REM’s Michael Stipe reveals he’s ready to return to music

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former REM frontman Michael Stipe has revealed that he is ready to return to music, NME reports.

Stipe has kept a relatively low-profile since the band split in 2011, but performed at two David Bowie tribute gigs in New York City earlier this year. According to The New York Times, these appearances helped him to realise that he misses the world of music.

“I’m not ready to go completely into pop stardom again, as a 56-year-old,” he told the publication, before adding: “I want to work in music again.”

According to The New York Times, Stipe is now producing ‘SIR’, a new album by electroclash group Fischerspooner.

Stipe recently blamed Alec Baldwin’s SNL impression and the media for the rise of Donald Trump. He is currently promoting the REM reissue ‘Out Of Time (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)’, which is released this Friday (November 18).

The expansive four-disc reissue features an additional live recording of a 1991 show at Mountain Stage and a Blu-Ray disc that contains hi-resolution audio and 5.1 Surround Sound versions of ‘Out Of Time’. It also contains all the album’s music videos and the 1991 electronic press kit ‘Time Piece’, which includes a collection of studio and performance footage.

‘Out Of Time’ – which yielded the huge hit singles ‘Losing My Religion’ and ‘Shiny Happy People’ – was released in 1991 and saw the band become globally renowned. It was followed a year after by ‘Automatic For The People’, which, like ‘Out Of Time’ hit Number One on the UK Albums Chart.

REM also reissued three of their classic albums on vinyl in July: 1986’s ‘Lifes Rich Pageant’, 1987’s ‘Dead Letter Office’ and 1988’s ‘Eponymous’.

‘Lifes Rich Pageant’ was the first REM album to be certified gold in the US and was previously treated to a 25th anniversary reissue back in 2011. The band officially broke up in 2011 after 31 years together.