Early in their career R.E.M received a lot of favourable comments from the UK music press for their jangle-pop alternative rock but were steadfastly ignored by the radio stations, at least by the one's I listened too. This started to change with "The One I Love" and "Finest Worksong" getting airplay in the evenings as I drove home from work but didn't get a wider exposure so both failed to chart.
A short while later I heard an interview with the band on a late night radio station, which also played "Fall On Me" and "The End Of The World As We Know It" and I liked both of them as well. Browsing in a local record store I came across the "Eponymous" album, which contained all the R.E.M songs I knew so I bought it. The sticker shows I paid £7.49 in Our Price Records for it.
It was only later I realised it was a compilation of material from their early years, with three of the songs having different arrangements, but it served as a good introduction to R.E.M's back catalogue.
At the time I didn't think there was a bad track on "Eponymous" but as the songs were in chronological order the band's development was obvious here. Although side one was good, side two was outstanding. The first two tracks made R.E.M sound like a garage band, but the production values were increasingly more sophisticated as the years went by.
Looking at the track listing now I surprised that there were two songs I couldn't remember, "Cant Get There From Here" and "Romance".
The album starts with "Radio Free Europe" which has a tinny guitar sound, a driving bass and toe tapping beat. It sounds like a garage band demo and might also be considered to be punkish.
I like the guitar intro to "Gardening At Night" which has a nice beat and is one of my favourite tracks on "Eponymous".
"Talk About The Passion" starts with just the guitar riff for the intro and has a cello playing towards the end.
"So Central Rain" is a ballad with a cool vibe and nice bass lines. "Did you never call ? I waited for your call. These rivers of suggestion are driving me away. The ocean sang, the conversation dimmed. Go build yourself another home, the choice isn't mine. I'm Sorry"
"(Don't Go Back To ) Rockville" is almost a country song with piano and singalong chorus "Don't go back to Rockville, and waste another year". The Scottish football fanzine The Absolute Game once did an article on Falkirk, with a sub-heading of Don't go back to Brockville, which was Falkirk's ground at the time !
"Cant Get There From Here" has funk rock rhythm and is my least favourite track. It's not saved by horns & sax towards the end, and the poor grammar by not having an apostrophe !
Country-rocker"Driver 8" opens side two with a great train guitar riff and there is some harmonica playing deep in the bridge section to give the impression of a train's whistle.
"Romance" has a jerky guitar riff but it wasn't surprising I had forgotten this one as it is the least memorable tune in this collection. "That's worth saving up for, put our heads down on the chest. Mustn't even race for rest. Easy come, easy go"
"Fall On Me" is probably my all-time favourite R.E.M song. It's gorgeous and simply perfect from the verse, pre-chorus, chorus and the middle bridge where bassist Mike Mills provides the vocal. Apparently, it also Micheal Stipe's favourite R.E.M song from the IRS label years. "Buy the sky and sell the sky, and bleed the sky and tell the sky. Don't fall on me".
"The One I Love" has a jangly guitar intro, one verse is sung almost identically three times,and a blistering guitar line after the "Fire !" chorus. It's almost new wave.
"Finest Worksong" is slower than a usual R.E.M song, with heavy drums, the usual jangle guitar, and horns.
"The End Of The World As We Know It ( And I Feel Fine )" is well-known for its quick-fire delivery of the lyrics, almost a rant, in a blazing rock song. Apparently Micheal Stipe had a dream that he was at a party where everyone had the initials LB, hence Leonard Bernstein, Lenny Bruce Lester Bangs and Leonid Brezhnev. I love the "Time I had some time alone" counterpoint vocal in the closing choruses.
In summary, Eponymous remains a good introduction to R.E.M's early years and contains several outstanding songs.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. Radio Free Europe
2. Gardening At Night
3. Talk About The Passion
4. So Central Rain
5. ( Don't Go Back To ) Rockville
6. Cant Get There From Here
1. Driver 8
2. Romance
3. Fall on Me
4. The One I Love
5. Finest Worksong
6. It's The End Of The World As We Know It ( And I Feel Fine )
Released 1988
UK Chart Position : 69
Singles :
The One I Love ( No 16 - 1991 re-release )
It's The End Of The World As We Know It ( And I Feel Fine ) ( No 39 - 1991 re-release )
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