With the release of this single ( and I recommend getting the Maxi-Single ) R.E.M. is definitely getting back to the music that made them one of the greatest bands in the last decade or so.

The Great Beyond has all the qualities that made many of the tracks on Green, Out of Time and Automatic special. It appears to be complex lyrically, but upon closer inspection has beautiful images and glimpses into Andy's life. On the maxi it is a pleasure to hear Everybody Hurts and in particular The One I Love performed live in the UK.

I believe that R.E.M. have a great song here. Get it.

The Great Beyond is an upbeat, catchy song (true, it does take a few listens). It's reminiscent of the material on Up; it sounds vaguely similar to Daysleeper. However, the real treat of this single are the live songs. If you liked the album versions of One I Love, Everybody Hurts, and Man On The Moon, you will be blown away by the impassioned performances of these three songs. Absolutely a must for R.E.M. fans.

Two words - BUY IT - it have been quite some time since I became this happy of a single pop-track.

The great and worthwhile surprise of this single is the 3 LIVE tracks recorded in England during last summer's tour. It makes for a great souvenir for anyone who saw R.E.M. on tour last year - or wanted to! The CD has One I Love followed by a lengthy version of Everybody Hurts (with audience singalong) and the closer Man On The Moon. The live version of MOTM is much better and so much more energetic than the original studio version from the album Automatic For The People. If this appeals to you, then I recommend this CD.

Of course, the CD also includes the title track Great Beyond, which I think sounds like the Automatic For The People album. But the Great Beyond, in my view, is less enjoyable than the 3 live tracks.

Be sure to get THIS version of the CD with the 3 live tracks and NOT the version with only 1 extra track. Note that on my CD, it doesn't say that the 3 extra tracks are live - but they are indeed live.