Collapse Into Now UK pre-order

Well thank goodness! I was getting worried there.

It's finally here! After an infuriating wait, and roughly two weeks since the US pre-order went on sale, iTunes UK is now offering its users the chance to make an advance purchase of Collapse Into Now. While it's not exactly a groundbreaking story, I'm sure it will come as a relief for all the British R.E.M. fans who are eagerly awaiting the new album. Along with the advertised tracklist, there are also a number of bonus tracks that you can buy - live in studio versions of Discoverer, Oh My Heart and the as-of-yet unheard Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter. There's a short clip of AAAA on the Collapse trailer, but so far the chorus and bridge (if there is one) remain a mystery. It Happened Today is the only song you can make a standalone purchase of as of yet, and if you haven't got it, I'd highly recommend it.

As I look at the iTunes page, another interesting fact arises - the expected release date on the store is March 7th 2011, as opposed to the previously stated 8th. Does this mean that those who pre-order will be getting the new album one whole day early? I hope so... that's why my finger is poised over the 'Post' button!

Mine Smell Like Honey is now only five days away, and it's easy to get excited. About a week ago, an odd article caught my attention, which stated that the B-sides to this single had been leaked, and were available to play on article's website. The songs, A Town Called Armadillo and Zullu were the alleged B-sides, with the latter track featuring Peter Buck on vocals. I speculated that these tracks were fake. If you would like to hear them, you can find them here. Some of the comments on the website REM Nation state that there is, apparently, a video of Peter recording Zullu. However, this appears to be site that has perpetrated the hoax in the first place! REMRing seems to have confirmed that the songs aren't real, and that the whole thing was just a prank by the website in question. Still, the tracks are amusing enough.

Now, I think I'll need to run. There's a digital copy of that album with my name on it!

Yours truly,
Auctioneer

UPDATE 12 SECONDS AFTER ORIGINAL POST: Blame my bad eyesight. REM Nation state on their post concerning Oh My Heart that the B-sides were, in fact, a joke. Well, you know what they say: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... you won't get fooled again."