What is the opening track on R.E.M.'s Chronic Town EP?

The opening track on R.E.M.’s Chronic Town EP is “Wolves, Lower.”

Chronic Town was R.E.M.’s debut EP, released by I.R.S. Records on August 24, 1982. Its five songs were recorded at Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with Mitch Easter and R.E.M. sharing production duties. The track list begins with “Wolves, Lower,” followed by “Gardening at Night” and “Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)” on side one.

The song has an unusual place in the EP’s history: R.E.M. re-recorded it in June 1982, shortly before release. I.R.S. executives felt the earlier version was too fast and preferred “Wolves, Lower” over “Ages of You” for the final program. The band also made its first music video for the song.

A common mix-up comes from remembering the other two songs on the EP’s second side, “1,000,000” and “Stumble,” or from confusing the opening track with “Gardening at Night,” one of the band’s best-known early songs.