The gods of college radio, R.E.M. bubbled up out of the cauldron that was Athens, GA, in the 80s. They got signed to indy label I.R.S. and burst out with one of the best rock albums ever recorded,
Rolling Stone's 1983 best album of the year,
Murmur.
And I Feel Fine: Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 draws heavily on
Murmur and its follow-up,
Reckoning, making it a much more valuable compilation of the wonder that was early R.E.M. than 1998's
Eponymous - and not just for the choice of material. The sound quality is light years better.
But forget all that, and understand this: Pay the extra bucks and get the Collectors Edition. The second disc is absolutely loaded with demos, b-sides, and live cuts, and all kinds of great material. And then, what the hell, go get the companion DVD,
When the Light is Mine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 Video Collection, too - lots of stuff there I've never even heard of before, let alone seen.
These discs are absolutely golden for old fans (even if you already have most of it), and those who want to understand R.E.M. in the days before the line between "indy" and "mainstream" got blurred.
Complete CD and DVD track listings under the jump.
CD Track List:
1. Begin The Begin
2. Radio Free Europe
3. Pretty Persuasion
4. Talk About The Passion
5. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville
6. Sitting Still
7. Gardening At Night
8. 7 Chinese Bros.
9. So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
10. Driver 8
11. Can't Get There From Here
12. Finest Worksong
13. Feeling Gravity's Pull
14. I Believe
15. Life And How To Live It
16. Cuyahoga
17. The One I Love
18. Welcome To The Occupation
19. Fall On Me
20. Perfect Circle
21. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Disc 2:
1. Pilgrimage (Mike's pick)
2. These Days (Bill's pick)
3. Gardening at Night(slower electric demo; previously unreleased)
4. Radio Free Europe (Hib-tone version)
5. Sitting Still (Hib-tone version)
6. Life and How to Live It (Live at the Muzik Centrum, Utrecht, Holland 9/14/87; previously unreleased)
7. Ages of You (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7/13/83; previously unreleased)
8. We Walk (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7/13/83; previously unreleased)
9. 1,000,000 (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7/13/83; previously unreleased)
10. Finest Worksong (other mix)
11. Hyena (demo) (previously unreleased)
12. Theme from Two Steps Onward (previously unreleased)
13. Superman
14. All the Right Friends (previously unreleased; later version released on Vanilla Sky soundtrack)
15. Mystery to Me (demo; previously unreleased)
16. Just A Touch (live in-studio version; previously unreleased)
17. Bad Day (session outtake; previously unreleased)
18. King of Birds (last song cut from the best of…)
19. Swan Swan H (live, acoustic from “Athens, GA-Inside Out�)
20. Disturbance At The Heron House (Peter's pick)
21. Time After Time (annElise) (Michael's pick)
DVD Track List:
1. Wolves, Lower (Previously Unreleased)
2. Radio Free Europe (Edit - First time On DVD)
3. Talk About The Passion
4. Radio Free Europe (The Tube, 11.18.83, UK TV Show - Previously Unreleased)
5. Talk About The Passion (The Tube, 11.18.83, UK TV Show - Previously Unreleased)
6. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry) - (First Time On DVD)
7. Left Of Reckoning (First Time On DVD)
8. Pretty Persuasion (The Old Grey Whistle Test, 11.20.84, UK TV - Previously Unreleased)
9. Can’t Get There From Here (First Time On DVD)
10. Driver 8 (First Time On DVD)
11. Life And How To Live It (First Time On DVD)
12. Feeling Gravity's Pull (First Time On DVD)
13. Can’t Get There From Here (The Tube, 10.25.85, UK TV - Previously Unreleased)
14. Fall On Me (First Time On DVD)
15. Swan Swan H (Athens, Ga – Inside/Out)
16. The One I Love
17. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
18. Finest Worksong
Extras:
The Cutting Edge, October 1983
19. Broadcast Segment (Previously Unreleased)
20. Additional Interviews (Previously Unreleased)
The Cutting Edge, June 1984
21. Edited Broadcast Segment (First Time On DVD)
22. Additional Interviews (First Time On DVD)
23. Driver 8 (First Time On DVD)
24. Wendell Gee (First Time On DVD)
25. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville (First Time On DVD)
26. Time After Time (Annelise) (First Time On DVD)
27. Pageantry (Previously Unreleased)
Hidden Tracks:
Radio Free Europe
Driver 8 (second take from Cutting Edge - Previously Unreleased)