Saw Radiohead (promoting The Bends) open for REM on the Monster tour in Baton Rouge. Radiohead were much, much better than REM.
― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, September 22, 2011 5:55 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark
Saw that tour too, in Nashville, thought both bands were pretty great. But I was more surprised by Radiohead, since I hadn't heard The Bends yet and didn't know what to expect.
First time I saw R.E.M., on the Document tour, 10,000 Maniacs opened. They had just released In My Tribe, and were really good. So I give R.E.M. high marks on the opening-band front.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 22 September 2011 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
Here's a good page for checking such details (sorry if it's already been linked):
http://www.remtimeline.com/
I checked back on those two early shows I saw--nobody opening in '83, the Dream Syndicate in '84. I liked the Dream Syndicate back then, but I swear I have no recollection whatsoever of having seen them.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
didn't the Go-Betweens open for them on some dates of the '88 tour?
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
i believe the minutemen were set to open on a big REM tour right when D. Boon died :(
― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:11 (twelve years ago) link
btw listening to reckoning right now, this holds up amazingly well
― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:12 (twelve years ago) link
seems like they always had good taste in openers in the 80s -- feelies, minutemen, go-betweens. when i saw them on the monster tour luscious jackson opened.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:12 (twelve years ago) link
ugh – Radiohead opened for them in mid '95.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:13 (twelve years ago) link
then Thom Yorke sang Patti Smith's bit in "E Bow The Letter" and added harmonies to "Be Mine" at the Tibetan Freedom Concert.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:14 (twelve years ago) link
i think i saw them in mid-95. we had bought tix for the show w/ sonic youth listed as the opener, but the aneurysm thing happened and the show was postponed. and SY were out by then -- and LJ was in!
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:15 (twelve years ago) link
Looking at those '80 shows, they opened a few for Gang of Four. That's a classic mismatch for me, although I'm sure R.E.M. themselves were big fans.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:19 (twelve years ago) link
IIRC, Wilco & Mercury Rev opened on the Up tour.
― The Man With The Flavored Toothpick (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:24 (twelve years ago) link
Never got to see them live. The time I cared most was the post-Monster tour and all three Chicago shows sold out almost instantly, I got shut out back in those olden days of calling the local Ticketmaster outlet.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:25 (twelve years ago) link
from that REM timeline --1 November 1995 - The Forum, Los Angeles, CA support: Luscious Jackson set: I Took Your Name / What's The Frequency, Kenneth? / Crush With Eyeliner / Drive / Try Not To Breathe / Binky The Doormat / Wake-Up Bomb / Losing My Religion / Bang And Blame / Undertow / Strange Currencies / Revolution / Tongue / Man On The Moon / Country Feedback / The One I Love / Pop Song 89 / Get Up / Star 69 encore: Let Me In / Everybody Hurts / So. Central Rain / Departure / Driftaway / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) notes: Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac playes guitar on Everybody Hurts
toootally forgot about lindsey buckingham! weird.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:27 (twelve years ago) link
Saw them once on the Green tour, and Indigo Girls opened.
― Woolen Scjarfs (Phil D.), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:27 (twelve years ago) link
notes: Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac playes guitar on Everybody Hurts
ok waht
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:30 (twelve years ago) link
it's LA, baby! that kind of thing happens all the time.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
xpost Early R.E.M. and Gang of Four are not totally unlike one another. I mean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STKVCwP486I&feature=related
Or especially:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y675-eb3QOU&feature=related
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
yeah was gonna say, them opening for the police is a bit more of a stretch.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:35 (twelve years ago) link
General R.E.M. question here... how worthwhile is the bonus material on the Deluxe reissues? I've been staying away from these so far, but I'm wondering if its time to fill in a few of my gaps from the IRS years.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
Buckingham is not on the album, btw. But I guess he did sit in live once. This is some Mac forum tale I dug up about talking to Scott M. at a Baseball Project gig:
"Preshow, I could chat with Scott and I took the opportunity to ask him if he was there in (I believe) 1999 when Lindsey played on the live gig with REM to provide the solo on Everybody Hurts . He said he was there and that he totally enjoyed playing with him especially because he could witness Lindsey’s special guitar technique, apart from his modest but charismatic persona.Of course I asked him: “What was the story behind this collaboration?” And he answered that as far as his knowledge Peter Buck, who apparently is a big Lindsey fan, had ran into him in LA and invited Lindsey to have dinner preshow with the band. Lindsey accepted and they got along so well during diner that Peter asked Lindsey “why don’t you play with us tonight?” He simply said OK, and went on stage with them.
After the Baseballproject show ( which rocked bigtime!), I talked to Scott some more and he said that he went to the same college as Lindsey and Stevie, and that there was a photograph of The Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band in his yearbook. He also had good memories of seeing B/N opening for Ike and Tina Turner and he saw Lindsey on tour in ’93."
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
did pete let lindsey take the arpeggio or did lindsey just wild out on the climax? xpost question answered!
― da croupier, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:39 (twelve years ago) link
xp i've been listening to some of the deluxe stuff on spotify. as far as the live recordings go, i'm not sure why they chose them -- feel like there are better bootlegs. Still good. Demo stuff sounds interesting, don't know how much I'd listen to it, though?
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:39 (twelve years ago) link
By the way, the Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band? Stevie Nicks in '67, ladies and gentlemen:
http://cubberley68.com/images/cubberley-stevienicks.jpg
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:41 (twelve years ago) link
Thanks tyler, I'm thinking I'm just going to dl the remastered albums proper from iTunes or wherever, much cheaper.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:41 (twelve years ago) link
Jon via Chi, the remastering is so good on the first couple, which alone is a reason to buy these records. "Murmur" especially I heard all sorts of stuff I'd never noticed before.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:43 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, that's true, murmur does sound great on the reish.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:44 (twelve years ago) link
xp Not according to Shakey, you didn't.
― Woolen Scjarfs (Phil D.), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:46 (twelve years ago) link
rock on, ancient queen!
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:49 (twelve years ago) link
i wonder if the production on those early records made a big difference in REM's success -- you listen to most amerindie bands from that era and the production is so cruddy. Sometimes in a good way, I guess. BUt like the replacements, husker du, etc...
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:50 (twelve years ago) link
I was at this show at the long-gone Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ on 6/9/84:
Performance for 'Rock Influences: Folk Rock' on MTV. Roger McGuinn guests on 'So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star' and 'Gloria'. John Sebastian guests on 'Do You Believe In Magic' and 'Gloria'. First performances of Driver 8, Old Man Kensey and Hyena. The performance was broadcast on 17 July
― incredibly middlebrow (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
The Smiths served much the same purpose overseas, no? Clean guitars, clean production ...
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
(xxpost) Plus the distribution that came with being on IRS wasn't the same as being on Twin/Tone or Reflex.
― Prostetnic Vogon Limbaugh (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
It's been a long while since I've listened to anything from Murmur beyond "Radio Free Europe"--played it constantly when it came out--but yes, I can definitely hear the Gang of Four in the jaggedness of the tracks posted above. Not so much in the vocals, though; for me, R.E.M. still come out of an Everlys/Byrds tradition of harmony, which would explain why I connected with Murmur immediately while the Gang of Four left me cold way back when.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 September 2011 19:59 (twelve years ago) link
The LRP reissue with All The Right Friends is worth picking up.
― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, 22 September 2011 20:00 (twelve years ago) link
When the reunited Gang of Four played in Athens a few years ago, Stipe was there and acting all excited. He and Vanessa from Pylon sang backup on "I Love a Man in a Uniform."
― Brad C., Thursday, 22 September 2011 20:10 (twelve years ago) link
Oh, boy - should I be afraid to read ur-rockist Bill Wyman's career assessment in Slate, titled "R.E.M.'s Revolution: How a post-punk band from Georgia changed rock 'n' roll forever?"
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:20 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, couldn't make much sense of the piece. Like:
Still, in the overheated industry of the period, the band's sales were middling, and it wasn't as though the Replacements were moving product either. It took a few more years, until the rise of a band with a leader who plainly looked to R.E.M. for career if not musical inspiration, before the Amerindie movement could truly assault the industry. After Nirvana's Nevermind, everything changed ...
But this makes no sense, since R.E.M. was selling millions before "Nevermind," and millions of weirder records, at that. I wouldn't link the concurrent success of "Nevermind" and "Automatic" at all. They're almost opposites of one another in nearly every sense.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:29 (twelve years ago) link
yeah that's just wrong. and even if cobain professed to be an REM fan, it did not show in his music.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:30 (twelve years ago) link
well, Document broke them to a Top 40 audience and OOT made them superstars, six months before the release of Nevermind. No wonder writers conflate REM and Nirvana's successes.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:30 (twelve years ago) link
except Out of Time was released in April and Nevermind that fall, and didn't get big until that next spring
― Mr. Que, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:33 (twelve years ago) link
But he's saying it was "Nevermind" that changed everything, when if you go by R.E.M.'s success, it was R.E.M. that changed things for Nirvana. But again, I don't see the connection.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:33 (twelve years ago) link
check out this insane picture
http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/2066611/2281252/2303818/110922_MB_REMBand_EX.jpg
― Mr. Que, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:34 (twelve years ago) link
document (and the one i love) both made the top 10 iirc
― bunnistula (buzza), Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link
I think ppl aren't picking up on Alfred's blatant sarcasm...?
― the tax avocado (DJP), Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link
yeah srsly guys
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:36 (twelve years ago) link
Now, per the writer's odd, rushed thesis, there is an obvious case for "Nevermind" making good on the failed promise of the Replacements and Husker Du, for sure. But in terms of breaking down the doors, R.E.M. was in the big leagues already.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:36 (twelve years ago) link
rip sarcasm, rem
― bunnistula (buzza), Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:37 (twelve years ago) link
R.I.P.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:38 (twelve years ago) link
RIPan interesting thing about the our band could be your life book was how REM, to most of the bands of the time, were godlike rock stars, even from the early days. at least relatively speaking. from their perspective REM led some kind of charmed existence.
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:39 (twelve years ago) link
there's that quote from Cobain's last RS interview in which he praises'em for behaving "like saints" during their period of mass success.
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:39 (twelve years ago) link