Nice track-by-track walkthroughs. I ripped my library's copy of Dead Letter Office and haven't listened to it very much. I suppose I should revisit it.

Yeah, I figured I would rate compilations on a track-by-track basis, as well as commenting on their effectiveness as a compilation. And despite my rating, there's definitely material worth getting from Dead Letter Office. The CD version also has Chronic Town tacked on the end, so if you don't have Chronic Town, that alone is reason enough to buy it.

Well there you have it, folks. Such were the I.R.S. Years.

It is my personal belief that from 1981-1987, R.E.M. created some of the greatest music of all time, and I hope that through this thread, you have learned to appreciate them as I do. At the request of Rezz, I have prepared a compilation of some of my favorite tracks from this era, which I call Rick's Essential R.E.M. Volume 1: The I.R.S. Years.

The tracklisting is below.


I hope you enjoy!


That said, I do think that the best way to view this portion of the band's career is on an album-to-album basis. Make sure you pick up some of these records, they could change your life. Thanks for reading so far, and tune in for the next installment, R.E.M.'s major label debut record Green!

Terrific analysis. Chronic Town and Murmer where spectacular albums, but I was a little disappointed by the cleaner production of Reckoning, as well as its shorter running time. You could actually understand the lyrics which, form me, lost a little bit of the mystery and emotional impact of the vocals. Still solid, though, their first three + Chronic Town being their best recordings. I picked up the Feelies "The Good Earth" after reading your Fables reviews. What a great record! It reminds me a little bit of Dream Syndicate and Meat Puppets.

That's absolutely fantastic to hear, Almauro! Thank you for reading and even more so for commenting.

Also, it's great to hear that you liked the Feelies record I wrote about. It's really fantastic throughout, and I think you can hear the Fables influence on it. I'm actually seeing the Feelies on march 20th believe it or not. I hear they throw a great live show so I'm really excited. I'll let you know how it goes.

Good mix there...
I would also recommend And I Feel Fine...The Best of the IRS Years. That's what got me interested in their pre-Warner material.

The review for that is coming later ;)

I'm doing things chronologically, for the most part.

I have a hard time imagining everything that R.E.M. puts out is god like material.

Hmm. Certainly not everything, no. However, those first four LPs really are incredible. Nearly perfect I'd say. Please don't let any preconceptions you may have interfere with your views on the band. Check out those albums if you don't believe me.

No No, I'm not letting your opinion get in the way. I have those albums, I don't particularly like them. That is not to say R.E.M sucks, but they are not my cup of tea.