Warner Bros
***1/2 (3.5 stars)

It has become fashionable in the past seven years or so indulge in a bit of R.E.M. bashing - they make easy targets. Here’s band that cares about the world we inhabit, tries to bring some kind of conscience and morality to the fore through both its actions and songs, makes music that at it’s best defines why rock music is the greatest aphrodisiac around or a friend in need when the dark has done its deed. How unfashionable (said sardonically). And, yes, the band’s latest studio sets have been a shadow or two behind some of its defining 1980s and ’90s release, but anybody who has seen them live will tell you that they remain an inspirational and forceful act. This 2CD + DVD set, recorded in February 2005, features a nice blend of the standards - Everybody Hurts, Orange Crush, The One I Love, Losing My Religion, Drive, Man On The Moon, The Great Beyond - with lesser known gems such as the storming I Took Your Name and the perfect pop of Cuyahoga. With the core trio of Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck expanded by musicians such as Ken Stringfellow, Scott McCaughey and current drummer Bill Rieflin, R.E.M. do what they do best - play great rock music with a passion and quality most can only dream of.

Look out the window: It isn’t the end of the world as we know it - yet.