Song of the Day 3/15: R.E.M., “Pretty Persuasion”

When they broke up the band 14 years ago, the members of R.E.M. swore they would never reunite. We’ve seen enough bands go back on such pronouncements to take that with a DelDOT-sized pile of salt, especially considering that there was no acrimony behind the break-up. Still, they’ve kept their word – sort of.

Michael Stipe made clear a few years ago that he meant they’d never go on a money-grabbing reunion tour, not that they’d never play together again. In fact, all four members – even drummer Bill Berry, who left in 1997 – have made a few impromptu appearances together in the years since. They reunited in 2016 at a private birthday party for their manager Bertis Downs, and performed together in public last June when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

They made news again late last month when they showed up at a gig by a tribute band in their hometown of Athens, Ga. Granted, this is no ordinary tribute band – it’s fronted by actor Michael Shannon and features Jason Narducy, who’s played bass and guitar for a number of well-known bands. They don’t play R.E.M.’s commercial hits, instead concentrating on the band’s early albums. Shannon’s voice is deeper than Stipe’s, but his energy and stage presence put the act across, and what started as a once-a-year jam session has turned into an actual touring act.

“Pretty Persuasion,” from the 1984 LP “Reckoning,” is the song they played together. Here’s how it sounded on the record.

And here’s how it sounded a couple of weeks ago at the 40-Watt Club in Athens, via an audience-recorded video.