Bertis Downs had the following to say about
the upcoming release:

"This will be a noteworthy package of R.E.M.’s
early years, which a lot of people don’t know
very well. The guys themselves picked the
songs to be included and sequenced the
records, had some fun with the liner notes,
and Michael and Chris coordinated on a lot
of key aspects of the package (actually all
key aspects of the package). As for “Why
Now?” Well, for one thing, there has never
been a real great retrospective of the 5 year
5 album period of R.E.M.’s history known as
the I.R.S. years. For another, after 25 years
(or 26 but who’s counting?), a recognition of
the specialness of these recordings seemed
a fine and appropriate thing, and we figured
if the band and HQ staff here in Athens had
some input, the world would end up with a
package that truly has “something for
everybody.” For the R.E.M. aficionado, there
are some surprises and true rarities here that
are sure to delight and amuse; for the
uninitiated, or those who first came into the
R.E.M. world during Stand or Losing My Religion
or Daysleeper or Imitation of Life or Bad Day or
Leaving New York, whether by factors of
geography, or age, or siblings, or whatever
reason, this is a good history lesson on the
days of yore when the band first started out
and were writing sometimes 2-3 songs a day,
many of which became classics, and some of
which were lost in the mists of tape and time
and vault. So???with those sorts of
considerations as the guiding lights and
impetus, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe and the rest
of us are pleased to participate in this exercise
of re-releasing the “hits” of their early years,
accompanied by some great things that we
had forgotten about, if we ever remembered
them in the first place: And I Feel Fine...
the Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982- 1987.
The bonus disc is especially chock full of
material for the experienced, discerning fan
and the newcomer alike."