rem twerp is the sister twerp to u2's doofus bass player. they both dressed in the dark.
mike mills/adam clayton should form a band: sister doofus twerp.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:13 (twelve years ago) link
X-Post Even "Around The Sun"? :)
(Well, OK, "Leaving New York" was a great song)
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:14 (twelve years ago) link
Squaring off the two behemoths of '80s mushheadedness, I'd take R.E.M. a thousand times over U2.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:16 (twelve years ago) link
Yes, I quite like Around the Sun. On the whole, I think it and the most recent one are my two favorite post-Bill Berry albums.
― timellison, Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:23 (twelve years ago) link
Any excuse to watch this is a good one. (Tho it's from '83 not '85.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmWW8pZS7ys
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
Murmur is, i think, one of the better rock albums of the 80s. love it so, so much.
also, New Adventures in Hi-Fi is my personal cut-off line. "New Test Leper" and "E-Bow the Letter" are rather good, especially the production on the former.
― Sophomore subs are the new Smith lesbians. (the table is the table), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:34 (twelve years ago) link
but yeah after that eh
Like them as far as "Up" ('daysleeper' is a great song). "Around the sun" was pretty wretched but even those songs didnt sound too bad live tbf. A little dissapointed at the level of hate towards them here......
― Michael B, Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:35 (twelve years ago) link
I had no idea what "Carnival of Sorts" was actually about, but not yet out of school and still living in a small town at the time, it meant leaving. Great, great song.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:38 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, the clip tipsy posted is nice. i also checked-out a 1984 performance of driver 8 and carnival of sorts, and some really, really early demos, including a high-pitched version of the lion sleeps tonight that i've always loved.
the 80s were a long time ago.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:39 (twelve years ago) link
i have to admit: i was obsessed with REM when i was about 15 years old, in 2000-2001. don't really understand why that happened, but nonetheless, really can't understand the hate for them. they WERE a great band and released some amazing records... jesus, i was even in a band that COVERED some REM songs. Cello, stand-up bass, and acoustic guitar version of "Try Not to Breathe" was a show-stopper.
― Sophomore subs are the new Smith lesbians. (the table is the table), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:47 (twelve years ago) link
i was older than 15, i realize. *sigh*
― Sophomore subs are the new Smith lesbians. (the table is the table), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:48 (twelve years ago) link
They were an important band for me, saw em on each tour for the first 5 albums or so. Including once the night after the circus left Madison Sq Garden, peeeeeeeeeeyuuuuuuuuu.
― incredibly middlebrow (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:51 (twelve years ago) link
Seen REM several times over the years... First was an amazing show at the Pomona Valley Auditorium soon after Murmur was released. Maybe about 20 people there.
Haven't seen them live since the LRP tour - always thought that REM quality was proportional to length of Stipe's hair.
― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:56 (twelve years ago) link
I wish Warren Zevon was still around so they could do another Hindu Love Gods album.
i'd say r.e.m. were pretty great through up. been dead to me since then tbh.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 00:59 (twelve years ago) link
i was both late to them and (slightly) early to leave. but they were certainly great for 15 years.
― mookieproof, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:07 (twelve years ago) link
aftp has more than a couple skippable tracks but drive and try not to breathe among others are peerless.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:09 (twelve years ago) link
always thought that -- on AFTP -- find the river was a better sappy ballad than either (the cloying) everybody hurts or even nightswimming.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:12 (twelve years ago) link
everybody hurts sux, nightswimming rules
― mookieproof, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:13 (twelve years ago) link
"Ignoreland" describes itself.
I wonder if they'd have relegated it to a b-side if they'd known that Clinton would beat Bush that year.
― Euler, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:13 (twelve years ago) link
they needed a rocker
― mookieproof, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:14 (twelve years ago) link
that's for sure
― Euler, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:15 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.thegoodtimber.com/FinalPics/rockingChair.jpg
the secret jam on aftp is monty got a raw deal--that song rules
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:16 (twelve years ago) link
maybe they should have put circus envy on AFTP.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:16 (twelve years ago) link
but yeah, "Find The River" is a keeper. I love how it goes from its sweet lament into menace with its closing line, "all of this is coming your way".
― Euler, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:17 (twelve years ago) link
"Circus Envy" is one of my favorite REM songs: as snotty as they ever got?
― Euler, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:19 (twelve years ago) link
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, September 21, 2011 9:16 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
lol oh man, circus envy. i listened to that shit a couple weeks ago for the first time in probably a dozen years.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:19 (twelve years ago) link
monster had its production flaws, but it had a lot of very strong (if somewhat bland, for rem) songs, and circus envy is a corker.
yeah, snotty as they ever got. it almost snarled.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:21 (twelve years ago) link
what's the frequency kenneth is a total classic but i'm honestly not sure what else i would save from monster.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:23 (twelve years ago) link
i like to imagine that R.E.M. had been privately lobbying Lou Reed for years to make an album with them, and when he picked Metallica instead it just broke their spirits
― some dude, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:24 (twelve years ago) link
Pitchfork is reporting that the R.E.M. website is announcing the break-up of the band.
Stipe's comments about knowing when to leave the party are a bit laughable as the dried vomit has already been scraped off the floor and the lampshade hat has been returned to its proper perch.
I didn't care for much they did after Document; still, enough to be a bonafide classic.
― suspecterrain, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:25 (twelve years ago) link
of monster, i'd save the following:
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:26 (twelve years ago) link
Monster's got good stuff on it--"Crush w/Eyeliner" "I Took Your Name". Love Buck's guitar sound falling between garage & glam.
x-post
― The Man With The Flavored Toothpick (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:26 (twelve years ago) link
i really like some songs on Monster, it's just kind of deadening as a whole. makes for good compilation highlights.
― some dude, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:29 (twelve years ago) link
The best part of Monster IS the production -- so damn perverse. They reified glam with several removes of vocal and aesthetic filters, but left the sex in.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:36 (twelve years ago) link
Idea of Monster was better than the songwriting but the idea was enough, after Green/OOT/AFTP and lot and lots of mandolins.
Berry even then would have walked if they hadn't made it
― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:38 (twelve years ago) link
I prefer the underbelly of R.E.M. - so I'm listening to the bonus disc that came with the "And I Feel Fine" IRS-years comp.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:41 (twelve years ago) link
For me, the most perfect song on Automatic is "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1."
Here's a clip from the second show I saw, a year later, in a much bigger venue; also an interview with Mills (the interviewer is Mordeci Richler's son). I hadn't seen this since it first aired, and was hoping I'd turn up in the front row...no luck.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:42 (twelve years ago) link
"New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" is so beautiful
― some dude, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:44 (twelve years ago) link
^yeah!
Also OTM:
― bentelec, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:45 (twelve years ago) link
While we're talking about 90s REM, I want to say that while Stipe's singing largely left me cold post-Monster because of his retreat to that talk-sing you hear on "I Took Your Name", "E-Bow The Letter", &c &c &c, he lets it rip on "Leave" & that song's a real keeper; dig the Bomb Squad-style production on that track too.
― Euler, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:51 (twelve years ago) link
R.E.M. News - boo
― timellison, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:53 (twelve years ago) link
Favorite nineties REM songs:
Half a World AwayNear Wild Heaven (lovely melody, lovely Mills vocal; glad he didn't get too many)LeaveBittersweet Me (my favorite of their nineties second singles)TongueMonty Got a Raw DealTexarkanaMe in Honey (effective use of Kate Pierson)
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:55 (twelve years ago) link
alfred otm
― some dude, Thursday, 22 September 2011 01:58 (twelve years ago) link
my first kiss was to Leave. thanks REM!
― rebels against newton (Z S), Thursday, 22 September 2011 02:01 (twelve years ago) link
thread needs more awesome live REM videos like tipsy posted upthread. everyone's seen this one, but still it's a classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykp0Vq77IBw
― rebels against newton (Z S), Thursday, 22 September 2011 02:02 (twelve years ago) link
yeah to alfred's list. i'd add new test leper, which works really well despite being kind of bland, and electrolite.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 September 2011 02:02 (twelve years ago) link
Alfred, I was gonna post something about how much i adore "Near Wild Heaven."
― Sophomore subs are the new Smith lesbians. (the table is the table), Thursday, 22 September 2011 02:02 (twelve years ago) link