Listen to R.E.M. Perform ‘E-Bow the Letter’ With Radiohead’s Thom Yorke
R.E.M. have released another preview of their upcoming R.E.M. at the BBC box set, a live performance of "E-Bow the Letter" that features Radiohead's Thom Yorke on backing vocals.
The track was recorded at a 2004 invitation-only concert at London's St. James Church on that was broadcast on BBC Radio 2.
Yorke re-creates the part originally sung on the studio version by Patti Smith, a major influence on Michael Stipe's vocals. "E-Bow the Letter" was a No. 2 modern rock-radio hit when it was released in 1996 as the lead single from New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
You can listen to the new version below.
That 2004 show comprises the entirety of the eighth CD of R.E.M. at the BBC, which arrives on Oct. 18. The set also includes three other concerts that were broadcast on the radio between 1984 and 1999, a John Peel session and various other in-studio performances.
The box's ninth disc includes a DVD featuring a 1998 set from the Later ... With Jools Holland show, appearances on Top of the Pops and Accelerating Backwards, a 60-minute documentary from 2008 that chronicled the band's history with the network.
"R.E.M. grew up with the BBC," a press release for the box reads. "This historic relationship is lovingly celebrated across an incredible collection that beautifully illustrates the career trajectory of one of modern music’s greatest bands. The collection comprises a treasure trove of rare and unreleased live and studio recordings culled from the BBC and band archives."