MJTV: R.E.M. & U2 - One

A press release out today says that R.E.M. going into the studio this spring to record their 14th CD with producer Jacknife Lee (U2, The Hives, Snow Patrol). Hopefully, this means the new record will rock more than recent efforts like the dreary Across The Sun which was the band's lowest selling effort in 20+ years with just over 200,000 copies sold.

R.E.M. -- singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills -- will record their fourteenth studio album this Spring with Grammy Award-winning producer Jacknife Lee. Lee, most noted for his production on U2's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," has also produced albums by Snow Patrol, The Hives, and indie stalwarts Kasabian, Aqualung, and Bloc Party.

"R.E.M. are consistently one of the Great Bands, if not the greatest," Lee says. "The new songs they've written are some of their most exciting and visceral yet. They're a beacon for any band wishing to remain honest and challenging."

"We are psyched to work with Jacknife Lee," R.E.M.'s Mills says. "We've got a great batch of songs, and can't wait to put them down."

Here's a video from the early 90's featuring Stipe and Mills, along with U2's Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton, performing an acoustic version of "One".