CD-Charts Position 1

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The Best Of The IRS Years 82-87 Collector's Edition [2CD + DVD]

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: R.E.M

Release Date October 27, 2008

CD-Charts Position 2

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Murmur: Deluxe Edition

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: REM

Release Date November 24, 2008

CD-Charts Position 3
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Murmur

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: R.E.M.

Release Date December 15, 2007
In the early eighties American rock music had stagnated. Obese with hoary stadium embracing poodle rockers the genre needed something to reinvent and revitalise and usher in a new wave of bands ready to head off at exciting fresh tangents. Arguably the release of REM,s debut album Murmur in 1983 was the pivotal moment that precipitated a whole slew of bands that shot blasted the clichéd excesses of American rock out of the limelight back towards the gaudy margins where it belonged.
Where a lot of the new US bands would empirically opt for the harder edged extremes of rock REM instinctively had a gentler , looser take on American rock that embraced the past while simultaneously taking it into a new direction. They eschewed rock clichés ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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And I Feel Fine ... The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: R.E.M.

Release Date September 11, 2006
Strange as it seems, if REM had split up after leaving IRS, you probably wouldn't have heard much of them. You'd've heard about them far more than you'd actually heard them : faded American legends, spoken of in reverent tones by the few who were there. A band as influential as The Velvet Underground.

IRS never seem to fail to remind us that once upon a time, they had REM as their apprentices... and if they split there they would be legends. The guitarist would be playing in fair to middling indie bands. The bassist probably working in the industry. The drummer went off to be a farmer, whilst the singer became a mystery

Between 1982 and 1987, when REM were far from a big band, they made five albums for the label. Between 1987 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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And I Feel Fine: the Best of 1982-87 - the I.R.S Years

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: REM

Release Date September 11, 2006
The sound quality on this compilation is terrible, it is a child of the loudness wars and clips dreadfully! If you like the band's earlier music I would suggest you steer clear of this and get the older, 1991 IRS recording 'The Best Of REM'. Sure there are less tracks on that album but it's listenable!

CD-Charts Position 6
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Murmur [CASSETTE]

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: REM

Release Date October 01, 1992
The sound quality on this compilation is terrible, it is a child of the loudness wars and clips dreadfully! If you like the band's earlier music I would suggest you steer clear of this and get the older, 1991 IRS recording 'The Best Of REM'. Sure there are less tracks on that album but it's listenable!

CD-Charts Position 7
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Eponymous [VINYL]

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: R.E.M.

Release Date October 17, 1990
Lots of good tracks on this CD my favourite being The One I Love. It's The End Of The World As We Know It is also good, quite uptempo and fun. Talk About The Passion confirms (as usual) their great harmonies. Definately to be purchased by REM fans

CD-Charts Position 8
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Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M. [VINYL]

Search: Talk About The Passion
by: Various Artists

Release Date September 09, 1992
I suppose this album of various bands covering R.E.M. isn't really very good in the accepted sense, or at least that a lot of R.E.M. fans wouldn't like it as it sounds like a bit of a piss-take in places. If you like R.E.M. for their poetic lyrics and nice melodies, I can't see why you'd like this.

There are some versions on it that I like, though: J-Church's "Don't go back to rockville" and Mr. T Experience's "Can't get there from here" have a pop/punk energy to them, and King Missile do a hilarious, manic cover of "Get Up" in which they add in an extra verse about eating a rather delicious piece of cake. There are a couple of "serious" covers as well: Band of Susans's "1,000,000" and Flor de Mal's "Good advices" are both sincere and powerful. But ... Read More: