The bonus CD of the compilation The Best Of REM contains demos and live versions of tracks that didn't make it to the single CD. Incidentally, there are still a few hits, such as Pop Song '89, Drive and The One I Love. The hit Shiny Happy People is even completely missing. A surprise is the beautiful Fretless, about which Michael Stipe writes that afterwards he himself has no idea why it was left
… out of Out Of Time at the time. These extras are of course not to be missed by the fans. It makes this release a tasteful summary of 15 years of REM, but unfortunately not a complete hit overview. After the multi-million dollar contract the band signed with Warner in 1996, REM is doing everything it can to counteract the appearance of commercial sales. (MS)more
