Pitchfork

[Updated Friday, September 26th, 2003 01:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The tracklist for the bonus disc to R.E.M.'s forthcoming In Time best-of collection has been revealed by Swedish retailer CDON.com and mirrored on R.E.M. fansite Murmurs.com. Contrary to early reports that the disc would contain almost completely new music, the 15-track platter is actually a rather disappointing hodgepodge of Warner-era b-sides and live cuts, not to mention what has to be the worst R.E.M. song of all time (worse even than "Tongue"): "It's A Free World, Baby." Other curiousities include William S. Burroughs' surreal vocal on the Automatic For The People cut "Star Me Kitten" (which sounds, oddly, like a heavily sedated Walter Cronkite headlining a Rollins poetry slam circa 1994) and the hard-rocking but lyrically embarassing "Revolution."

Proving once and for all that the tastemakers in charge of dispensing R.E.M.'s back catalog have no taste, actually fun covers of Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, Syd Barrett, and Richard Thompson are eschewed here in favor of craptastic tracks that the band gets publishing royalties for. Guess we'll have to wait for the Rhino box set in 2013 to hear some of the really good stuff. Tracklist:

01 Pop Song 89 [acoustic version]
02 Turn You Inside-Out [live, from Tourfilm]
03 Fretless [from Until The End of the World soundtrack]
04 Chance (Dub)
05 It's A Free World Baby [from the Friends soundtrack]
06 Drive [live, from Alternative NRG compilation]
07 Star Me Kitten [William S. Burroughs vocal]
08 Revolution [from the Batman and Robin soundtrack]
09 Leave [alternate version from A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack]
10 Why Not Smile [alternate version]
11 The Lifting [demo]
12 Beat A Drum [demo]
13 2JN
14 The One I Love [live at the Museum of Radio and Television]
15 Country Feedback [live in Wiesbaden, Germany 2003]

As previously reported, the bonus disc will be included in the massive first pressing of In Time, which is due October 28th on Warner Bros.