Det er sv\u00e6rt at huske helt hvor anderledes og forfriskende R.E.M. l\u00f8d tilbage, da vi f\u00f8rst h\u00f8rte dem, med jingle-jangle Rickenbacker-sound og mystikeren Michael Stipe p\u00e5 opdagelse langt nede i den da s\u00e5 kantede, fintf\u00f8lende musik. Da var de bare et lille “college radio-band”, som det hed dengang. Senere skrev de s\u00e5 de rigtige hits, der bragte dem langt udover den sn\u00e6vre inderkreds, gjorde dem til fast inventar p\u00e5 alverdens b\u00f8lgel\u00e6ngder, og faktisk \u00e5bnede d\u00f8ren for generel mainstream-accept af den alternative rock-musik – tak for det, R.E.M.!<\/p>\n
I dag udkommer s\u00e5 opsamlingen And I Feel Fine…The Best Of 1982-1987, der som titlen antyder s\u00e6tter fokus p\u00e5 de f\u00f8rste vitale \u00e5r. Og ved genh\u00f8r overrasker det positivt, hvor gr\u00e6nses\u00f8gende bandets udtryk ofte var dengang. For det R.E.M. der findes nu udsender plader, hvor netop manglen p\u00e5 eventyrl\u00f8st og vildskab godt kan frustrere lytteren. Det mere end anes at bandets 3 tilbagev\u00e6rende medlemmer nu snarere fastl\u00e5ser end forl\u00f8ser hinanden i det samarbejde, der engang stod s\u00e5 frugtbart. Men s\u00e5dan er det vel med bands – de har deres helt egen kreative levetid.<\/p>\n
Vel kan R.E.M. nu i dag stadigv\u00e6k komme op med en fremragende sang – “Leaving New York” et perfekt eksempel – men de seneste 8-10 \u00e5r har ret beset ikke h\u00f8stet mere end 4-5 arvestykker, der t\u00e5ler sammenligning med det imponerende indhold af And I Feel Fine…The Best Of 1982-1987. En del tilh\u00e6ngere synes skuffede, n\u00e6rmest lidt opgivende, over dette formsvigt, mens andre mere optimistisk f\u00f8ler, at R.E.M. allerede har givet os flere store oplevelser, end man kan forlange af noget eller nogen. Her er 21 af dem (+ evt. bonus-disc med goodies):<\/p>\n
1. Begin the Begin
\n 2. Radio Free Europe
\n 3. Pretty Persuasion
\n 4. Talk About the Passion
\n 5. (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville
\n 6. Sitting Still
\n 7. Gardening at Night
\n 8. 7 Chinese Bros.
\n 9. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
\n 10.Driver 8
\n 11.Can’t Get There From Here
\n 12.Finest Worksong
\n 13.Feeling Gravity’s Pull
\n 14.I Believe
\n 15.Life and How To Live It
\n 16.Cuyahoga
\n 17.The One I Love
\n 18.Welcome To the Occupation
\n 19.Fall On Me
\n 20.Perfect Circle
\n 21.It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)<\/p>\n
Limited edition bonus-disc:
\n1. Pilgrimage (Mike’s pick)
\n 2. These Days (Bill’s pick)
\n 3. Gardening at Night (slower electric demo; previously unreleased)
\n 4. Radio Free Europe (Hib-tone version)
\n 5. Sitting Still (Hib-tone version)
\n 6. Life and How to Live It (Live at the Muziekcentrum, Utrecht, Holland 9\/14\/87; previously unreleased)
\n 7. Ages of You (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7\/13\/83; previously unreleased)
\n 8. We Walk (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7\/13\/83; previously unreleased)
\n 9. 1,000,000 (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7\/13\/83; previously unreleased)
\n 10.Finest Worksong (other mix)
\n 11.Hyena (demo; previously unreleased)
\n 12.Theme From Two Steps Onward (previously unreleased)
\n 13.Superman
\n 14.All the Right Friends (previously unreleased)
\n 15.Mystery to Me (demo; previously unreleased)
\n 16.Just A Touch (live in-studio version; previously unreleased)
\n 17.Bad Day (session outtake; previously unreleased)
\n 18.King of Birds (last song cut from the Best Of\u2026)
\n 19.Swan Swan H (live, acoustic from Athens,GA-Inside\/Out)
\n 20.Disturbance at the Heron House (Peter’s pick)
\n 21.Time After Time (annElise) (Michael’s pick)<\/p>\n