R.E.M. decided to dig deep into their collection of unheard material recently, and presented their fans with previously unreleased song “Fascinating.” The song is available for purchase on Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to Mercy Corps and their hurricane relief efforts in the Bahamas.
According to the press release, “Fascinating” was originally intended for the band’s 2001’s album Reveal, but didn’t make the cut. Three years later, R.E.M. returned to the track once again and re-recorded it during the Around the Sun sessions. Interestingly, the recording took place at Compass Point Studios, in Nassau, Bahamas.
Once again, however, the song didn’t find its place on the tracklist. This time, the reason was that it didn’t fit the overall theme of the album. The group kept it locked in their vault after that but decided Mercy Corps’ noble cause was a good reason to share it with the rest of the world world.
“I’m glad the song is now available,” R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills told Rolling Stone. “But I’m heartsick it’s for this particular situation.”
You can check out the frontman Michael Stipe’s message following the release of “Fascinating” below.
