REMTV

Yesterday, R.E.M. announced a massive new release for November this year: a 6 DVD-collection, compiled from the MTV (once known as Music Television) archives. The format seems somewhat outdated, but we have to keep in mind that the footage included was filmed for television broadcast, probably not shot on film, so the majority might not be HD anyway. When no longer active bands pull stuff from their vaults like this, it’s usually seen as an easy way to cash in (I deliberately avoided the term “to make a few bucks”), but I don’t think that applies here – no casual fan will buy a 6 disc collection, it’s clearly for the hardcore fans, collectors and completists. I’ll share some of my thoughts about the content below.

Some Great Reward 30

30 years ago today, the 4th Depeche Mode album, Some Great Reward was released. I don’t think it was considered a musical milestone at the time, and even today it’s not necessarily seen as a crucial point in their career, but looking back, it was probably the point where they stepped up a level after the initial success of their previous works.