Album · Compilation
Eponymous
Eponymous is R.E.M.'s first greatest hits collection, released on 17 October 1988 through I.R.S. Records. It closed their time with the label, which they had been signed to since 1982, and arrived just a month before Green, their first record for Warner Bros. The tracks run from the original single of "Radio Free Europe" up to Document, the breakthrough album of the year before, so it works as a tidy guide to the band's early years.
It isn't a straight run of the originals, though. Several songs appear in alternative versions, and "Romance", written for a film soundtrack, makes its first appearance on an R.E.M. record. The sleeve is worth a look too: Michael Stipe's own doodles decorate the front, enlarged on a photocopier at Ardent Studios in Memphis, while the back carries his Collinsville High School senior portrait under the words "They Airbrushed My Face". The alternate title, "File Under Grain", nods to the cover photograph.
Eponymous: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 43:07Tracklist
- 1Radio Free Europe (original Hib-Tone single)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:49
- 2Gardening at Night (Different vocal mix)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:30
- 3Talk About the PassionBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:22
- 4So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:15
- 5(Don't Go Back to) RockvilleBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:33
- 6Can't Get There From HereBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:40
- 7Driver 8Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:25
- 8RomanceBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:27
- 9Fall on MeBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:52
- 10The One I LoveBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:17
- 11Finest Worksong (Mutual Drum Horn mix)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:51
- 12It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:05
- Produced by
- Mitch Easter, Mitch Easter, R.E.M., Don Dixon, Joe Boyd, Scott Litt, Don Gehman
- Recorded at
- Reflection Sound Studios, Belmont Mall, Sound Emporium Studios
- Recorded
- 1981–1987
- Mixed by
- Mitch Easter, Steve Catania
- Mixed at
- Can‐Am Recorders, Master Control
- Engineered by
- Don Dixon, Mitch Easter, Scott Litt, Gary Laney
- Labels
- I.R.S. Records, I.R.S.
- Length
- 43:07
Line-up
- Bill Berry · drums (drum set)
- Peter Buck · guitar
- Mike Mills · bass guitar, lead vocals
- Michael Stipe · lead vocals, vocals
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1988 | 44 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1988 | 69 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1988 | 16 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1988 | 29 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
54.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
429
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54k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
3.7k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from R.E.M.
Full discography →
Chronic Town
1982
Murmur
1983
Reckoning
1984
Fables of the Reconstruction
1985
Lifes Rich Pageant
1986
Dead Letter Office
1987
Document
1987
Green
1988
Out of Time
1991
The Best of R.E.M.
1991
Automatic for the People
1992
The Automatic Box
1993
Singles Collected
1994
Monster
1994
New Adventures in Hi‐Fi
1996
Essential R.E.M.: R.E.M. in the Attic (Alternative Recordings 1985–89)
1997
Up
1998
Reveal
2001
R.E.M. Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003 2003
Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003
2003
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
2003
Around the Sun
2004
iTunes Originals: R.E.M.
2004
And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987
2006
Live
2007
Accelerate
2008
Reckoning Spotify Sampler
2009
Live at the Olympia
2009
Collapse Into Now Sampler
2011
Collapse Into Now
2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011
2011
Live in Greensboro
2013
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
2014
Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988–2011
2014
Complete Rarities – I.R.S. 1982–1987
2014
R.E.M. at the BBC
2018
Live at the Borderline 1991
2019
Radio Free Europe 2025
2025
The best of 1988
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EP
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More on I.R.S. Records
The label →Document
R.E.M. · 1987
Lifes Rich Pageant
R.E.M. · 1986
Murmur
R.E.M. · 1983
Fables of the Reconstruction
R.E.M. · 1985
Headless Cross
Black Sabbath · 1989
Reckoning
R.E.M. · 1984
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
TYR
Black Sabbath · 1990
Forbidden
Black Sabbath · 1995
Cross Purposes
Black Sabbath · 1994
The Sabbath Stones
Black Sabbath · 1996
Cross Purposes – Live
Black Sabbath · 1995
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 17 October 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 17 October 1988 | |
| Wikidata | October 1988 | |
| US release | 18 October 1988 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 17 October 1988 | earliest UK or European date |
20 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732626221 | other |
| — | US | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 1988 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099746314729 | other |
| 1988 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099746314712 | other |
| 1988 | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732626221 | other |
| 1988 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732626214 | other |
| 1988 | GR | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 1988 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5013747103823 | other |
| 17 October 1988 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5013747103816 | original |
| 18 October 1988 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732626221 | other |
| 18 October 1988 | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732626221 | other |
| 18 October 1988 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 21 March 1989 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988002176410 | other |
| 21 January 1992 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988002250387 | other |
| 24 February 1993 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988006672949 | other |
| 1998 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724349345720 | other |
| 1998 | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732626221 | other |
| 26 March 1998 | DE | I.R.S. Records | 724349345720 | other |
| 28 March 1998 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988006748811 | other |
| 21 October 1998 | JP | I.R.S. Records | 4988006759329 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| coverartarchive | 1425×1425 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |