This 23"W x 31"H, color lithograph proof sheet is from a total edition first printing of 100, printed on heavy stock and signed and numbered by the artist, Gary Grimshaw. It features the poster (see close-up, below) and 4 matching handbills.
Following the Top 10 success of their 1987 album Document and their huge hit from that recording - "The One I Love" - the now-powerful band left I.R.S. records and signed a major label contract with Warner Brothers Records, releasing Green in 1988. This was the band's first record backed with heavy promotion, and they toured large arenas worldwide in 1989 in support of that release.
Green's hits included "Orange Crush" and the Top 10 smash "Stand" and these songs, along with crowd favorites "Pop Song 89" and "Turn You Inside-Out" made their concerts a must-see that year. Michael Stipe made sure that their views on the state of U.S. politics were made clear to fans by printing the lyrics of the song "World Leader Pretend" printed on Green's packaging - the first R.E.M. song to be highlighted in this way.
Supported by the tour and good critical reviews, Green went double-platinum in the U.S., but the tour so exhausted the band that they did not tour again for six years (going on the road in 1995 for their Monster tour).
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