Eponymous is the first greatest hits and the second compilation album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1988. It was their last authorized release on I.R.S. Records, to whom they had been contracted since 1982, having just signed with Warner Bros. Records. Eponymous is notable for its inclusion of several rare or alternative versions of known tracks, most notably the soundtrack contribution "Romance", which had not previously appeared on an R.E.M. record. Spanning from the initial single release of "Radio Free Europe" to the previous year's breakthrough hit album Document, Eponymous provides a fair overview of R.E.M.'s early work. Released in October 1988, just a month before R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. debut Green appeared, Eponymous reached #44 in the US and #69 in the UK.

Basically a singles collection from R.E.M.'s first five albums, Eponymous gives the listener a sense of the band's change from folk-rock to rock. The songs are intelligently selected, distilling most of the best moments from their first five albums for IRS. Included is the original single of "Radio Free Europe," and different mixes of "Gardening at Night" (where it's actually possible to hear the vocal) and "Finest Worksong," and the previously unreleased "Romance."



Track List:

01. Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single) [03:50]
02. Gardening At Night (Different Vocal Mix) [03:31]
03. Talk About The Passion [03:22]
04. So. Central Rain [03:16]
05. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville [04:33]
06. Can't Get There From Here [03:41]
07. Driver 8 [03:25]
08. Romance [03:27]
09. Fall On Me [02:52]
10. The One I Love [03:18]
11. Finest Worksong (Mutual Drum Horn Mix) [03:52]
12. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) [04:06]