Radio Free Europe/ Sitting Still

I finally got a copy of R.E.M.'s very rare first single, on the small, Georgia-based Hib-Tone label. This is truly one of the Holy Grails of R.E.M. fans! These recordings were made in 1981, two years before R.E.M. released "Radio Free Europe" as their first single for the I.R.S. label (I.R.S. 9916). The I.R.S. release is also fairly rare, since it didn't get much airplay and had fairly weak distribution. \r\n

Besides its rarity, the original Hib-Tone single is sought after because it has a completely different version of "Radio Free Europe" than the one released on I.R.S. It's quite amazing to hear how the song evolved in the 2 years between versions. In addition, the flip, "Sitting Still," is one of the best tunes from R.E.M.'s debut I.R.S. album, Murmur. The version on Hib-Tone 0001 is much closer to the I.R.S. recording.

\r\n

Note: This is the second pressing of Hib-Tone 0001, distinguishable because it has Hib-Tone's mailing address along the bottom of the label. Both pressings are from 1981.