According to ultimateclassicrock.com, August 24th, marked the 40th anniversary of the release of R.E.M.’s debut EP titled, Chronic Town. The EP released about a year after R.E.M.’s first single titled, “Radio Free Europe,” included five tracks and came before the band’s classic 1983 studio album, Murmur. The EP includes songs such as “Wolves, Lower,” “Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)”, “1,000,000,” and “Gardening at Night” and “Stumble.” All of the songs were co-written by the band’s singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. Chronic Town was also co-produced by R.E.M. and singer/songwriter/producer Mitch Easter and had been recorded at Easter’s Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Originally only released on cassette and vinyl the EP made its CD debut for R.E.M’s 1987 compilation, Dead Letter office. In order to celebrate the milestone of anniversary, R.E.M. released a Chronic Town standalone CD for the first time ever on Friday. The EP was also reissued on cassette and on a vinyl picture disc. Easter also wrote brand new liner notes for the re-issue. REMHQ.com, is also selling Chronic Town themed merch items including, T-shirts, a hoodie and a collectible skateboard deck. Mills and Buck also recently contributed to a new song titled, “The Voice of Baseball” for their side band, The Baseball Project. The song serves as a tribute to LA Dodgers sportscaster, Vin Scully, who passed away on August 2nd at the age of 94 years old. Buck and Scott McCaughey co-wrote the song for the Baseball Project.
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