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Dead Letter Office (album)




  Type Compilation album
  Artist REM
  Cover deadlettercoverjpg
  Released 27 April 1987
  Recorded 1981-1986
  Genre College Rock , Jangle Pop
  Length 43:22 <br />63:51 <small>(with '' Chronic Town '' EP)
  Label IRS Records
  Producer Mitch Easter , Don Dixon , Joe Boyd , Don Gehman and REM
  Last Album '' Lifes Rich Pageant ''<br/>(1986)
  This Album '''''Dead Letter Office'''''<br/>(1987)
  Next Album '' Document ''<br/>(1987)


''Dead Letter Office'' is a rarities and B-sides collection by R.E.M. , released in 1987. The album effectively mops up many of the additional recordings R.E.M. made pre-'' Murmur '' to '' Lifes Rich Pageant '' that were outtakes or released as flip 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 covers, and songs by Pylon , Aerosmith and Roger Miller .

Guitarist Peter Buck composed wry, self-deprecating (and, in one instance, apologetic) liner notes to the songs on ''Dead Letter Office''.

The album was initially issued as a 15-song collection on vinyl and cassette, but when its CD edition appeared (now the only available edition of ''Dead Letter Office''), the legendary (and rare) '' Chronic Town '' EP from 1982 was slotted in.

''Dead Letter Office'' originally reached #52 in the U.S. and #60 in the UK.


TRACK LISTING

All songs written by Bill Berry , Peter Buck , Mike Mills and Michael Stipe , except as indicated.
# "Crazy" ( Randy Bewley , Vanessa Briscoe , Curtis Crowe , Michael Lachowski ) – 3:03


  • B-side of Wendell Gee 7 & 12 inch

  • # "Voice of Harold"1 – 4:24






  • B-side of Wendell Gee 7 & 12 inch

  • # "Pale Blue Eyes" (Reed) – 2:53




  • B-side of Superman 12 inch

  • # "Walters Theme" – 1:32



# "Gardening at Night" – 3:29
# "Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)" – 3:54
# "1,000,000" – 3:06
# "Stumble" – 5:40

Note that tracks 16–20 were originally released on the '' Chronic Town '' EP in 1982 and added to CD edition of ''Dead Letter Office''.


''The IRS Years'' reissue

On January 26 1993 , EMI (which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released ''Dead Letter Office'' with two bonus tracks:
#
  • "Gardening at Night" (Acoustic version)
    # " All The Right Friends "


    Notes

    1 Features the backing track of "7 Chinese Bros." with Stipe reading the liner notes from the back cover of a gospel album (''The Joy Of Knowing Jesus'') by The Revelaires .

    2 Buck says this track was recorded extemporaneously during a recording session while the band was drunk. It consists mostly of Stipe fumbling through the lyrics as Buck and Mills try to arrive at the same Key .


    CHARTS

    Album
    Single


    EXTERNAL LINKS