1988 (green vinyl)
------
A:
Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
song associated with Christmas, but never mentions the holiday; popularized in
the United States by bandleaders Paul Whiteman (1923) and Larry Clinton (1939)
B: See No Evil
cover of song from guitar-driven, New York-based new wave band Television's landmark
1977 debut, Marquee
Moon |
1989 (vinyl)
------
A:
Good King Wenceslas
traditional holiday song about St. Stephen's Day (December 26)
B: Academy Fight Song
cover of song by legendarily loud Boston band Mission
of Burma |
1990 (vinyl)
------
A:
Ghost Reindeer In The Sky
adaptation of "Ghost Riders In The Sky," which has charted numerous
times, starting in 1949 by Vaughn Monroe, Peggy Lee, Bing
Crosby, and Burl Ives (pop) and Gene Autry (country)
B: Summertime
George & Ira Gershwin composition from their opera Porgy & Bess |
1991 (vinyl)
------
note:
some pressings on marble-colored vinyl
A: Baby Baby
well-known early punk song by British band the Vibrators from
their album, Pure
Mania (1977)
B: Christmas Griping
an original R.E.M. song (if you can call it that) featuring brief cameo by their buddy Syd
Straw |
1992 (vinyl)
------
A:
Where's Captain Kirk?
cover of 1979 song by relatively obscure British band Spizzenergi,
also noted for "Soldier Soldier" and "No Room" (all on Very Best Of Spizzenergi)
B: Toyland
song that dates back to the early 20th century; commonly associated
with Christmas, despite lack of literal lyrical connection; perhaps best-known
version is by Doris Day (1964) |
1993 (vinyl)
------
A:
Silver Bells
a modern song now considered a Christmas standard; earliest versions
are duets by Bing Crosby & Carol
Richards and Margaret Whiting & Jimmy
Wakely (both 1950)
B: Christmas Time Is Here
instrumental version of song from TV show A
Charlie Brown Christmas (1965);
written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelssohn
|
1994 (vinyl)
------
A:
Sex Bomb
cover of song by San Francisco-based hardcore punk band Flipper from
their album, Generic (1982)
B: Christmas In Tunisia
an original R.E.M. song, a Middle Eastern flavored instrumental
|
1995 (vinyl)
------
note: the first fan club single with no holiday content
A:
Wicked Game
cover of popular 1990 Chris
Isaak ballad featured in David Lynch movie Wild
At Heart
B: Java
instrumental song cowritten by legendary New Orleans writer and producer Allen
Toussaint; a hit for Floyd Cramer in 1963 and Al Hirt in 1964
|
1996 (vinyl)
------
A:
Only In America
originally recorded by Jay & The
Americans in 1963; written by legendary
songwriters Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil
B: I Will Survive
disco smash (and future gay anthem) for singer Gloria
Gaynor in 1978 |
1997 (vinyl)
------
note: same record with different cover art issued by Pearl Jam as their annual
fan club single
A: Live For Today
previously unreleased original R.E.M. song
B: Happy When I'm Crying
original song written and performed by Pearl Jam |
1998 (VHS video)
 ------
note:
recorded live at the Tibetan Freedom Concert
A. E-Bow The Letter
performed by R.E.M. with Radiohead leader Thom York; song originally
from R.E.M. album, New
Adventures in Hi Fi (1996)
B. Lucky
performed by Radiohead with Michael Stipe; song originally from the Radiohead
album, OK
Computer (1997) |
1999 (CD)
---
note:
live at the Bridge School Benefit Concert
A: Country Feedback
performed by R.E.M. with Neil Young; song originally
from R.E.M. album, Out
Of Time (1991)
B: Ambulance Blues
performed by Neil Young with R.E.M.; song originally
from Neil Young album, On
The Beach (1974) |
2000 (blue vinyl)
------
A:
Christmas Time (Is Here Again)
excerpted from the Beatles' 1967 fan club flexi-disc (read
more)
B: Hastings And Main
C: Take Seven
above two tracks are original instrumentals, apparently studio
outtakes |
2001 (enhanced CD)
------
A:
Let Me In
live at Mountain View, California; song originally
from R.E.M. album, Monster (1994)
B: Find The River
live in Athens,
Georgia; song originally
from R.E.M. album, Automatic For The People (1992)
C:
Find The River (video)
live in studio, Athens, Georgia |
2002 (enhanced CD)
------
A:
Jesus Christ
Mike Mills singing 1975 Alex Chilton-penned song from Big Star's Third
Album
B: No Matter What
cover of Badfinger's power pop classic from their 1970 album, No Dice
C: Michael Stipe reading Martin Luther King (video)
- text of reading used in artwork
- Mills reprised his performance in a 2006 single with Hem singer Sally Ellyson |
