Left I.R.S. and signed with Warner Bros.

Frustrated that its records did not see satisfactory overseas distribution, R.E.M. left I.R.S. when its contract expired and signed with the major label Warner Bros. Records . Though other labels offered more money, R.E.M. ultimately signed with Warner Bros.—reportedly for an amount between $6 million and $12 million—due to the company’s assurance of total creative freedom. (Jay Boberg claimed that R.E.M.’s deal with Warner Bros. was for $22 million, which Peter Buck disputed as “definitely wrong”.) In the aftermath of the group’s departure, I.R.S. released the 1988 compilation Eponymous (assembled with input from the band members) to capitalize on assets the company still possessed. The band’s first album on Warner Bros., Green (1988), was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee , and showcased the group experimenting with its sound. The record’s tracks ranged from the upbeat first single ” Stand ” (a hit in the United States), to more political material, like the rock-oriented ” Orange Crush ” and “World Leader Pretend”, which address the Vietnam War and the Cold War , respectively. Green has gone on to sell four million copies worldwide. The band supported the album with their biggest and most visually developed tour to date, featuring back-projections and art films playing on the stage. After the Green World Tour , the band members unofficially decided to take the following year off, the first extended break in the band’s career. In 1990, Warner Bros. issued the music video compilation Pop Screen to collect clips from the Document and Green albums, followed a few months later by the video album Tourfilm featuring live performances from the tour.