R.E.M. news - yay

.. what do yourn smell like?

'Mine Smell Like Honey' was the one that made me think this might be a joke. This is probably going to terrible but I'm still strangely looking forward to it, especially the Patti Smith collaboration.

I suspect I'll be wishing Stipe would go back to being a mumbler before this is all over.

Also people need to stop letting Jacknife Lee produce things.

Oh, I liked his prod/remix of Badly Drawn Boy's "Born Again" more than the original. But they didn't release it beyond promo.

Thought for a second that said "featuring Danny Kaye" and thought Stipe was getting into some Natalie/Nat King Cole duet-with-a-zombie shit.

well it does say 'featuring peaches' so you're still right

It's peaches the tinned fruit not the singer Peaches.

Read it as "(featuring Peaches and Lenny Beige)" myself.

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/30/article-1269972408037-08EF542C000005DC-731652_636x300.jpg

I hear the song features an interpolation of the Stranglers song. Plus Lenny Kaye.

you can get the opening track at remhq.com -- sounds ok? kinda has an all tomorrow's parties piano thing going on.

thanks, tyler. with a heavy heart and depressingly low expectations, i'm going to listen now.

I like Monster so this new track isn't half bad. they seem to have the classic middle aged rocker problem with thinking hooks are better than they actually are but the guitars sound nice. And the overall sound isn't nearly as horrible as those overcompressed Accelerate tracks.

How long did it take you guys to get your email? I'm still waiting, 15 minutes later.

i got the email within minutes.

it's still the same dreadful producer as on the last album, no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uMf-JxR5mQ

did they get confused about which old-in-the-way alt-dinosaur they are and accidentally make a bloated throwback to 1983 U2?

thx!

Okay, I'm surprisingly WAY into this.

Guessing true believers will find it worth comparing to Green

This song is terrible. Too many guitars and Stipe needs to sing less or be buried in the mix more. The new Duran Duran album is great though.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

they're utterly lost. and for me, there was a time -- not that long ago -- that this band could do no wrong whatsoever.

The new Duran Duran album is great though.

I've never been a big fan, but I can tell they're at least trying to be good again.

This song is terrible.

RONG-O

yeah definitely didn't sound terrible to me. kinda stadium rock REM, but pretty good.

there was a time -- not that long ago -- that this band could do no wrong whatsoever.

I've always loved the Eponymous album but their proper albums never struck me as being without flaws. In fact, I think Murmur kind of sucks, and I've yet to find one that I like cover to cover. Any recommendations?

I agree with the Green thing mentioned before...kind of a Green/Monster hybrid-type song. I like the guitar sound a lot.

It's kinda like they took the hooks and organ out of "Turn You Inside Out"

xp Cover-to-cover, my favorite is probably Green.

I think Murmur kind of sucks
crazy talk!

totally meh

and yeah res gotta b trollin)

natch

I took Lazarus' comment to be a joke since Eponymous isn't an album and Murmur is brilliant. Green is probably my fav. cover to cover as well but Out of Time is pretty solid end to end.

The internet has (d)evolved to a point where an unpopular opinion = trolling.

oh you're entitled to your (crazy) opinions

their last 2 'returns to form' haven't interested me much. wonder if this one will. struggling to recall what their last stop-you-in-your-tracks song was.
maybe You're In The Air off Up?

still on the upside, that remastered/ deluxe Lifes Rich Pageant should be along soon.

Do you think the songs are of the same caliber as the ones on Eponymous? They strike me as being generic REM, and not very memorable. Granted, I've only listened to the album about 4-5 times, but I really didn't have the inclination to listen to it any more. xp

Accelerate had a short shelf-life for me, but I appreciated the intent. I guess New Adventures was probably the last "return to form" album before that one, though, and it paid off imo.

The only R.E.M. could excite now is if they got Christine McVie to join.

An idea that should not be dismissed.

oh no don't get me wrong i loved New Adventures.. but everything after Up has left me very cold. i still shelled out to see them live on the last 2 tours mind.

speaking of Up, i haven't seen this since it was first broadcast in 98:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noHD6diOlLU

Why didn't they break up in 2000? I thought they promised to do that.

"Up" was total genius, sounds like a completely different band as they tried to do without a drummer.

yeah i think Up is probably the most successful post-Berry record. might be a few songs too long, but it has some great stuff.

Do you think the songs are of the same caliber as the ones on Eponymous?
idgi -- there are songs from Murmur on Eponymous ...

The only R.E.M. could excite now is if they got Christine McVie to join.

On "You Are The Everything"

Only 2, but the Radio-Free Europe on there is a non-album version, I think. Anyway, nevermind-- this probably isn't a productive conversation. xp

In fact, I think Murmur kind of sucks, and I've yet to find one that I like cover to cover. Any recommendations?

__________________________

crazy talk

CRAZY TALK. but for other recommendations, i'd say fables, which has held up very well (and, of course, chronic town; also, i know you asked about full album recommendations, but i'll also point out that r.e.m.'s pre-chronic town bootlegs -- available on youtube -- are stunning).

yeah, my wife just put on fables the other day and it sounded great.

Isn't Eponymous a singles collection? I don't get why that's being thought of as an album. Like when people say Substance is the best New Order album. facepalm.jpg

I have time for all the REM albums up to New Adventures -Monster.

I call a compilation of songs placed on a storage medium an album. what do you call it?

a Compilation.

let's not get bogged down in the details though. my point is, you're preference for Eponymous is down to that compilation featuring lots of singles from several different albums. their albums have some filler and also some classics besides the singles. Lightning Hopkins, for example. Freaking love that song. That was my go-to track to play at the student disco when I dj'd.