This collection gathers the better radio tracks from REM's first (and, to these ears, best) six years together. It's hard to remember how organic and dynamic underground-turned-mainstream hits like "South Central Rain" and "Radio Free Europe" (heard here in its original demo version) were until you hear them again, especially in the 80s when alternative radio was restricted to college frequencies.

The group had already concocted muscular folk-rock melodies based on the genre's heroes. The Byrds' country and folk-rock influences all the songs, as does Alex Chilton's Box Tops and Michael Nesmith's First National Band ("Rockville" closes with a quote from Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town.")Who could forget Michael Stipe's distinctive voice buried in musical quicksand, and trying to decipher his cryptic lyric images?

Highlights include the staples "The One I Love" and the fun, if silly "It's The End of The World" (the conductor, Communist, comic and critic fit together only rythmically), the gorgeous "Fall On Me" from their only Don Gehman-produced album (with softheaded Biblical imagery reminiscent of his other major client, John Mellencamp) and Bill Berry's great drumming throughout, especially on "Can't Get There From Here" and "Gardening at Night." Recommended early music from a Hall of Fame-bound rock band.

Eponymous was the final release by R.E.M. on the IRS label. Even though it was released to fulfill contractual obligations, it is a great overview of the band's work for the seminal label. There most well known songs from this era like "The One I Love", "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville", "Can't Get There From Here" and "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" are included. There are few treats like the original 7" Hibtone version of "Radio Free Europe", an alternative take of "Gardening At Night" and a horn mix of "The Finest Worksong". If you are only familiar with the band's Warner Brothers output, then Eponymous is a great place to start to hear what the band sounded like in their early, formative years.

The first thing I would like to point out is that this CD is 42 minutes long. Forty-two! In the age of 80 minute running times, on the greatest hits album for probably the greatest American band of the past thirty odd years, on a disc covering their most fertile period - you get TWELVE SONGS! Other reviews have complained that a few more tracks would have fit on here: for god's sake, ten more tracks would have fit on here, and every single one would have been a classic! The only original contribution that this album makes is the forgettable new track Romance.

Eponymous covers the period where pretty much every album REM put out is brilliant. If you insist on buying just one golden age REM CD, get Murmur. Or Reckoning, or Document, depending on what songs you desperately want to have. The depressing thing is that, with all the time left on this CD, you could probably have fit the rest of any of those albums on here. I bought this a while ago and finally sold it to a Used CD store after not listening to it for years. The albums I'll own forever. Each of them has its own flavor (Murmur especially): the songs gain from being around each other.

(Let me just give a short list of the brilliant songs that could have all fit on here: Perfect Circle, Catapult, Shaking Through, We Walk, 7 Chinese Brothers, Camera, and Oddfellows Local 151. And those are just my personal favorites.)

Eponymous was the first R.E.M. album I purchased and it turned me into a loyal fan. I soon snatched up their entire back catalog and they were a significant part of my music listening life for years to come. That is about as good a tribute to an album I can give.

Of course, being a greatest hits compilation, all the songs here are great, but there are some alternative mixes here for fans who already have these songs on the studio releases. There is a different version of "Radio Free Europe" here although I like the one on Murmur better. The bass stands out more on the Murmur mix whereas the bass on this album's version is less prominent and seems to be covered up as well as some of the other sound details. I do prefer the different vocal mix to "Gardening at Night" than the one on Chronic Town. The Chronic Town version has very weak sounding vocals which had a negative effect on the song. The vocals here are a lot clearer so the song sounds much better. I disagree with the note on the record sleeve that the Eponymous version of "Finest Worksong" (the 12" and 7" version) is better than the original off Document. This mix has a horn section that I do not care for. A track that some R.E.M. fans may not have is "Romance." It is a very early track that surfaced on the "Made in Heaven" soundtrack (a film I have never heard of but it briefly plays this track). It turns out to be one of my favorite R.E.M. songs. The intense bass really drives the song and makes it unique. Eponymous is worth picking up for that track alone. Eponymous also includes interesting comments about each track.

Eponymous is the best CD I have ever heard. Every single song is good, and they make the word REM sound more like god in this CD. I wish all of REM's CDs were this good, and I wish that they would take the two or three best tracks from each REM CD and make a double CD greatest hits collection! That's the one thing that could be better than this incredible CD!