Basically a singles collection from R.E.M.'s first five albums, Eponymous gives the listener a sense of the band's change from folk-rock to rock. The songs are intelligently selected, distilling most of the best moments from their first five albums for IRS. Included is the original single of "Radio Free Europe," and different mixes of "Gardening at Night" (where it's actually possible to hear the vocal) and "Finest Worksong," and the previously unreleased (and unspectacular) "Romance." [Note: An import collection, The Best of R.E.M., doesn't have the rarities, but has 16 songs, including the remainder of Eponymous, plus many other important songs from their IRS years. Worth the couple of extra dollars for the beginner.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Eponymous is the first compilation album album by R.E.M., released in 1988. It was their last authorized release on I.R.S. Records, to whom they had been contracted since 1982, having just signed with Warner Bros. Records. The title is a pun on the convention in the recording industry to refer to a band's self-titled album (e.g., Pretenders) as their "Eponymous Album".
Eponymous is notable for its inclusion of several rare or alternate versions of known tracks. Spanning from the Chronic Town EP to the previous year's breakthrough hit album Document, Eponymous provides a fair overview of R.E.M.'s early work.
The album features the alternate title "File Under Grain", a reference to the cover photograph. A previous album, Document, had "File Under Fire" inscribed on it and Reckoning, featured the words "File Under Water". Inside the album a photograph of singer Michael Stipe with the words "They Airbrushed My Face" across his eyes.
Released in October 1988, just a month before R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. debut Green appeared, Eponymous reached #44 in the US and #69 in the UK.[citation needed]
Track listing note: On the vinyl and cassette releases, R.E.M. labeled side one (tracks 1–6) as the "Early side" and side two (tracks 7–12) as the "Late side."
Notes
1 Alternate mix from version on Chronic Town. 2 Taken from soundtrack to the 1987 film Made in Heaven. 3 Remix of version found on Document.
