R.E.M.- And I Feel Fine…The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987

[Andy /]

I.R.S. YEARS CD AND DVD DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 12TH

On September 12th, EMI will release the first comprehensive CD and DVD anthologies of R.E.M.'s 1980s I.R.S. Records catalog. The CD will be called And I Feel Fine…The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 and will be available in 2 formats: a 21-track single-disc collection of hits and band/fan favorites and a 2-CD Collector's Edition with a
second 21-track disc of rarities including alternate takes, demos, previously unreleased songs, mixes, and live recordings of classic R.E.M. The DVD, When the Light Is Mine The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 Video Collection, *******s the music videos from Chronic Town through Document, as well as live television performances and James Herbert’s short film, Left of Reckoning. DVD extras feature early interviews and rare acoustic performances.

Bertis Downs had the following to say about the upcoming release: "This will be a noteworthy package of R.E.M.’s early years, which a lot of people don’t know very well. The guys themselves picked the songs to be *******d and sequenced the records, had some fun with the liner notes, and Michael and Chris coordinated on a lot of key aspects of the package (actually all key aspects of the package). As for “Why Now?” Well, for one thing, there has never been a real great retrospective of the 5 year/5 album period of R.E.M.’s history known as the I.R.S. years. For another, after 25 years (or 26 but who’s counting?), a recognition of the specialness of these recordings seemed a fine and appropriate thing, and we figured if the band and HQ staff here in Athens had some input, the world would end up with a package that truly has “something for everybody.” For the R.E.M. aficionado, there are some surprises and true rarities here that are sure to delight and amuse; for the uninitiated, or those who first came into the R.E.M. world during Stand or Losing My Religion or Daysleeper or Imitation of Life or Bad Day or Leaving New York, whether by factors of geography, or age, or siblings, or whatever reason, this is a good history lesson on the days of yore when the band first started out and were writing sometimes 2-3 songs a day, many of which became classics, and some of which were lost in the mists of tape and time and vault. So…with those sorts of considerations as the guiding lights and impetus, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe and the rest of us are pleased to participate in this exercise of re-releasing the “hits” of their early years, accompanied by some great things that we had forgotten about, if we ever remembered them in the first place: And I Feel Fine… the Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982- 1987. The bonus disc is especially chock full of material for the experienced, discerning fan and the newcomer alike."



And I Feel Fine...The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 (CD)

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)

And I Feel Fine...The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
Collectors' Edition (2-CDs)
(Contains Disc 1 + Rarities Disc)

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 Muziekcentrum, 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)
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)

When The Light Is Mine
The Best Of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 Video Collection (DVD)
1. Wolves, Lower
2. Radio Free Europe
3. Talk About the Passion
4. Radio Free Europe (Live, The Tube, 11/18/83)
5. Talk About the Passion (Live, The Tube, 11/18/83)
6. So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
7. James Herbert's "Left of Reckoning" (20-minute film)
8. Pretty Persuasion (Live, The Old Grey Whistle Test, 11/20/84)
9. Can't Get There From Here
10.Driver 8
11.Life and How To Live It
12.Feeling Gravity's Pull
13.Can't Get There From Here (Live, The Tube, 10/25/85)
14.Fall On Me
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
DVD extras ******* rare interview footage and acoustic performances.


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Man, that extras disc is something. I love that version of Swan Swan H.

[Rockin' Cherub]

the first one is completely unnecessary. i already know three official best of collections from that era. the second is half yay half nay. the third one makes my eyes water with gratefulness

[pale blue eyes]

Yeah, the DVD has me the most excited. I'll be buying everything though, natch.

[Pretzel Logic]

I think I'm going to get their best of album, the one that goes up to 2003. Would that be a good buy?

[Andy /]

Originally Posted by Pretzel Logic

I think I'm going to get their best of album, the one that goes up to 2003. Would that be a good buy?

That only covers the Warner years (88-03), so if you're a fan of post-Green stuff, then yeah, it's a decent retrospective.

[neopryn]

it has some good non-album songs. Animal, Bad Day, All the Right Friends.

the second disc is alright, has some essential stuff like It's a Free World and Fretless, but a couple throwaway tracks too.

I don't know if I'll be buying this one, I don't get a hardon for R.E.M. the way I used to.

[Rockin' Cherub]

Originally Posted by Pretzel Logic

I think I'm going to get their best of album, the one that goes up to 2003. Would that be a good buy?

it is if you like albums that are 50% watered down adult alternative pop made by calm old men that have lost it completely

[Pretzel Logic]

Well then I'm sold

[neopryn]

Originally Posted by Rockin' Cherub

it is if you like albums that are 50% watered down adult alternative pop made by calm old men that have lost it completely

there's like 2 songs from reveal

[Nate the Grate]

the alternate version of Leave and the live Country Feedback that are on the second disc of the best of are worth the price of admission alone.

[Rockin' Cherub]

Originally Posted by neopryn

there's like 2 songs from reveal

boring songs on "in time":

the great beyond
all the way to reno
losing my religion, now, anyway
imitation of life
animal
the sidewinder sleeps tonite
that version of all the right friends

and at my most beautiful too, i think

[neopryn]

Originally Posted by Rockin' Cherub

losing my religion, now, anyway
imitation of life
animal
the sidewinder sleeps tonite
that version of all the right friends

wrong

[Rockin' Cherub]

you like animal? that's weird. what do you like about it? and i guess i just hate sidewinder because it completely destroyed automatic for the people.

[neopryn]

well i can understand not liking Animal, i can't back up my affinity for it.

but i thought Sidewinder was universally loved. if anything ruined AFTP it was ignoreland.

actually in the liner notes Buck says he doesn't like Sidewinder either I think. Hmm.

[Rockin' Cherub]

i think bad day is downright fabulous compared to these songs

[Rockin' Cherub]

ignoreland. yeah. what. the. fuck.

[neopryn]

we can agree on that. it's pretty sad that their best song in the last 8 years is a song they wrote in 1986.

[wpc33]

Originally Posted by neopryn

we can agree on that. it's pretty sad that their best song in the last 8 years is a song they wrote in 1986.

Very sad. They haven't released good music since Up, which is so gorgeous, it makes up for it.

[Kahlo]

I agree, I love the UP album... its fantastic... did it sell well?

The track 'The Apologist' is great!

[Rockin' Cherub]

up isn't very good either. i think daysleeper really is a very good song, and some others but i don't like the production and many of the songs. it's kind of a precursor to reveal really.