People hating on Bang & Blame are wrong. Not mad on the chorus, but I love that shivery "Shakin' All Over" guitar tone and eerie "If you could see yourself now ba-by" verse...
― dog latin, Friday, 30 September 2011 11:22 (twelve years ago) link
this was the first REM gig i went to:
2 December 1984 - Lyceum Ballroom, London, England support: The Lucy Show, The Lyres set: Second Guessing / Harborcoat / Seven Chinese Brothers / Hyena / Talk About The Passion / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / So. Central Rain / Good Advices / Letter Never Sent / Driver 8 / Gardening At Night / 9-9-Hey Diddle Diddle-Frogmore / Windout / Old Man Kensey / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Pretty Persuasion / Little America encore 1: White Tornado / See No Evil / We Walk-Behind Closed Doors / 1,000,000 encore 2: Moon River / Wendell Gee / I Can Only Give You Everything / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
Even at the time it seemed like a really long show!
― Ward Fowler, Friday, 30 September 2011 11:37 (twelve years ago) link
turrican they are regs in my listening life. this is how i rate them
Murmur - *****Reckoning - ****.5Fables Of The Reconstruction - ****.5Lifes Rich Pageant - ****.5Document - ****Green - ****.5Out Of Time - ***.5Automatic For The People - ****Monster - ***New Adventures In Hi-Fi - ****.5Up - ***Reveal - ***Around The Sun - **Accelerate - ***.5Collapse Into Now - ***.5
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 30 September 2011 12:07 (twelve years ago) link
you all aren't rating chronic town? it should get a ******
― Daniel, Esq., Friday, 30 September 2011 12:09 (twelve years ago) link
wow now i feel like an asshole for discussing a 4 and a half star album so much the other day
― some dude, Friday, 30 September 2011 12:10 (twelve years ago) link
lol
― call all destroyer, Friday, 30 September 2011 12:48 (twelve years ago) link
Chronic Town AMurmur - A+Reckoning - A-Fables Of The Reconstruction - B/B-Lifes Rich Pageant - A-Document - Side 1: B Side 2: D+Green - DOut Of Time - DAutomatic For The People - CMonster - Give me a fucking break. New Adventures In Hi-Fi - Stop itUp - Are you kidding meReveal - Would you guys just break up alreadyAround The Sun - [throws up]Accelerate - [eats his own throw up]Collapse Into Now - [throws up his own throw up]
― Mr. Que, Friday, 30 September 2011 13:12 (twelve years ago) link
Chronic Town through Monster - memorized in adolescence, unable to accurately judge, own all in entiretyNew Adventures - thought it was bloated from the get-go but still the work of geniuses, kept about 7 tracks, most from side 1Up - convinced myself it was a 7 out of 10 when it came out, now have "daysleeper," "hope," "suspicion"Reveal - shit sundae, only ever liked "Imitation Of Life" Around The Sun - heard "Leaving New York" stayed awayAccelerate - heard "Superserious Shit Sundae" or whatever, stayed awayCollapse Into Now " - heard "Discoverer," stayed away
Now curious to force myself to hear the last four albums in full
― da croupier, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:30 (twelve years ago) link
Is there any other post-1980 band that seems to have such strong lines drawn along generational gaps?
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:31 (twelve years ago) link
I really like the production on The Lifting, the first song on Reveal, it's got this awesome swirl of sound going on. The song itself is only okay.
― Matt DC, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:32 (twelve years ago) link
How can people be giving Out Of Time Ds and 2/5 stars? Other than Radio Song, what the fuck is wrong with it?
― dog latin, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:32 (twelve years ago) link
I don't know if I'd love shit like "Texarkana" if I heard it for the first time as an adault
― da croupier, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:34 (twelve years ago) link
On Out Of Time, they don't sound like they enjoy playing with each other...or at all.
― shake it, shake it, sugary pee (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:38 (twelve years ago) link
how do you determine this?
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:40 (twelve years ago) link
I get the opposite impression from "Near Wild Heaven": a band so happy to trade instruments that everybody acts a little goofy.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link
"chronic town" ************************.5. if this was side one of a record with a side 2 as strong it would about the best debut album ever
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, i'd say that out of time is a pretty natural sounding record, don't see how it sounds like a band tired of each other. on the contrary, it sounds kind of joyful for a band that had been together for a decade already.
― tylerw, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:44 (twelve years ago) link
probably not. doesn't help that they sound like a totally different band after, say, Document. there's nothing wrong with bands changing and stuff but what they had pre-Document sounds to my ears fairly unique and afterward they became blander and blander.
― Mr. Que, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:46 (twelve years ago) link
"Other than Radio Song, what the fuck is wrong with it?"
sometimes it sounds like a weak version of 'green' (sorta the same way "finest work song part ii" -- "turn you inside-out" -- made 'green' come off a little weak (though i prefer 'green' to 'document'!)
radio song < pop song 89shiny happy people < stand
great jams on side 2 though -- "belong," "country feedback," "me in honey." those last two especially continue the REM tradition of finishing albums with a pair of awesome songs
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:49 (twelve years ago) link
I rate every song apart from the bookenders Radio Song and Me In Honey very strongly on Out Of Time.
― dog latin, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:51 (twelve years ago) link
"Radio Song" (feat. KRS-One) BARF "Losing My Religion" – 4:26 SUPER BARF "Low" – 4:55 NO "Near Wild Heaven" – 3:17--hey not bad "Endgame" – 3:48--isn't this a shitty instrumental?
Side two – "Memory side"
"Shiny Happy People" – 3:44--Fuck You "Belong" – 4:03--Awesome "Half a World Away" – 3:26--Pretty great "Texarkana" – 3:36--would make a great B side "Country Feedback" – 4:07--I can't remember a thing about this song "Me in Honey" – 4:06--great
― Mr. Que, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:52 (twelve years ago) link
It's worth having just for Country Feedback. Not being that familiar with Green, and having grown up with OOT I might be biased.
― dog latin, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link
My first, and ultimately enduring, impression was one of resignation; they sounded sick of playing as a unit (understandably, given that they'd just come off a massive tour). I don't detect any exuberance in any of the playing (not even on the level of Green, to say nothing of Reckoning), and the backing tracks sound pasted together from acceptably professional, one-dimensional takes.
― shake it, shake it, sugary pee (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link
re-reading the (original) It Crawled From The South has been a real eye-opener.
― piscesx, Friday, 30 September 2011 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
Chronic Town: A-Murmur: AReckoning: B+Fables of the Reconstruction: BLife's Rich Pageant: A-Document: B+Green: BOut of Time: AAutomatic: A-Monster: A-New Adventures: A-Up: BReveal: C+
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:57 (twelve years ago) link
"Radio Song" (feat. KRS-One) BARF - yeah barf."Losing My Religion" – 4:26 SUPER BARF - it's okay. I always found it darkly uncomfortable, but mayeb a bit forced?"Low" – 4:55 NO - Yeah,it's good - a bit like Drive"Near Wild Heaven" – 3:17--hey not bad - Not bad? It's one of their best songs."Endgame" – 3:48--isn't this a shitty instrumental? - It's a nice bit of filler, quite pretty.
"Shiny Happy People" – 3:44--Fuck You - no fuck you, this is a great bittersweet song."Belong" – 4:03--Awesome - I'm glad you like this. Always wondered what it was about?"Half a World Away" – 3:26--Pretty great - Yeah, a decent one"Texarkana" – 3:36--would make a great B side - Yes, but it's recently grown on me a lot"Country Feedback" – 4:07--I can't remember a thing about this song - You're missing out. This, along with Near Wild Heaven is the ultimate."Me in Honey" – 4:06--great - I can't remember a thing about this one.
― dog latin, Friday, 30 September 2011 16:01 (twelve years ago) link
Chronic Town: AMurmur: AReckoning: AFables of the Reconstruction: B+Life's Rich Pageant: BDocument: B+Green: BOut of Time: AAutomatic: AMonster: A-New Adventures: CUp: BReveal: C-Accelerate: C
― Euler, Friday, 30 September 2011 16:01 (twelve years ago) link
The Chronic: AMurmur: AReckoning: AFables: BLife's: A-Document: B+Green: BOut of Time: A-Automatic: AMonster: CNew Adventures: CUp: BReveal: C-Around the Sun: DAccelerate: CCollapse Into Now: C
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 September 2011 16:08 (twelve years ago) link
"Belong" – 4:03--Awesome - I'm glad you like this. Always wondered what it was about?
a mother blessing her child, right? in that q&a thing perpetua hosted a few years back j. michael claimed he stopped doing autobiographical songs by around pageant iirc. anyways, interesting subject matter for a childless man of his persuasion
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 30 September 2011 16:09 (twelve years ago) link
Murmur: A-Reckoning: BFables of the Reconstruction: B-Life's Rich Pageant: ADocument: B+Green: AOut of Time: BAutomatic: A-Monster: C+New Adventures: A-Up: BReveal: B-Around The Sun: DAccelerate: CCollapse into Now: B-
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Friday, 30 September 2011 16:14 (twelve years ago) link
if this is what we are doing now:
Chronic town: A+Murmur: AReckoning: BFables of the Reconstruction: A-Life's Rich Pagaent: BDocument: B-Green: C-Out of Time: C+Automatic for the People: A-Monster: ANew Adventures in Hi-Fi: A+Up: BReveal: C-Around the Sun: DAccelerate: B-Collapse Into Now: B
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 30 September 2011 16:22 (twelve years ago) link
Re: Out Of Time
― reggie (qualmsley)
Yeah, this is pretty much one of the reasons I've personally ended up rating it ***.5
With a couple of exceptions, 'Green' mostly features shorter, snappier tracks, and even the mandolin-based ballads have a feeling of urgency towards them in my opinion. There are a couple of tracks on 'Out Of Time' which feel a little more sprawling, and don't quite engage me in the same way. I don't particularly feel that 'Out Of Time' is as strong a batch of songs as either album that came before and after it, either.
The final thing I noticed about 'Out Of Time' is that even though it has somewhat of a defined 'style' to it, at the same time (and in an odd way), it FEELS far more of a schizophrenic experience than listening to 'Green'. 'Green' had its more rockier, poppier tracks like 'Pop Song 89' and 'Stand' and the mandolin/acoustic ballads like 'You Are The Everything', but the songs seemed to integrate very well. 'Out Of Time' seems much more mood-swingy to me... I guess you could say a small example of this is the difference between 'Losing My Religion' and 'Shiny Happy People', but there are more extreme examples: the record has 'Country Feedback' but also 'Near Wild Heaven'... it has 'Low' and 'Belong' but it also has 'Radio Song' and 'Me In Honey' - it FEELS far more of a bumpier ride, mood-wise and doesn't have the sustained feeling of urgency that characterised 'Green', nor the sense of sombre mood and songwriting consistency that characterized 'Automatic For The People'. I think the mood-swingy nature of the record harms 'Out Of Time' rather than helps it.
1. Radio Song - I love the 'world is collapsing around our ears' parts, but the rest of the track does nothing for me. I find the rap at the end a bit embarrassing too.
2. Losing My Religion - I've noticed there are people here who don't like the track, but let's face it - most bands would give their testicles to write a song as good as this and have what was an unlikely hit with it.
3. Low - Kills the momentum dead on the third track, as far as I'm concerned. I really like the parts where Stipe sings 'you and ME, we know about TIME', but the moment comes a little late into the track for me.
4. Near Wild Heaven - Absolutely gorgeous. Fully deserved to be a single and one of my highlights of 'Out Of Time'.
5. Endgame - I like it, but it's not essential and comes a little early in the album for me. The track sequencing on this album is a bit all over the shop, I think.
6. Shiny Happy People - Yep, pure pop masterpiece. Nothing wrong with this song whatsoever. Love the fact that the intro and the bridge are in 3/4 time. Nice riff, and love the way the vocals are all spread out in the chorus.
7. Belong - Absolutely love the bass in this, but I do remember listening to this for the first time years ago and thinking 'ah, they've used the same idea in the chorus as they did for 'Orange Crush'. As a song in its own right, it is underrated though and a bit of a grower.
8. Half A World Away - Pure perfection, I could not fault this track at all.
9. Texarkana - Sounds fine while the album is playing, but upon closer scrutiny just completely falls apart. A good, listenable well crafted song that is merely okay. Aside from that bass fill. Love that bass fill.
10. Country Feedback - Again, pure perfection. I could not fault this track at all.
11. Me In Honey - Suffers incredibly for me, not least because it comes after 'Country Feedback' in the tracklist. 'Me In Honey' is a bit of a lightweight composition for me to begin with, but coming after 'Country Feedback' makes it seem even MORE lightweight. Don't get me wrong, I kind of understand WHY they put this as the last track, as a bit of respite after 'Country Feedback's emotional heaviness - but it's precisely the emotional heaviness of 'Country Feedback' which makes 'Me In Honey' seem not-so-hot in comparison.
― Turrican, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:38 (twelve years ago) link
"Me in Honey" has shades of darkness. Listen to those chords and the Stipe-Pierson vocals.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 30 September 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link
Mr. Que's "Out Of Time" review is how all albums should be reviewed. Truly inspiring piece of writing, sir. And, indeed, "Shiny Happy People" deserves the middle finger.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:43 (twelve years ago) link
Just checked your ratings too, qualmsley... our ratings match for about 9 albums! Not too bad given that you regularly listen to REM and this is the first time I've binge-listened to them for about 9 years!
― Turrican, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, September 30, 2011 5:41 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark
Ahh, I'm sorry Soto, I just don't hear it - certainly not musically, anyway. To me it's always come across as a folk number with two chords in it. Lyrically, I suppose there is more depth there than the track lets on, but I just don't quite feel the backing track brings out whatever depth is there - and again, coming after 'Country Feedback', quite a lot is going to feel lightweight... maybe they should have had 'Country Feedback' as the final track... might have ended the album on a bit of a depressing note, but I honestly couldn't see what else on the album could have followed it.
― Turrican, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:48 (twelve years ago) link
I like how dusky it sounds.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 30 September 2011 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
'Dusky'? You're going to have to elaborate on that one! If someone asked me to pick a track on 'Out Of Time' that felt 'dusky', I would have probably have gone with 'Low'!
― Turrican, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:54 (twelve years ago) link
oh, grades!
Chronic Town: AMurmur: AReckoning: A-Fables: A-Pageant: ADead Letter Office: A-Document: BGreen: B+OOT: B+Automatic: A-Monster: BHi-Fi: B-Up: C+
After that I have no idea at all.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Friday, 30 September 2011 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
(And if you get the CD version of Dead Letter Office with Chronic Town added, it becomes an A+ and possibly the best REM album)
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Friday, 30 September 2011 18:01 (twelve years ago) link
"1. Radio Song - I love the 'world is collapsing around our ears' parts, but the rest of the track does nothing for me. I find the rap at the end a bit embarrassing too."
no offense against krs1 but the acoustic 'unplugged' rendition rescues this song somewhat. still, REM's careerism (hey DJs you suck, your same sing song makes me sad (if you don't play my songs)) is not why i love these guys
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 30 September 2011 18:08 (twelve years ago) link
"Near Wild Heaven" always sounded like the Moody Blues to me.
― john. a resident of chicago., Friday, 30 September 2011 18:11 (twelve years ago) link
"maybe they should have had 'Country Feedback' as the final track"
not a bad idea! (just as long as "me in honey" is somewhere on there)
"i remember california" (dirge) --> "untitled" (uptempo) > "country feedback" (dirge) --> "me in honey" (uptempo)
another reason why 'out of time' seems a little tired to me after 'green.' not that each of those songs don't rule individually. but 'out of time' winning hosannas after 'green' seemed a little to my like russell crowe winning the oscar for 'gladiator' after 'inside job'
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 30 September 2011 18:17 (twelve years ago) link
Oh, no offence against KRS-One from my side as well. I just don't think it was a brilliant idea to have him on a REM track! Haven't seen that MTV Unplugged thing since the mid '90s at the very least (although I watched their second 'Unplugged' set quite recently) - going to check that out on Youtube now...
Yes, I definitely agree with this. The whole 'Country Feedback' -> 'Me In Honey' sequence is kinda a replication of the 'California' -> 'Untitled' thing from 'Green', but I feel it worked well on 'Green', not least because 'I Remember California' is much, much less emotionally heavy than 'Country Feedback'.
Funnily enough, whenever I read bickering about how REM became a different band when they signed their Warner Bros. contracts, I always feel like saying 'well not really, because 'I Remember California' is pretty much cut from the same cloth as 'Oddfellows Local 151', and probably would have fitted snugly on Fables...'
― Turrican, Friday, 30 September 2011 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
Best part of "Shiny Happy People" is Buck's expression in the video.
First REM show was this:
11 November 1983 - Beverly Theater, Los Angeles, CA support: The Neats, Let's Active set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Burning Down / Talk About The Passion / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / So. Central Rain / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / Catapult / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe encore 1: Moral Kiosk / Camera / Pale Blue Eyes / We Walk / 1,000,000 encore 2: 20th Century Boy / Crazy / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Skank
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Friday, 30 September 2011 18:29 (twelve years ago) link
The Chronic: A
lol. rem's lost west-coast gangsta-rap album.
― Daniel, Esq., Friday, 30 September 2011 18:48 (twelve years ago) link
My only REM show:
6 April 1989 - Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, OHsupport: Indigo Girlsset: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / Disturbance At The Heron House / Turn You Inside-Out / Driver 8 / Cuyahoga / Feeling Gravitys Pull / The One I Love / Orange Crush / World Leader Pretend / Begin The Begin / Pretty Persuasion / I Believe / Get Up / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)encore 1: Stand / I Remember California / You Are The Everythingencore 2: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds / See No Evilencore 3: Crazy / Perfect Circle / After Hours
― Woolen Scjarfs (Phil D.), Friday, 30 September 2011 18:50 (twelve years ago) link
So has anyone's grade slate spelled out "ABACAB" yet?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 September 2011 18:53 (twelve years ago) link
― Daniel, Esq., Friday, 30 September 2011 18:55 (twelve years ago) link
My first R.E.M. show:
8 May 1985 - McGaw Memorial Hall, Northwestern University, Evanston, ILsupport: The Neatsset: Feeling Gravitys Pull / Harborcoat / Kohoutek / Driver 8 / Seven Chinese Brothers / Can't Get There From Here / Maps And Legends / So. Central Rain / Green Grow The Rushes / Hyena / Talk About The Passion / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / Old Man Kensey / Pretty Persuasion / Life And How To Live It / Little Americaencore 1: Second Guessing / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Just A Touchencore 2: Theme From Two Steps Onward / Laughing / Tired Of Singing Trouble / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Unknown / Windoutencore 3: We Walk / Sitting Still
My second (and last) R.E.M. show:
4 November 1987 - Circle Pavillion, University of Illinois, Chicago, ILsupport: The dB'sset: Finest Worksong / These Days / Harborcoat / Disturbance At The Heron House / Fall On Me / Exhuming McCarthy / Orange Crush / Feeling Gravitys Pull / King Of Birds / White Tornado / Cuyahoga / Tired Of Singing Trouble / I Believe / Maps And Legends / Superman / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / Oddfellows Local 151 / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) / Begin The Beginencore 1: Strange / Wolves, Lower / Driver 8 / Just A Touchencore 2: The One I Love / Pop Song 89 / See No Evilencore 3: Harpers / Crazy / After Hours
Have no memory whatsoever of "Pop Song 89" or "See No Evil." Definitely remember "After Hours," though.
― shake it, shake it, sugary pee (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 30 September 2011 19:01 (twelve years ago) link