R.E.M. - I.R.S. Years Compilation Release Info

Discussion of CD reissues, including sound quality and track lists
njwiv
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R.E.M. - I.R.S. Years Compilation Release Info

Postby njwiv » Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:20 pm

From R.E.M.'s Official Website:

"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, includes 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 included 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 include rare interview footage and acoustic performances."

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Alexander Keith
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Postby Alexander Keith » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:03 pm

OK, Good start but lets also have the individual albums, each with a raities CD like the Rhino Costello releases.
Barry

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Rspaight
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Postby Rspaight » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:42 pm

Oh, goody, another opportunity to flog IRS-era R.E.M. rarities! So now we have the second disc of this hits package, the import reissues with bonus tracks, the import singles comp (with b-sides), the <I>In the Attic</I> rarities disc, the <I>Dead Letter Office</I> disc, and who knows what all else, all with slightly different permutations of the same contents.

I actually like Alexander Keith's idea, because then we might actually get all this this stuff out there in a sane way, so one could buy the albums and be done with it. (Because some of this rarities material is actually worth having.)

Ryan
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Beatlesfan03
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:29 pm

Didn't they already sort of do the albums already as part of the IRS Vintage series?
Craig

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Rspaight
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Postby Rspaight » Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:49 am

Those are the imports I was talking about. AFAIK, those were never issued domestically.

Ryan
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Beatlesfan03
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:52 pm

I didn't realize those were imports, they can be had pretty cheap.
Craig

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Alexander Keith
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Postby Alexander Keith » Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:39 pm

I have seen the Vintage Years imports in the "dump bins" on many occasions. They are worth having even though they were issued without the bands blessing.
Barry

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Beatlesfan03
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:07 pm

I've seen them at Wal-Mart for $9.44 when they are available (which is rare).

The few that I have were picked up used and priced as if they were the standard editions.
Craig

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stevef
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Postby stevef » Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:20 pm

Beatlesfan03 wrote:I've seen them at Wal-Mart for $9.44 when they are available (which is rare).

The few that I have were picked up used and priced as if they were the standard editions.


Craig...

Does WalMart ever carry "imports*?

Are these CDs OOP?

Thanks for any info you may provide...
Steve

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Beatlesfan03
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:15 pm

stevef wrote:
Beatlesfan03 wrote:I've seen them at Wal-Mart for $9.44 when they are available (which is rare).

The few that I have were picked up used and priced as if they were the standard editions.


Craig...

Does WalMart ever carry "imports*?

Are these CDs OOP?

Thanks for any info you may provide...
Steve


Surprisingly yes. they usually have a ton of those REM - Singles Collected comps on IRS (they have more of those than any REM studio album). I've even seen copies of Paul McCartney Unplugged in the bins at Walmart (usually EMI-australia). And during it's peak, they actually had a few UK pressings of the Beatles "1." They are probably "cut-outs" but with clean cases and therefore marketable at full price.

Don't know whether or not they're out of print but when I was still in Cleveland, any FYE store used to be a pretty good source for them. The only disc I've never seen though I am sure it exists is "Murmur." "Document" and "Life's Rich Pageant" are the easiest ones to find.
Craig

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Alexander Keith
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Postby Alexander Keith » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:52 pm

Looking at the DVD tracks it is too bad they couldn't get the first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. That would have been nice to have.

Can anyone confirm if that was their first national TV appearance?
Barry

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Beatlesfan03
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:37 pm

Alexander Keith wrote:Looking at the DVD tracks it is too bad they couldn't get the first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. That would have been nice to have.

Can anyone confirm if that was their first national TV appearance?


I believe it was. Don't the liner notes from Eponymous allude to this?
Craig

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Alexander Keith
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Postby Alexander Keith » Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:37 pm

Thanks Craig.
I don't have my copy of Eponymous handy at the moment but I think it mentioned that they performed South Central Rain on Letterman before the song actually had its title.
Barry

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Alexander Keith
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Postby Alexander Keith » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:12 pm

Barry

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stevef
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Postby stevef » Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:51 am

Here's the cover art for this R.E.M. release:

Image