REM - Life's Rich Pageant & More (Demos + Misc. Live)

Life's Rich Pageant And More (demos for the "Life's Rich Pageant" album, + misc live)

Spring 1986, John Keane's Studio, Athens, GA

Tracks:

01-14 Demos for Lifes Rich Pageant album

01 Theme From Two Steps Onward
02 Just A Touch
03 Mystery To Me / Wait (no track split on original CD)
04 Begin The Begin
05 Cuyahoga
06 I Believe
07 Interim Medley
08 Rotary Ten
09 These Days
10 PSA (Bad Day)
11 Underneath The Bunker
12 Swan Swan H
13 The Flowers Of Guatemala
14 King Of Birds (called "March" on original CD)

15-24 various live venues

15 Theme From Two Steps Onward
16 California Dreaming
17 Mississippi Queen
18 Whole Lotta Love
19 Funtime
20 After Hours
21 Oddfellows Local 151
22 Born To Run
23 Eight Miles High / Roadrunner (no track split on original CD)
24 When I Was Young

15-16 Stock Pavilion, Madison, WI 4/30/85
17-20 Trask Auditorium, Wilmington, NC 11/16/86 (with Corky Laing "Mountain")
21-22 Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC 11/15/86
23 Ripley's, Philadelphia, PA 4/20/83
24 Busch Student Center, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 4/28/85

Transcription of the somewhat-incorrect liner notes from the bootleg (track numbers given often incorrect):

LIFES RICH PAGEANT
Demos & Outtakes recorded in spring 1986-John Keane's Studios-Athens, GA.
Total Time: 75:00

1. THEME FROM TWO STEPS ONWARDS-outtake
(Originally recorded with full orchestra for "Fables Of The Recon-struction"-this version is stripped down-
one of the great unreleased REM tracks)

2. JUST A TOUCH-demo
(Played live frequently from 1981-1986 before finally being released)

3. IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME-outtake
(Also frequently played live, but only up until 1982)

4. WAIT-outtake [ripper's note: not indexed as track 4 on CD, instead as part of track 3]
(Found frequently on early live vinyl bootlegs-was best not released!)

5. BEGIN THE BEGIN-demo
(Notice the prominent bass and lazy vocals compared to the final product)

6. CUYAHOGA-demo
(Much different inflection in Stip's [sic] voice-last half of song is instrumental)

7. I BELIEVE-demo
(End product of "When I Was Young", a song played live at dates during the 1985 "Preconstruction Tour")

7.a. INTERIM MEDLEY

8. ROTARY TEN-outtake-instrumental-eventual B side
(Named after a fictious movie sountrack)

9. THESE DAYS-demo
(one of the most favorite "Pageant" songs-very different vocals)

10. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (PSA)-outtake
(never meant to be released-a serious release of tension for Stipe-notice his attemt [sic] at the harmonica!)

11. UNDERNEATH THE BUNKER-demo
(added to the album at the last moment-one of fans most loved instrumentals)

12. SWAN SWAN H-demo
(Worked up live during the "Reconstruction" tour in mid-1985-a sad song of the War Between The States)

13. THE FLOWERS OF GUATEMALA-demo-instrumental
(A Story of U.S. intervention in Central America)

14. MARCH-outtake-instrumental
(Eventually released with vocals as "King Of Birds", on the next album-"Document")

All Songs: W.T. Berry, M.E. Mills, P.L. Buck, J.M. Stipe
published By Night Garden Music-Administered by Unichappel Music, Inc.
(BMI)

Rare Live:

15. THEME FROM TWO STEPS ONWARD-Madison, WI-30 April 1985

16. CALIFORNIA DREAMING-Madison, WI-30 April 1985
(Great live version of the "Mamas And The Papas" hit)

17. MISSISSIPPI QUEEN-WHOLE LOTTA LOVE-FUNTIME-AFTER HOURS Jam-Wilmington, NC-16 November 1986
[ripper's note: tracks indexed separately on CD, not as one long track as liner notes indicate]
(With Corky Laing "Mountain")

18. ODDFELLOWS LOCAL 151-BORN TO RUN-Durham, NC 15 November 1986
[ripper's note: tracks indexed separately on CD, not as one long track as liner notes indicate]
(early different live version of the former, and The Boss "classic"!)

19. EIGHT MILES HIGH-ROADRUNNER-Philadelphia, PA 30 Juli 1983
[ripper's note: given date is wrong, actually was 7/20/83]
(The Byrds classic mixed with the cartoon classic!)

20. WHEN I WAS YOUNG Piscataway, NJ 28 April 1985
(An early version of "I Believe"-played live only twice-a true rarity!)

Liner Notes:
We at Who Am I asked the most prominend (sic) R.E.M. collectors what they wanted on disc that has yet to released. The result was the undigging of two sets of gems. LIFES RICH PAGEANT demos and outtakes, and a collection of live classics, both of the band and other artists. The former represents demos of the band in transition, going from the incredibly moody and dark "Fables Of The Reconstruction" to a more powerful product with new producer, Don Gehman. The latter is a bundle of odd covers and early versions that the band soon forgot. So sit back, relax, enjoy the ride, and look for more great titles in the future!
---Professor Jones

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