R.E.M. Reveals Plans for a Digital Live EP

     MUSIC NEWS-  R.E.M. has revealed plans to release a live music digital EP, called Reckoning Songs From The Olympia, through all digital service providers on July 7th, 2009.   The live EP will feature versions of four songs from the band's second album Reckoning recorded during R.E.M.'s "working rehearsals" at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in July 2007.

The tracklist is "Harborcoat," "Letter Never Sent," "Second Guessing," and "Pretty Persuasion." The EP is to give fans a preview of what's to come when the band release R.E.M. Live At The Olympia as a two-CD set this fall. R.E.M., singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills, performed a special five-night residency; dubbed "working rehearsals", at the fabled Irish venue to test out new songs for their 2008 studio album Accelerate, which was produced by Grammy-Award winning producer Jacknife Lee and topped multiple charts its first week of release.

Reckoning Songs From The Olympia comes on right after the 25th anniversary of Reckoning, which was released originally on April 9th, 1984. On June 23rd, the band released a deluxe edition (buy below thru MNN) of the album, featuring a bonus disc with eight of its 10 songs recorded live in Chicago in 1984, to celebrate the occasion.

(photo Cass Bird)