R.E.M. Shares 'E-Bow the Letter' With Thom Yorke
By Katrina Nattress
September 28, 2018
Earlier this month, R.E.M. announced a career-spanning box set called R.E.M. at the BBC and on Thursday (September 27), the band released the 2004 record of "E-Bow the Letter" with Radiohead's Thom Yorke.
The New Adventures in Hi-Fi track originally featured backing vocals by Patti Smith, but Yorke performed the song with Michael Stipe and company on multiple occasions. This recording was made in 2004 at St. James’ Church in London, where Yorke made a surprise appearance during the band's set.
R.E.M. at the BBC is slated for an October 19 release. Listen to the live recording of "E-Bow the Letter" featuring Thom Yorke below.
The collection will be available in digital, 2-CD, 2-LP and a Super Deluxe 8-CD/1-DVD box set editions, and like the title implies, the set is an accumulation of the band’s sessions for BBC Radio and with legendary DJ John Peel.
A 1991 Radio 1 performance of “Losing My Religion” is available with preorders of the compilation. You can pre-order the box set in all its forms here. Check out the Super Deluxe track list below.
R.E.M. at the BBC Super Deluxe Track List
Disc 1 – Sessions
Into The Night, BBC Radio 1, 13 March 1991
1. “World Leader Pretend”2. “Fretless”3. “Half A World Away”4. “Radio Song”5. “Losing My Religion”6. “Love Is All Around”
John Peel Studio Session, 25 October 1998
7. “Walk Unafraid”8. “Daysleeper”9. “Lotus”10. “At My Most Beautiful”
Mark and Lard, BBC Radio 1, 15 October 2003
11. “Bad Day”12. “Orange Crush”
Drivetime, BBC Radio 2, 15 October 2003
13. “Man On The Moon”14. “Imitation Of Life”
Radio 1 Live Lounge, 26 March 2008
15. “Supernatural Superserious”16. “Munich”
Disc 2- Sessions
BBC Radio 1 Session, 25 October 1998
1. “Introduction”
2. “Losing My Religion”
3. “New Test Leper”
4. “Lotus”
5. “Parakeet”
6. “Electrolite”
7. “Perfect Circle”
8. “The Apologist”
9. “Daysleeper”
10. “Country Feedback”
11. “At My Most Beautiful”
12. “Walk Unafraid”
13. “Man On The Moon”
Disc 3 – Live Broadcasts
Rock City, Nottingham, 21 November 1984
1. “Second Guessing”
2. “Hyena”
3. “Talk About The Passion”
4. “West Of The Fields”
5. “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”
6. “Auctioneer (Another Engine)”
7. “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”
8. “Old Man Kensey”
9. “Gardening At Night”
10. “9-9/Hey Diddle Diddle/Feeling Gravitys Pull”
11. “Windout”
12. “Driver 8 3:25”
13. “Pretty Persuasion”
14. “Radio Free Europe”
15. “Wendell Gee”
16. “Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)”
Disc 4 – Live Broadcasts
Milton Keynes, 30 July 1995
1. “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”
2. “Crush With Eyeliner”
3. “Drive”
4. “Turn You Inside Out”
5. “Try Not To Breathe”
6. “I Took Your Name”
7. “Undertow”
8. “Bang And Blame”
9. “I Don’t Sleep I Dream”
10. “Strange Currencies”
11. “Revolution”
12. “Tongue”
Disc 5 – Live Broadcasts
Milton Keynes, 30 July 1995
1. “Man On The Moon”
2. “Country Feedback”
3. “Half A World Away”
4. “Losing My Religion”
5. “Pop Song 89”
6. “Finest Worksong”
7. “Get Up”
8. “Star 69”
9. “Let Me In”
10. “Everybody Hurts”
11. “Fall On Me”
12. “Departure”
13. “Its the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
Disc 6 – Live Broadcasts
Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 1999
1. “Lotus”
2. “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”
3. “So Fast, So Numb”
4. “The Apologist”
5. “Fall On Me”
6. “Daysleeper”
7. “The Wake-Up Bomb”
8. “The One I Love”
9. “Sweetness Follows”
10. “At My Most Beautiful”
Disc 7 – Live Broadcasts
Pyramid Stage Glastonbury Festival, 25 June 1999
1. “Losing My Religion”
2. “Everybody Hurts”
3. “Walk Unafraid”
4. “Star 69”
5. “Finest Worksong”
6. “Man On The Moon”
7. “Why Not Smile”
8. “Crush With Eyeliner”
9. “Tongue”
10. “Cuyahoga”
11. “Its the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
Disc 8 – Live Broadcasts
St. James’ Church, London Radio 2, 15 September 2004
1. “Intro”
2. “So Fast, So Numb”
3. “Boy In The Well”
4. “I Wanted To Be Wrong”
5. “E-Bow The Letter” (with Thom Yorke)
6. “Around The Sun”
7. “Aftermath”
8. “Losing My Religion”
9. “Walk Unafraid”
10. “Leaving New York”
11. “Imitation Of Life”
12. “Man On The Moon”
Disc 9 (DVD) – Television Broadcasts
Accelerating Backwards
“Moon River”
“Pretty Persuasion”
“Pop Song 89”
“Orange Crush”
“Losing My Religion”
“Half A World Away”
“Crush With Eyeliner”
“Man On The Moon”
“Daysleeper”
“Imitation Of Life”
“So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”
“All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)”
“Leaving New York”
Later… with Jools Holland Presents R.E.M.
“Intro”
“Losing My Religion”
“Lotus”
“New Test Leper”
“Daysleeper”
“Electrolite”
“At My Most Beautiful”
“The Apologist”
“Country Feedback”
“Parakeet”
“So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”
“Walk Unafraid”
“Man On The Moon”
“The Passenger”
Bonus Videos
“I’ve Been High”
“Nightswimming”
“Bad Day”
Photo: Getty Images