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Dead Letter Office (album)
Encyclopedia
Dead Letter Office is a rarities and B-sides
collection by R.E.M.
, released in 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many 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 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 IRS, Document
, by a mere five months.
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 five tracks from the band's 1982 Chronic Town
EP were added. This is also the only current CD availability of Chronic Town.
Dead Letter Office originally reached #52 in the U.S. and #60 in the UK.
, Peter Buck
, Mike Mills
and Michael Stipe
, except as indicated.
Post side
Script side
CD Bonus tracks (Chronic Town
EP)
(which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released Dead Letter Office in Europe with two bonus tracks:
Single
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
collection by R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, released in 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many additional recordings R.E.M. made pre-Murmur
Murmur (album)
Murmur is the debut album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic...
to Lifes Rich Pageant
Lifes Rich Pageant
Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth album by the American band R.E.M., released in 1986. Intended as an upbeat reaction to the sobering and historical Fables of the Reconstruction, R.E.M...
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
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
covers, and songs by Pylon
Pylon (band)
Pylon is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The band's danceable jangle pop sound influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. Allmusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".-History:All four members of...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
and Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
.
Guitarist Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
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 IRS, Document
Document (album)
Robert Christgau praised the album, and called "It's the End of the World as We Know It " an "inspirational title." Stephan Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that "Where Lifes Rich Pageant sounded a bit like a party record, Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made...
, by a mere five months.
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 five tracks from the band's 1982 Chronic Town
Chronic Town
Chronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
EP were added. This is also the only current CD availability of Chronic Town.
Dead Letter Office originally reached #52 in the U.S. and #60 in the UK.
Track listing
All songs written by Bill BerryBill Berry
William "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
, Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
, Mike Mills
Mike Mills
Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
and Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, except as indicated.
Post side
- "Crazy" (Randy Bewley, Vanessa BriscoeVanessa Briscoe HayVanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon and Supercluster.-Biography:...
, Curtis CroweCurtis CroweCurtis Crowe is the drummer for the Athens, Georgia rock band Pylon. He is a native of Marietta, Georgia and is the middle of five children. Curtis moved to Athens to attend the University of Georgia art school. His sister Rhett Crowe was later the bass player for the band Guadalcanal Diary, a...
, Michael LachowskiMichael LachowskiMichael Lachowski is 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 Crowe as a drummer, and Vanessa Briscoe Hay, a fellow student at...
) – 3:03 B-side of "Driver 8Driver 8"Driver 8" was the second single from R.E.M.'s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction. Released in September 1985, the song peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart...
" 7 inch singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
& "Wendell GeeWendell 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" formats....
" 7 & 12 inch singles - "There She Goes AgainThere She Goes Again"There She Goes Again" is a song by The Velvet Underground. It first appeared on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. The syncopated guitar riff is taken from the 1962 Marvin Gaye song, "Hitch Hike", but is most likely influenced by The Rolling Stones' cover version, from their...
" (Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
) – 2:50 B-side of I.R.S. "Radio Free EuropeRadio Free Europe (song)"Radio Free Europe" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. "Radio Free Europe" was released as R.E.M.'s debut single on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone in 1981...
" 7 inch single - "Burning Down" – 4:12 B-side of "Wendell GeeWendell 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" formats....
" 7 & 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 HereCant Get There From Here"Cant Get There from Here", or "Can't Get There from Here", was the first single released by R.E.M. from its third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985. The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, equaling to a position of #110 on the main Billboard Hot 100...
" 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 AtticToys in the Attic (song)"Toys in the Attic" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, it is the first song and title track from the band's third album Toys in the Attic, their bestselling studio album in the United States. The song is three minutes, five seconds long...
" (Steven TylerSteven TylerSteven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, Joe PerryJoe Perry (musician)Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
) – 2:28 B-side of "Fall On MeFall on Me"Fall on Me" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their fourth album Lifes Rich Pageant . It was the first of two singles released from that LP. It peaked at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Meaning and origin:Though R.E.M...
" 12 inch singles
Script side
- "Windout" (Jerry Ayers, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 1:58 from Bachelor Party soundtrackSoundtrack albumA soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
- "Ages of YouAges of You"Ages of You" is a song by alternative rock band R.E.M. from their album Dead Letter Office. It was one of the first songs the group wrote.-Song information:The song rose from another early R.E.M...
" – 3:42 B-side of "Wendell GeeWendell 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" formats....
" 7 & 12 inch singles - "Pale Blue EyesPale Blue Eyes"Pale Blue Eyes" is a song written by Lou Reed and performed by The Velvet Underground. It was included on the band's eponymous 1969 album The Velvet Underground....
" (Reed) – 2:53 B-side of "So. Central Rain" 12 inch single - "Rotary Ten" – 2:00 B-side of "Fall on MeFall on Me"Fall on Me" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their fourth album Lifes Rich Pageant . It was the first of two singles released from that LP. It peaked at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Meaning and origin:Though R.E.M...
" 7 inch single - "Bandwagon" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Lynda Stipe, M. Stipe) – 2:16 B-side of "Cant Get There From HereCant Get There From Here"Cant Get There from Here", or "Can't Get There from Here", was the first single released by R.E.M. from its third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985. The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, equaling to a position of #110 on the main Billboard Hot 100...
" 7 & 12 inch singles - "Femme FataleFemme Fatale (song)"Femme Fatale" is a song by The Velvet Underground from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. At producer Andy Warhol's request, band frontman Lou Reed wrote the song about Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick...
" (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 RoadKing of the Road (song)"King of the Road" is a 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller.The lyrics tell of a hobo who despite being poor revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously as the "king of the road"...
" (Roger MillerRoger MillerRoger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
) – 3:13 B-side of "So. Central Rain" 7 inch single
CD Bonus tracks (Chronic Town
Chronic Town
Chronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
EP)
- "Wolves, Lower" – 4:10
- "Gardening at NightGardening at Night"Gardening at Night" is a song by R.E.M. It was recorded in 1982 for the band's EP Chronic Town.The song is said to have been written on a mattress in the front yard of the Oconee Street church in Athens, Georgia...
" – 3:29 - "Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)" – 3:54
- "1,000,000" – 3:06
- "Stumble" – 5:40
The IRS Years reissue
On January 26, 1993, EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
(which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released Dead Letter Office in Europe with two bonus tracks:
- "Gardening at Night" (Acoustic version)
- "All the Right FriendsAll the Right Friends"All the Right Friends" is one of the earliest songs written by R.E.M., in fact written by Peter Buck and Michael Stipe before they had met their future bandmates, according to the liner notes to the band's In Time compilation album. Like all R.E.M. songs, its composition is credited to all...
"
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 |
52 (14 weeks on chart) |
| 1987 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
60 (2 weeks on chart) |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Ages of You" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 39 |