R.E.M.:Live 1982:

The Drive-In Sessions, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, January, 1982

Sound: Very good audience

Time: Approx. 5 Minutes

Tracks:

Wolves,Lower, 1,000,000

Comments: Very good versions, almost final versions for Chronic Town, either with alternate backing vocals or slightly different arrangements.

Live at the 40-Watt Club, Athens, Georgia, January 22, 1982

Sound: Excellent soundboard

Time: Approx. 90 Minutes

Set List:

Gardening at Night, 9-9, Windout, Unknown New Song, There She Goes Again, Sitting Still, That Beat, Pretty Persuasion, Mystery to Me, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), Ages of You, Catapult, Shaking Through, Laughing, Romance, Ghost Riders In the Sky, Permanent Vacation, 1,000,000, Wolves,Lower, Radio Free Europe

Comments: An excellent and powerful show. Very fast and furious playing with tons of energy. Even the most complex songs are played with a sense of ease and confidence. There is a nice mix of material from Chronic Town and Murmur and some of their earlier material. Unknown New Song is just that....a great new song with no title that was never done again!

Live at Merlin's, Madison, Wisconsin, April 24, 1982

Sound: Excellent soundboard

Time: Approx. 90 Minutes

Set List:

Gardening At Night, 9-9, Ages of You, Shaking Through, Laughing, Romance, Sitting Still, Pretty Persuasion, That Beat, Catapult, Radio Free Europe, Wolves,Lower, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), White Tornado, West of the Fields, Stumble, Skank, There She Goes Again

Comments: The crowd in this show seems really loud and rowdy and Michael and Mike constantly make funny noises and say thing to irritate them between songs. The show itself is awesome, and the whole show is very fast and loud. Even clean guitars with no distortion sound loud and heavy when the bass has a little distortion and the drums never let up. The opening two or three numbers are a very exciting introduction to this show and many new songs from Murmur are tried out on stage. The Chronic Town material, which I personally enjoy very much, sounds great live, albeit too short!

Live at First Avenue Club, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 26, 1982

Sound: Very good soundboard

Time: Approx. 1 Hour

Set List:

Ages of You, 1,000,000, Wolves,Lower, Romance, Shaking Through, Laughing, Sitting Still, West of the Fields, Catapult, Radio Free Europe, White Tornado, That Beat, Skank, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)

Comments: This is a high energy and fast paced early show that has Chronic Town numbers from the just released EP, as well as a very large portion of Murmur being played, much of it brand new. The sound is crisp and really lets you hear Mike's busy and melodic bass and Bill's powerful and dexterous drumming. This sounds like a real small club atmosphere and is perfect for the show. Good one!

Live at Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Georgia, May 14, 1982

Sound: Excellent soundboard

Time: Approx. 90 Minutes

Set List:

West of the Fields, 1,000,000, Shaking Through, Pilgrimage, Laughing, Romance, Sitting Still, Pretty Persuasion, Gardening at Night, 9-9, Catapult, Radio Free Europe, White Tornado, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), Ages of You

Comments: This was the band's first really big show, on their home turf. They turn in a GREAT show, including a humorous botched attempt at West of the Fields. The crowd is eating form their hands and the band knows it! They try out a LOT of new stuff from Murmurs and Reckoning, and just seem to be having a great time, while playing great. Awesome stuff. Perfect sound too.

Live at Strand Cabaret, Marietta, Georgia, July 2, 1982

Sound: Excellent soundboard

Time: Approx. 90 Minutes

Set List:

West of the Fields, Shaking Through, Pilgrimage, Romance, We Walk, Wolves,Lower, That Beat, Pretty Persuasion, Sitting Still, 1,000,000, Gardening at Night, 9-9, There She Goes Again, Catapult, Radio Free Europe, Perfect Circle, Laughing, Moral Kiosk, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), Crazy

Comments: A very punkish and energetic show in what sounds like a small venue. Bill and Mike are aggressive, and Bill's drumming is incredibly powerful, captured on this great sounding recording. Romance is a great version, although Michael ruins his vocals somewhat by making silly whooping noises. Perfect Circle is an unusual guitar-bass-drums version that isn't quite a s effective as the later versions with Mike on piano, but still rare and good. A powerful and good early show.

Live at the Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California, August 24, 1982

Sound: Excellent soundboard

Time: Approx. 45 Minutes

Set List:

Gardening at Night, 9-9, Wolves,Lower, We Walk, Pilgrimage, Laughing, Sitting Still, 1,000,000

Comments: A VERY energetic and fast early show, showcasing material from Chronic Town and the as of yet unreleased Murmur. Mike Mills' bass is amazing, all over the place and very aggressive and distorted. Bill's drumming is powerful and the entire show moves like greased lightning.

Live at The Pier, Raleigh, North Carolina, October 10, 1982

Sound: Very good soundboard

Time: Approx. 90 Minutes

Set List

Gardening at Night, 9-9, Pilgrimage, Wolves,Lower, Laughing, There She Goes Again, Romance, Sitting Still, 1,000,000, Moral Kiosk, Catapult, West Of the Fields, Radio Free Europe, White Tornado, Ages of You, We Walk, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), Skank, Rave On

Comments: This is a very good, although nothing special, show. The band seems to be on real friendly terms with the audience, talking to them between songs and teasing them about their off the wall request selections. White Tornado is quite good, as it was rarely played, and the last string of songs is excellent.

Live at Tupelo's Tavern, New Orleans, Georgia, November 6, 1982

Sound: Very good soundboard

Time: Approx. 90 Minutes

Set List:

Moral Kiosk, Pilgrimage, Shaking Through, Wolves,Lower, Laughing, Romance, Sitting Still, Pretty Persuasion, Catapult, 1,000,000, Gardening at Night, 9-9, Radio Free Europe, White Tornado, Ages of You, We Walk, Neverland, Gloria, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)

Comments: This is a very good show in front of a good club crowd. They seem to know REM's material quite well, calling for Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars) and other songs. The majority of the set is new songs for the as yet unrecorded Murmur, and even one for Reckoning! Neverland and Gloria are fun covers at the end. Another neat glimpse into the early live REM.