R.E.M.: And I Feel Fine...: The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 CD Track Listing

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R.E.M. And I Feel Fine...: The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 (2006)
And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987\n2006 Capitol Records, Inc.\n\nOriginally Released September 12, 2006\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: It's hardly as if R.E.M.'s glory days of the '80s haven't been compiled before -- just after they left I.R.S. for Warner, the Eponymous collection appeared in 1988, and over the years more collections have appeared in both domestic and foreign markets -- but 2006's And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 is the first collection since Eponymous to be assembled with a purpose. At 21 tracks, it's nearly twice as long as the 1988 effort (and it's also five tracks longer than the good EMI Europe 1998 disc The Best of R.E.M.) and the extra space is used well, helping to sketch a complete picture of the band through singles, album tracks, and concert standards. Which isn't to say everything great that R.E.M. recorded in the '80s -- it's a rich body of work, so there will naturally be great songs left behind when it's being condensed down to a 21-track collection -- but this has all the major songs ("Radio Free Europe," "[Don't Go Back to] Rockville," "Gardening at Night," "Pretty Persuasion," "Driver 8," "The One I Love," "Fall on Me," "It's the End of the World as We Know It [And I Feel Fine]"), making it about as a good single-disc overview and introduction to R.E.M.'s peak years as could be imagined. Only two things would make it better: chronological sequencing, since the group's growth truly was impressive, and the inclusion of their cover of the Clique's "Superman," which was a college radio standard throughout the late '80s. \n\n"Superman" does turn up on the second disc of the deluxe edition of And I Feel Fine... That second disc is a hodgepodge of rarities, demos, alternate takes, live versions, single mixes and remixes, album tracks, and favorite songs of Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe. Although most of these rarities have appeared somewhere else before, there's a healthy selection of previously unreleased cuts that makes this more than worthwhile for hardcore fans. Of these, the highlight is the original version of "Bad Day," which was scrapped during the Lifes Rich Pageant sessions, then rewritten into "It's the End of the World" and finally revived as a new song for the 2003 compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003. It's rough and ragged, certainly incomplete, but it's exciting and proof that at their peak R.E.M. was a terrific rock band. Also of note are previously unreleased demos of "Mystery to Me" and "Theme from Two Steps Onward," also outtakes from the Lifes Rich Pageant sessions that are rough but a lot of fun. Then there are the rarities that aren't that rare but still worth having: the original Hib-Tone versions of "Radio Free Europe" and "Sitting Still," the original version of "All the Right Friends" (another early song later revived by the Berry-less version of the band), an acoustic "Swan Swan H," and a live-in-the-studio version of "Just a Touch." Although there are other rarities that could have shown up on this collection -- they've been heard not only on bootleg, but on the expanded European reissues of the I.R.S. albums that appeared in the '90s -- this is the cream of the crop, and help make And I Feel Fine... the finest R.E.M. compilation yet. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nThe songs collected on And I Feel Fine... The Best of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 are just good enough to render the previous I.R.S. years collection, 1998's Eponymous, officially dead. The latter was likely the way the masses heard R.E.M.'s underground hits on CD the first time--after all, the band had just come off of their apocalyptic breakthrough single ("It's the end of the world...") and CD players were finally hitting below the $400 mark. It did the trick. We all got up to date and it paved the way for a more sonic R.E.M. to grow into the phenomena they've become. This new version is a welcome history re-write as it pulls more from Murmur and Reckoning days and does a far better job at telling the early story--owing a great deal to the photos and in-depth notes from Anthony DeCurtis. \n\nFor our money it's worth $2 to buy the "Collectors Edition" for the massive collection of rarities on disc 2. The DVD companion to this CD is a visual goldmine. --Peter Hilgendorf\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nR.E.M. raid the vaults for this exhaustive overview., September 18, 2006\nReviewer: Natalie Hart (Idaho, USA)\nEveryone already knows what's involved on the first disc of this package, so I'll just stick with disc 2. \n\n"Pilgrimage" is the album version from Murmur. \n\n"These Days" is the album version from Lifes Rich Pageant. \n\n"Gardening At Night (Demo)" is a slowed down version played on electric guitar, which was re-recorded during the Reckoning sessions. The song has a certain beauty to it that is emphasized by hearing it at half speed. \n\n"Radio Free Europe (Hib-Tone)" is the version that appeared on the original RFE single, back in 1981 on Hib-Tone records. This was also released on Eponymous. I like this version just as much as the one from Murmur. \n\n"Sitting Still (Hib-Tone)" is the b-side to the aforementioned single and while it's the same recording that appears on Murmur, it's a different mix that I actually prefer because it has a lot more texture to it. \n\n"Life And How To Live It (Live)" is taken from a classic 1987 show in Utrecht, Holland. A very frantic, high energy version with Michael also introducing the song by telling the story behind it. \n\n"Ages of You (Live)" , "We Walk (Live)" and "1,000,000 (Live)" are all taken from a 1983 show in Boston. "Ages of You" is a great b-side that wasn't played that often, "We Walk" becomes a lot of fun when played live and "1,000,000" was only played during the early tours. \n\n"Finest Worksong (Other Mix)" also appeared on Eponymous (though it was called Mutual Drum Horn Mix). This features additional horns by The Uptown Horns & Steve Berlin. Not radically different from the original, but nice. \n\n"Hyena (Demo)" was recorded during the Fables of The Reconstruction sessions. It improved pretty dramatically when it was recorded for LRP, so this version is interesting because you can hear how it evolved. \n\n"Theme From Two Steps Onward (Demo)" was recorded during the Lifes Rich Pageant sessions. This track has been widely bootlegged for years and now we finally have a clear and polished version. Would have fit nicely on LRP. \n\n"Superman" is the album version from Lifes Rich Pageant. This was released as a single so it actually would have made more sense on the first disc. \n\n"All The Right Friends (Outtake)" is one of the band's earliest songs. This version was recorded during the Murmur sessions and it probably has more character than the version that was re-recorded for the Vanilla Sky soundtrack. \n\n"Mystery To Me (Demo)" is again, one of the band's earliest songs. This version was recorded during the Lifes Rich Pageant sessions. Probably the weakest song of the demo versions on this disc, but kind of fun to hear. \n\n"Just A Touch (Live in-studio)" once again dates back to the earliest days and this version was recorded during the Reckoning sessions. It's a bit lifeless compared to the LRP version, but it's interesting to hear in this setting. \n\n"Bad Day (Outtake)" was recorded during the Lifes Rich Pageant sessions and like "All The Right Friends", this version probably has more character than the version that was re-recorded for the In Time compilation. \n\n"King of Birds" is the album version from Document. \n\n"Swan Swan H (Acoustic Version)" comes from the Athens, GA-Inside/Out film and it's not radically different from the album version, as it's recorded with basically the same type of instrumentation, but there is a certain intimacy to it. \n\n"Disturbance At The Heron House" is the album version from Document. \n\n"Time After Time (AnnElise)" is the album version from Reckoning. \n\nI give this 4 stars because it's kind of annoying that such valuable space on disc 2 is taken up by six widely available album tracks. The selection on disc 1 is already enhanced by some great tracks that weren't singles, so I don't see the need for anything but rarities on disc 2.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFinally an anthology worthy of REM's early years..., September 16, 2006\nReviewer: J. Antani "raconteur" (los angeles)\n"And I Feel Fine" is a beautifully produced compilation of REM's jangly, barnstorming early years when they were with IRS. Like the other reviewer said, GET THE 2-CD VERSION of this: the first disc contains all the standard "Golden Era" tracks from the Chronic Town EP through Document. It's all first-rate material but nothing to get too excited about 'cause, if you're a fan, you already have these tracks. It's the 2nd disc that's the real prize: On it, you'll find a track selected by each of the four members as their personal favorite; a bunch of live tracks that up till now were only available on bootleg (and hence, beautifully remastered), and alternate versions of several songs (including a fantastic, slowed-down "Gardening at Night"). This is a treasure trove of Southern folk pop courtesy of Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe. As a reminder of the group's phenomenal impact on 80's music culture and of their pure, raw talent in its unfettered, uncompromised form, this is a worthy package. I also enjoyed Anthony DeCurtis's lengthy critical essay (written in summer '06, especially for this anthology) included as a booklet with the music. GET IT! (and, oh yeah, bring back Bill!)\n
This rock cd contains 21 tracks and runs 78min 16sec.
Freedb: 2d125615
Buy: from Amazon.com

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