AND I FEEL FINE … THE BEST OF THE I.R.S. YEARS 1982-1987 - R.E.M.
No self-respecting R.E.M. fan needs disc one of this collection, which rounds up “the best” of the band’s first five years. The real treats are on the second disc, which boasts such long-bootlegged but never officially released gems as the oblong “Theme From Two Steps Onward” and the original “Bad Day,” first demo’d in 1986 but revived for an inferior reworking on a 2003 best-of. A molasses-paced “Gardening at Night” demo offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process, while a live-in-studio “Just a Touch” and three ripping 1983 concert cuts bristle with the electricity often absent in the band’s latter-day work. Also new to market is the DVD “When the Light Is Mine,” with 18 more live cuts and collector-geek period footage. “And I Feel Fine” reveals how one little college band from Georgia grew into the chart-toppers who arrived on Warner Bros.’ doorstep in 1987. Billboard
