The Best of R.E.M. is a greatest hits album by R.E.M. released in 1991, shortly after the success of the band's previous Warner Bros. album, Out of Time. The Best of R.E.M., however, was released by the band's previous record label, I.R.S. Records, as were a few more "special edition" versions of their other albums including bonus tracks. This record was only issued in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil, complete with liner notes from Remarks: The Story of R.E.M. by Tony Fletcher. It had no alternate mixes (unlike the other compilation album Eponymous), as all the songs were the versions found on the previous albums. Three songs were taken from each of the five studio albums and one song was taken from Chronic Town, the band's first EP. Thus there are sixteen songs on this album.