REM Draft Discussion Thread

[Erik]

Bryanbutler is back from his travels, yes?

[Erik]

I've had no time to go through and actually listen to most of the non-megahit songs that have already been picked. (That is, I don't need to hear Losing My Religion and such again because I've already heard them a million times.) I will do that now for as long as my two-year-old lets me.

[Long John]

Let me clarify so that you can emote properly (and this is why I phrased my initial statement this way). I don't have a problem with Kate Pierson's voice (though i completely and utterly despise the B-52s). What I hate is how her voice is woven into that song. To me, it's a design flaw rather than an issue of vocal quality.

If Mike Mills sings that part, it's a completely different song. It's a better song and probably doesn't become an overplayed pop hit of theirs.

If you still choose to be furious, that's fine. I just wanted to be clear about my statement.

[Stephen]

As a child of Georgia I can't conceive of anyone despising the B-52s. :-P

You're WHAT? Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Roof! Rusted!

[Long John]

I know REM fans who hold ill will toward Out of Time. Some wanted REM to stay more of an obscure college band, but Out of Time blew that up. It went #1 on the US album charts (and numerous other charts around the globe), sold 18 million copies worldwide, and brought them three Grammy awards, including Best Alternative Music Album. The world finally recognized the band.

My biggest complaint with the album is that it begins with that god-awful KRS-One "experiment". To me, the first cut of an album is critical. It can set the stage. For Out of Time, I have to just ignore the first track and revel in the stunningly good remainder.

I think Out of Time was a very mature album, and built well on what the band had done before. To me, Green was more of a departure album. As for experimenting with other instruments, that was a major feature of Green. They used a mandolin, an accordion, and odd percussion.

If I counted right, there have already been eight songs taken off Out of Time, and another couple which will possibly fall.

True, there was some experimentation on Green, but they took it much further with OOT, IMO. I think my biggest beef with OOT is that it did blow up. I had just started college at the time and I honestly felt like they completely sold out. They gained fortune and fame not off the incredibly wonderful music that was the first 4-5 albums, but from shoving the Losing My Religion video down the throat of pop culture every hour on the hour. Then Shiny Happy People started up and that was the friggin' end of it.

The intrepid listeners that called up radio stations looking for something older by REM got Stand, End of the World, possibly Radio Free Europe and MAYBE Superman. The only way to dig deeper was to go out and buy the albums yourself (or find someone to dub them for you on cassette).

[Long John]

As a child of Georgia I can't conceive of anyone despising the B-52s. :-P

You're WHAT? Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Roof! Rusted!

I'd display some form of shock or surprise, but I have neither.

[Stephen]

Did you just bite your thumb at me sir?

[johnnya24]

It was a single that garnered quite a bit of airplay, so it's not like none of us know about it. It is definitely the most reviled REM song, in my experience. Around the Sun seems to be the most reviled album, though not because of the awfulness of particular tracks, rather because the thing as a whole comes off as pretty boring.

REM tend to attract strong emotions ... suppose that comes with setting the bar so ridiculously high.

But I don't get it sometimes. Around The Sun gets really unfair treatment. Some REM fans seem to get really upset about it, and they go out of their way to make negative comments. Why? Because it's not "Murmur" or "Automatic"? That is a totally BS criteria to judge a record.

Like you I agree it's a bit boring in places, a bit too mellow, especially the second half. It is probably bottom of the pile. But it's not a "bad" record. I can listen to it through no problem, the only issue being "The Outsiders", which is the sister song of Radio Song (awful rap included). If that's their worst record out of 15 releases over 30+ years, that says a lot about the band.

When I think of other bands I like, they almost all have released worse records than Around the Sun ... but their fans don't feel the need to abuse them for it.

[johnnya24]

Bryanbutler is back from his travels, yes?

Do we ever stop travelling?

[Stephen]

When I think of other bands I like, they almost all have released worse records than Around the Sun ... but their fans don't feel the need to abuse them for it.

I'm looking at you "Zooropa!"

[johnnya24]

I'm looking at you "Zooropa!"

You need to find a different version of Bad Day on the playlist I think.

[Erik]

Some random thoughts about early picks.

I latched onto At My Most Beautiful when I got a recording of the entire 1998 Bridge School Benefit soon after it happens. I was most interested in the Neil Young and Phish sets, of course, I hadn't yet heard any of Up, and I didn't know what to expect of an acoustic set from a Berry-less REM. But that song immediately struck me as an immensely majestic masterpiece. It still gets the heartstrings to this day.

Swan Swan H was the kind of thing that made me leery of Stipe in the '80s. Overemotive vocalizing of inscrutable lyrics, the weird abbreviation of the title, it was Stipe at his Stipe-iest and it wasn't my thing. Still isn't.

You Are the Everything doesn't do anything for me. Maybe it's Green as a whole that doesn't do anything for me.

Begin the Begin is one of their finest rockers, almost up there with Ignoreland and Can't Get There from Here for me. It perfected the wall-of-sound-of-guitars thing before it became fashionable in the early '90s.

I don't care for Stipe's vocal on Sidewinder, as I think in places it gets too high for what he can handle. But I do love how he cracks up during the 142nd iteration of "going to wake her" (after the reference to Dr. Seuss.) And I love the string arrangement.

[Erik]

More observations as I listen to picks.

Gardening at Night sounds like it's by an entirely different band. I guess that's to be expected when something is on your very first EP. A cool insight into a road not taken.

Sitting Still has pretty much the quintessential early REM sound. It's all there already on their first album. Nice harmonies.

King of Birds is sublime. Fantastic buildup and dynamics. If this had been all over the radio instead of The One I Love, I would have started to appreciate them much earlier.

Perfect Circle is pleasant but not one of the standouts from Murmur in my mind.

Cuyahoga is one of Stipe's finest lyrics, IMO. LRP is just full of masterpieces, isn't it?

[Erik]

Has anyone read the six-part "fan's history of REM" that AV Club published last year? I always meant to but never got around to it. I guess now would be a good time.

http://www.avclub.com/features/perfect-circle-an-rem-story/

[heyelander]

I'm looking at you "Zooropa!"

I like Zooropa. It was the ones after it that I didn't like much.