Your Eyes Are Burning POLLs Through Me: REM's "New Adventures In Hi-Fi"

at the Tibetian Freedom Concert Yorke sang the Patti Smith part in "E-Bow..."

― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, October 16, 2014 9:07 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i was there! Stipe also sang with Radiohead for "Lucky"

So was I. Will never forget the sonic boom that was God hurtling a thunderbolt as punishment for the Herbie Hancock-Dave Matthews Band jam.

Kudos to R.E.M. for playing "Airportman" and a bunch of other new and obscure songs while Stipe shimmied in a sarong.

god smote them later

http://img2-2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/070309/michaelstipe/skirt_l.jpg

Yeah, 'Be Mine' has always been a favourite... great set of chords in the chorus! Mike Mills was responsible for writing the music for that one (hence why he's playing guitar on it). Really though, I don't know what I would have voted for in this poll. My favourite on this album changes all the time, there's not one track on the album I dislike, and it's one of the few albums of this length that I can listen from start to finish and it doesn't seem to drag for me. I have no problem with a lot of what R.E.M. did afterwards, but if they'd broken up after this record they certainly would have ended on a high.

I've enjoyed the talk on this and the previous albums. I'd like to see a threadpoll for Up but I'm scared to make an album poll in case I screw up the track list. It's my favourite Rem album. I've been thinking about "Suspicion" recently and it's one of the best things they ever did.

I Ate The POLLtus: REM's "Up"

(I did 'em all, back in the day, as the runup to a tragically fumbled ballot poll.)

Cool, I'll probably be on that thread in a couple of hours.

What was fumbled about it?

For some reason, I thought it would be cool to use the radio button poll results to generate the nomination list, which at the time seemed like a fun new way to use radio button polls. And there hadn't been as many artist-specific ballot polls so there wasn't really a standard in place. In hindsight the flaws in this approach are really obvious and basically it made for kind of crazy results although they were certainly interesting.

\///\/// It's the ongoing R.E.M. SUPER SUMMER POLL of POLLS \///\///

god Buck's guitar tone on this album is so crucial. such a long distance from any of their previous iconic sounds and yet really great for this material, for Stipe's voice and themes. "Be Mine" is such a towering, pummeling thing but also so raw and crunchy and approachable.

Berry killing it too, obv

it is a bit too long, but then i dont know exactly what i'd leave off. Probably the ones at the bottom of this poll I guess

like say the lonesome crowded west, i think the sprawl is a feature. perfect driving record

otm

also skimming back a bit, i think i must post about "Be Mine" every other time i listen to this album.

"Be Mine" is R.E.M. thinking, "Those dudes in Collective Soul made a lot of money with a power ballad..."

“Be Mine” maybe 1 of 5 songs I have memorized on guitar.

I never thought of this as funny
It speaks another world to me
I wanna be your Easter bunny
I wanna be your Christmas tree

Probably some of the most genuine, heartfelt lyrics Stipe penned.

alfred, that is COLD. collective soul (who probably really got going saying "those dudes in R.E.M. made a lot of money with "Losing My Religion") wish they could manage something as good as "Be Mine."

I like "Shine" (Dolly Parton's cover) and love "Be Mine."

have we ever polled Collective Soul's singles? i admit i like a few enough to keep 'em in my 90s alt-rock radio playlist.

I seem to recall reading Stipe somewhere saying that the character singing Be Mine is actually a bad, manipulative, controlling etc.

Some genius made a playlist of all their Xmas fan club singles. I really must go through this.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmTbXnVonpqc3EzXCcnfLZM9N4tw_KsXv

Thom Yorke shows up 30 minutes into this to sing Be Mine, and Mills says "That was his choice.. an interesting choice, i like that song a lot it's kinda one of mine.."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT1wdva2jbU

xp missing my fav, their goof on "Silver Bells"

when I saw R.E.M. at the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Yorke sang the "you 'n' me" bits.

what was THAT like.. seemed like such a weird gig from the random bits of footage i've seen.

crazy set..

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1998/robert-f-kennedy-memorial-stadium-washington-dc-5bd697f4.html

Stipe shimmying to "Airportman" in a sarong!