A compilation ideal for those who have worn out their copies of EPONYMOUS, 2006's AND I FEEL FINE surveys R.E.M.'s lauded 1980s output for the I.R.S. label, going into far greater depth than the former disc. In fact, this 2006 collection presents album versions of almost every song on EPONYMOUS, and bolsters the track listing to 21 classic tunes, from the spare, chiming "Radio Free Europe" to the rustic, melancholy "Cuyahoga" to the surging college-rock anthem "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." Charting a non-chronological course through the band's early years--when Michael Stipe and company gradually began branching out from their earnest post-punk sound--the set serves to highlight the cohesiveness of R.E.M.'s vision, an aesthetic that made the group one of the most respected and beloved rock acts of the '80s and '90s.

Note: The collectors' edition presents a bonus disc of rarities, including previously unreleased and live tracks.