Chronic Town

This recording was released on vinyl in 1982. It’s was out of print for a long time.The songs on Chronic Town were released on Dead Letter Office, and perhaps, other “rarities” collections, but were never released as its own CD. I’ve waited 40 years to hear and hold this recording! If you really like Murmur and Reckoning this is perhaps the best way to hear R.E.M. in their rawest and most unpolished form. That’s not a good thing, it’s a GREAT THING!The only recording that was earlier was the Hib-Tone 45 rpm of Radio Free Europe! Oh, and to my astonishment, the original 45 has also been remastered and is available as a digital download for a modest price! You need that one too! That’s the record that truly launched their career! I found it for $2.00. You need the digital download of it too. Amazon even has the reissue on vinyl! That item is getting harder to find and I don’t expect them to reissue it anytime soon.Even if you had the ‘82 EP on vinyl and/or had all of the songs on Dead Letter Office, this version is still well worth having! The liner notes describing the recording process are an interesting read and are informative, and at times funny too.If you are an R.E.M. connoisseur or you just like the recordings from the earlier years, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this record oops CD. Just get both Chronic Town And Radio Free Europe - Original Hib-Tone Single and consider buying the digital versions too. Vinyl is too difficult to hear on a phone!Perhaps good things are worth the wait?

It hardly seems possible that 40 years have passed since the release of REM's debut EP Chronic Town. I had the vinyl EP back in the day that is probably packed away somewhere in the attic with the other former treasures of my youth. It had been years since I listened to Chronic Town as my turntable broke decades ago. Life and time are like that.I was excited to order the 40th anniversary CD of the Chronic Town EP. I plopped it in my Jeep CD player and was instantly transported back to my college apartment where I was first excited to play the debut of the darlings of college radio, REM. Then, as I am now, was immediately drawn into the musical experience of Michael Stipe's enigmatic lyrics, Mike Mills melodic bass, Bill Berry's perfect beat and the jangle of Peter Buck's Rickenbacker 330. THIS is what defined college radio in the 1980's.Each song will have you singing along, if you can figure out the lyrics. From Wolves, Lower to Gardening at Night, to Carnival of Sorts, to 1,000,000 to Stumble it leaves you knowing that although the EP is short, there was much, much more to come from REM.Should you buy this EP? YES! Whether you want yourself to be transported back to the early 80's or just discovering a band that changed the face of music for a generation this is REM at their first, and best. If you are under 30 I envy you. You have a chance to listen to music that started something big for the first time. For me, the years just melted away.

I'm finally glad to get this EP as a stand alone CD. It was previously released on the CD "Dead Letter Office", but to have the remastered version is mind blowing. I had seem the group very early in their career, and loved all of their early LP. However, the first EP - Chronic Town shows the potential of what they would become. AN AMAZING GROUP. They almost invented Jangle Pop by themselves.I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND this CD to anyone who loves music.

R E M's first EP out on CD by itself for the first time. I have all the songs on the Dead Letter Office CD, but I collect stand-alone EPs, so I picked it up.

I am an “old school” R.EM. fan. I loved their IRS Records period and never quite got into the WB releases. That said, this E.P. was originally released on cassette and vinyl. Some tracks were made on the Eponymous compilation but not all of them. This is the first time you can get this entire EP on CD and for the fan of this period, it’s a gem! Go for it!

el empaque del disco llegò con pequeños dobleces

Excellent item and service

This is a very worthwhile release. The audio quality is fantastic, far superior to the flat-sounding master of Dead Letter Office. The packaging is nice and the new liner notes enhance the history of the band.

R.E.M. es una banda legendaria, este álbum es magnífico, me gustaron todas las canciones, la edición en digipack me sorprendió, lo recomiendo ampliamente.

A great first EP by a great band! I'm glad to finally possess a copy of this :)

Chronic town.e stata bella l'idea l'anno scorso di ristampare questo ep di 5 brani ,realizzati nel gennaio 1982.da questo primo lavoro uscirà nel 1983 l' album murmure ,e di seguito su questo stile l ' intera produzione del gruppo di athens

The start of the greatest rock band is history.