R.E.M. - Eponymous [2016] best of the I.R.S. NEW

EPONYMOUS collects some of the most popular tunes from R.E.M.'s first decade, some appearing in slightly different versions. Consequently, the album does double duty as a greatest-hits collection and a repository for rarities that didn't turn up on DEAD LETTER OFFICE. Organized chronologically, EPONYMOUS offers a look at the band's artistic development, from the Byrdsy jangle of the jumpy "Radio Free Europe" to the more laconic, country-tinged "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville)." "Can't Get There From Here" and "Driver 8" are simultaneously more rhythmic and more abstract, while a heavier rock sound is introduced on "The One I Love" and the closing anti-anthem "It's the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)." EPONYMOUS is an effective overview of the band's early and middle periods, and a chronicle of a fiercely independent band's marriage of commercial and artistic success.

• Released: 07/29/2016
  
• Format: Vinyl