R.E.M’s Around The Sun and Collapse Into Now to return to vinyl this July

Both albums have been long out-of-print.

Two long out-of-print albums from R.E.M will be returning to vinyl this July.

Around The Sun and Collapse Into Now, originally released in 2004 and 2011, respectively, will be reissued by Craft Recordings on July 14. Around The Sun includes singles such as “Leaving New York”, “Aftermath” and “Electron Blue” while their 15th and final album Collapse Into Now features “Überlin”, “Oh My Heart” and “It Happened Today”.

“The idea was to present a 21st-century version of an album,” frontman Michael Stipe said about Collapse Into Now. “What does an album mean in the year 2011, especially to generations of people for whom the word album is an archaic term? I wanted to present an idea of what an album could be in the age of YouTube and the Internet.”

Kevin Gray cut both reissues at Cohearent Audio and they were pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Around the Sun will also be available on Opaque White vinyl, while Collapse Into Now has a Milky Clear variant. They can be pre-ordered now.

Around the Sun tracklist:

1. Leaving New York

2. Electron Blue

3. The Outsiders

1. Make It All Okay

2. Final Straw

3. I Wanted To Be Wrong

1. Wanderlust

2. Boy In The Well

3. Aftermath

1. High Speed Train

2. The Worst Joke Ever

3. The Ascent Of Man

4. Around The Sun

Collapse Into Now tracklist:

1. Discoverer

2. All the Best

3. Überlin

4. Oh My Heart

5. It Happened Today

6. Every Day Is Yours To Win

1. Mine Smell Like Honey

2. Walk It Back

3. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter

4. That Someone Is You

5. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I

6. Blue