''Dead Letter Office'' is a rarities and

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

collection by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

, released in April 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many additional recordings R.E.M. made from before '' Murmur'' to ''

Lifes Rich Pageant ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on July 28, 1986. R.E.M. chose Don Gehman to produce the album, which was recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studios in Belmont, Indi ...

'' that were outtakes or released as B-sides to their singles internationally. Many of the tracks are favorite cover versions indicating the band's disparate influences and musical tastes, including three

Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

covers, and songs by Aerosmith (" Toys in the Attic"), Roger Miller (" King of the Road"), and fellow Athenians Pylon ("Crazy"). Guitarist

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his ca ...

composed wry, self-deprecating (and, in one instance, apologetic) liner notes to the songs on the album. Buck initially had doubts about releasing it, saying he felt as though people would perceive the album as the band "trying to cash in, maybe to sell some records", as the ultimate release date predated that of the band's final studio album with I.R.S., ''

Document A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" o ...

'', by a mere four months. The album was initially issued as a 15-song collection on vinyl and cassette, but when its CD edition appeared the five tracks from the band's 1982 ''

Chronic Town ''Chronic Town'' is the debut EP by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on August 24, 1982, on I.R.S. Records. Containing five tracks, the EP was recorded at the Drive-in Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in October 1981, eig ...

'' EP were added. This was the only CD availability of ''Chronic Town'' until the release of ''The Originals'' box set.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry,

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., h ...

and

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...

except where noted. Post side #"Crazy" (

Randy Bewley Randall Eugene Bewley (July 25, 1955 – February 25, 2009) was the guitarist for the Athens, Georgia, band Pylon. Born in Bradenton, Florida, United States. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, Washington, DC and near Atlanta, Georgia while growi ...

, Vanessa Briscoe, Curtis Crowe,

Michael Lachowski Michael Scott Lachowski was the bass guitar player for Pylon, a band from Athens, Georgia. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and attended the University of Georgia art school. He and his roommate Randy Bewley formed Pylon, recruiting Curtis Cro ...

) – 3:03 B-side of "

Driver 8 "Driver 8" is the second single from American musical group R.E.M.'s third album, ''Fables of the Reconstruction''. Released in September 1985, the song peaked at number 22 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was not relea ...

" 7-inch single and "

Wendell Gee "Wendell Gee" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the third and final single from the group's third studio album ''Fables of the Reconstruction'' in 1985. It was released in Europe only, in two 7" and two 12" for ...

" 7 and 12-inch singles #" There She Goes Again" ( Lou Reed) – 2:50 B-side of I.R.S. "

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

" 7-inch single #"Burning Down" – 4:12 B-side of "

" 7 and 12-inch singles #" Voice of Harold"¹ – 4:24 B-side of " So. Central Rain" 12-inch single #"Burning Hell" – 3:49 B-side of "

Cant Get There from Here "Cant Get There from Here", or "Can't Get There from Here", is the first single released by R.E.M. from its third studio album ''Fables of the Reconstruction'' in 1985. The song peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 S ...

" 12-inch single #"White Tornado" – 1:55 Recorded on the same day as the "Radio Free Europe" single in 1981, B-side of " Superman" 7 & 12-inch single #" Toys in the Attic" ( Steven Tyler, Joe Perry) – 2:28 B-side of " Fall on Me" 12-inch singles Script side #

"Windout" (

Jeremy Ayers Jeremy Ayers (1948 – October 24, 2016) was an American artist, writer, photographer, and musician. Ayers was a member of the Athens, Georgia, creative community, published three books of photography, and co-wrote songs for The B-52's and R.E.M. ...

, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 1:58 from ''

Bachelor Party A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...

'' soundtrack #"

Ages of You "Ages of You" is a song by the band R.E.M. from their album ''Dead Letter Office''. It was one of the early songs the group wrote. Song information The song rose from another early R.E.M. song "Burning Down." According to guitarist Peter Buck, a ...

" – 3:42 B-side of "

" 7 and 12-inch singles #"

Pale Blue Eyes "Pale Blue Eyes" is a song written and sung by Lou Reed and performed by The Velvet Underground. He recorded a demo with John Cale in May 1965. It was included on the band's 1969 album ''The Velvet Underground''. Despite the name, "Pale Blue Eye ...

" (Reed) – 2:53 B-side of " So. Central Rain" 12-inch single #"Rotary Ten" – 2:00 B-side of " Fall on Me" 7-inch single #"Bandwagon" (Berry, Buck, Mills,

Lynda Stipe Lynda L. Stipe (born September 30, 1962) is an American singer and bass guitarist. She is best recognized for her involvement in the bands Oh-OK, Hetch Hetchy and Flash to Bang Time. She is the younger sister of R.E.M.'s lead singer Michael S ...

, M. Stipe) – 2:16 B-side of "

" 7 and 12-inch singles #" Femme Fatale" (Reed) – 2:49 B-side of " Superman" 12-inch single #"Walters Theme"² – 1:32 B-side of " So. Central Rain" 7-inch single #" King of the Road"² ( Roger Miller) – 3:13 B-side of " So. Central Rain" 7-inch single CD bonus tracks (''

'' EP) #

"Wolves, Lower" – 4:10 #"

Gardening at Night "Gardening at Night" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. It was recorded for the band's 1982 debut EP '' Chronic Town''. Writing The song is said to have been written on a mattress in the front yard of the Oconee Street church in Athens, Geo ...

" – 3:29 #"Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)" – 3:54 #"1,000,000" – 3:06 #"Stumble" – 5:40

''The IRS Years'' reissue

On January 26, 1993,

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

(which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released ''Dead Letter Office'' in Europe with two bonus tracks: #

"Gardening at Night" (acoustic version) – 3:53 #" All the Right Friends"³ – 3:53 Notes * Features the backing track of "7 Chinese Bros." (from '' Reckoning'') with Stipe's singing the liner notes from the back cover of a gospel album ''The Joy of Knowing Jesus'' by The Revelaires.Back cover of ''The Joy of Knowing Jesus'' by The Revelaires
/ref> * Buck says "Walter's Theme" and "King of the Road" were recorded extemporaneously during a recording session while the band was drunk. The songs were recorded at the end of a tryout session with

Elliot Mazer Elliot Mazer (September 5, 1941February 7, 2021) was an American audio engineer and record producer. He was best known for his work with Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Band, and Janis Joplin. In addition, he worked on film and telev ...

in 1983 before the recording of ''Reckoning''. In "Walter's Theme", Stipe refers to the

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

song "Lonesome Cowboy Dave" ("I got a hat the size of Oklahoma!"); "King of the Road" consists mostly of Stipe's fumbling through the lyrics ("I'm a man, a man by no means") as Buck and Mills try to arrive at the same key (both can be heard yelling chord names at each other). * Studio outtake, as listed on '' And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Single

References

External links

* {{Authority control Albums produced by Joe Boyd Albums produced by Don Gehman Albums produced by Don Dixon (musician) Albums produced by Mitch Easter B-side compilation albums Albums produced by Bill Berry Albums produced by Mike Mills Albums produced by Peter Buck Albums produced by Michael Stipe R.E.M. compilation albums 1987 compilation albums I.R.S. Records compilation albums