If anyone's interested, you can go to http://www.bandbuilder.com/remhqtv/i...ef_code=D29078

and watch all of their videos, as well as watch documentary footage, live performances and listen to interviews. Its pretty damn cool that they have this available. If that link doesn't work then you can get to it through www.remhq.com and look for REMHQTV.

I agree 100%. A GREAT 2-disc set for $15.99--18 great songs on Disc One and very decent selection of 15 "rarities and b-sides" on Disc Two (Drive (Live) is excellent).

But the packaging is a joke. I ended up throwing out the poster (what am I, 13?), the booklet (after reading it) and the blue outer sleeve. I don't need to spend 10 minutes putting a package back together every time I finish listening to the CD...

My aren't we too cool for school

I bought it because it's REM, but like any good fanboy I have to bitch a little about the B-sides disc -- some of their best songs are included -- "Fretless," in my top 5 REM songs of all time list, "It's A Free World Baby" -- but the second half in particular there's an emphasis on minorly changed mediocre songs ("Why Not Smile" for instance). I'd much rather have seen a few of the great covers they've done on tribute CDs like "I Walked Like A Zombie" and Richard Thompson's "Wall of Death" than some of these songs. Ah well. I'm glad at last to have the 'funk' version of "Drive" on a non-bootleg disc. :D

I really enjoyed this collection. Been listening to it a lot. Even songs that used to make me want to smash things like "Losing My Religion" (since it was so overplayed) sound fresh, for some reason.

REM is one of those bands that needs to release a box set of b-sides and rarities.

And for that matter, also a box set of live recordings.

Chances are though we'll have to wait until they retire. One of the cool things about bands that break up or retire these days is that if you are a true fan you can expect the obligatory 3 or 4 post-band career releases. The Pixies are an example of this with 'Complete B-Sides', 'Death to the Pixies', 'BBC' and 'The Purple Tape'

Time. A lot of it has passed. One song I could not listen to, although REM is one of my top 2 favorite bands of all time, is Everybody Hurts. I just got sick of hearing it and now I was really surprised that I enjoyed it again. The only explanation is that it's been a very long time. Good news and bad news, I guess.

I'm "too cool for school" because I don't like the packaging? Nice input to the forum. :crap:

#1--The packaging is disliked by others as well. See above.
#2--I'm pretty sure I'm entitled to my opinion on the packaging, last time I checked.

Whoa........calm down there. I guess I should have put a little smiley face at the end of my comment there.

I was just joking uteotw and I apologize if you took it the wrong way.

At the same time, I think its nice when any band puts a little effort into their packaging. You may not like the poster but Im sure a lot of people appreciate a little bang for their buck. I, for one, like inventive packaging. Sure it may not be as durable as a jewel case but it looks cool on my shelf. I also enjoyed the book with the commentary from Peter Buck and the pics. But hey, Im a big-time REM fan so maybe this kind of stuff does it more for me. Practical? No. A nice looking package? I think so.

Either way, I wasn't trying to offend. Simply poking a little fun at ya.

I finally picked this up yesterday. The 2nd disc has some nice stuff, and I liked the booklet, but otherwise, the packaging is ass. I put the two discs in a double cd case and I'll put them next to each other on my shelf.

And hearing those few b-sides and rarities makes me second the idea for a big box of them. That would be a worthy subject for a boxset.

Don't remember if it was mentioned, the video for Bad Day is on disc 2.

[mostly hijack]I'm getting ready for work this morning and my spouse comes to me and says, "Who's the band on Sesame Street?" (My spouse not nearly the music fan I am.) So I walk over to the TV and sure enough there's R.E.M. (the three of 'em) singing "Shiny Happy People" with assorted muppets, except that the lyrics have been partially changed to be "Furry, little monsters feeling sad... shiny, happy monsters feeling glad..." (emotions apparently a subject for today's episode). My favorite part was the Kate Pierson look-alike muppet handling the Kate Pierson vocals. I think my daughter liked it.

So clearly that song will always be associated with them, whether they hate it or not.[/mostly hijack]