands.

For a production at the King's Theatre, Handel had created a mixed version of his Italian serenata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo HWV 72 and the English masque Acis and Galatea HWV 49a, which was performed semi-staged several times in 1732 with a star cast (including Senesino) to great acclaim. For today's ears, the musically attractive version HWV 49b suffers not least from the mixture of English and Italian text. In keeping with Handel's intentions, a purely Italian version was created here with additions from Italian works by the composer. The result is as convincing musically as it is scenically and would have deserved its own number in the catalogue of works.

R.L. Burnside was born in Layfayette County, near Oxford, Mississippi in 1926. As a young man R.L. moved North into the neighboring Marshall County and began sharecropping. Inspired by John Lee Hooker's '50s hit ''Boogie Chillun','' R.L. began singing blues and playing guitar. In addition to the Hooker 45 rpm there were other local forces that influenced R.L as well, such as Mississippi Fred McDowell and Ranie Burnette. Fed up with the hopelessness of sharecropping, Burnside migrated to Chicago in hopes of finding economic opportunity. Chicago did not work out. In the span of one month R.L.'s father, brother and uncle were murdered. Check out ''Hard Time Killing Floor'' and the closing ''R.L.'s Story'' for R.L's take on his early years in Chicago. Around 1959 he returned to Mississippi to again work the farms and raise a family.