REM: Classic or dud?

Had a similar experience (though the tour I saw them on was “Preconstruction” — a couple weeks before Fables was released). The huddling happened before each song in the three (!) encores they did. And they’d leap out of the huddle and into the song. The next (and last) time I saw them, in 1987, the arenas they were playing were not suited to such spontaneity, and while it was a good show, like you said, a certain magic was gone.

Speaking of spontaneity – when I saw them on the Monster Tour, Stipe stopped at one point and told the crowd: “Anyone who saw us in Boston last night, and noticed I’m doing the same stage moves, it’s because I need to line up with the lights at the same point in every song… please don’t think we’re lazy.”

Haha that reminds me that the only pre-planned lighting cue on the 1985 show I saw was at the very beginning: a light emanating from Berry’s bass drum, in an otherwise pitch-black hall, was accompanied by a train whistle sound. Even then I remember thinking, “Well, look at you, Mr. Big Time Rock Band!”

I posted this in the dB's thread, but Peter Holsapple talks a lot about his time with R.E.M. here:

https://www.caropop.com/caropopcast/episode/26268249/peter-holsapple-pt-2

Around the 32 minute mark, he mentions that "Bill Berry was a driving force as a songwriter for so long," singling out "Perfect Circle" (which was primarily Berry's song) and pointing out that it's his piano on that song.

Love that song.

I first saw them on the Fables tour. They were fun back in those days. They seemed very disorganized--they'd huddle together periodically in what seemed to be a discussion about what to play next--and had a lot of energy. Saw them on every tour after that through Green, at which point they had progressed to arena rockers. Still interesting enough, but that weird magic had been lost.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Saturday, July 9, 2022 2:44 PM (six days ago)

i have a couple of bootleg records of live shows from the Fables era and they played a variety of songs, unreleased fun tracks, and would do covers like the duo including Natalie Merchant (probably discussed upthread somewhere?)

sarahell, maybe the REM / Natalie Merchant track "Photograph" on a pro-choice compilation? Good song btw

it was actually this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJPvMub2JXI

i could swear they switch to "watch out a squirrel's behind you" at one point

love them doing "in the year 2525" eternally

Heck of a lineup/tracklist on that 1987 gig with "Leavin On A Jet Plane"
https://oldgreycat.blog/2020/03/01/a-bootleg-review-r-e-m-opal-steve-wynn-10000-maniacs-may-24-1987/

Think they used to encore w "Don't Fear The Reaper" and maybe "Pretty Ballerina" occasionally.

"So. Central Rain (I'm Smelly)"

Nice to see Bill Berry having fun with fellow old people:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDU-tmoRqvQ

Largely shot at Berry’s home in Athens, the video also features appearances by Mike Mills of R.E.M., Vanessa Briscoe Hay of Pylon, Bob Hay of the Squalls, Frank McDonald of The Glands, a namechecked Jody Stephens of Big Star, music producer David Barbe (also of Bob Mould’s Sugar)

I guess the whole album is out now, too.

On the desk in his personal office, Fetterman found a handwritten note of well-wishes from the alternative rock band R.E.M., along with a gift: a hoodie.

Does this mean REM reunited to write Fetterman a note?

Is he known to be a fan or something?

A gesture of sympathy from one famous stroke victim to another, no?

Just paid a visit to REM HQ... nice little reflections here on Murmur's 40th anniversary: https://remhq.com/news/memories-of-murmur/

Top 10 REM tracks picked by Stipe, Buck, Mills and Berry (with no overlap apparently allowed)

Just for fun, the guys put together a playlist of their 40 favorite R.E.M. songs. Each picked 10 songs & the results are quite interesting. Michael's are 1-10, Peter's 11-20, Mike's 21-30, & Bill's 31-40. Check it out & let us know your own favorites.https://t.co/gWEDTM7E3F pic.twitter.com/XKfnun2NGW

— R.E.M. HQ (@remhq) July 25, 2023

Voice of Harold!

Damn I love Voice of Harold. I was glad to see Flowers of Guatemala in Michael’s picks.

Wow Stipe @ thinking Electron Blue is one of their best songs

I have a faint memory of him making that claim in a 2004 interview.

Xpost
Strongly agree, FoG would easily be in my REMPOX at this point in my life

Assuming I'm all better, on Sunday I'm going to see Michael Shannon, backed by Jason Narducy (on guitar), Jon Wurster (I think), and a few other ringers do "Murmur" in its entirety, plus other choice selections.

Can someone print those lists out? I don't pay for subs to any of those services, a little annoyed that this is the world we live in.

Or, copy-paste them here— not print them out lol

I commented to REM HQ that they should at least add it to a few more of the major streaming services (why go halfway?)

Stipe -

World Leader Pretend
Country Feedback
Strange Currencies
The Lifting
Electron Blue
Supernatural Superserious
Oh My Heart
We All Go Back To Where We Belong
The Flowers Of Guatemala
Half A World Away

Buck -

Feeling Gravity's Pull
So. Central Rain
Walk Unafraid
You're In The Air
Discoverer
All The Way To Reno
Try Not To Breathe
Undertow
Electrolite
Finest Worksong

Mills -

Wolves, Lower
Pilgrimage
I Believe
It's The End Of The World...
You Are The Everything
Orange Crush
What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
How The West Was Won...
Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Every Day Is Yours To Win

Berry -

Beachball
Daysleeper
Leaving New York
These Days
We Walk
I Remember California
I Don't Sleep, I Dream
Rotary Ten
Voice Of Harold
Find The River

Berry picked three post-Berry tunes, bless ‘im

I don't pay for subs to any of those services, a little annoyed that this is the world we live in.

I don't pay for Spotify either fyi

Wow Stipe @ thinking Electron Blue is one of their best songs

Stipe’s on record as thinking Reveal is one of their best albums, too. I wonder if this era is so associated with his personal good fortune – he now had tens of millions of dollars in his pocket and enjoyed a niche in New York artistic circles – that he doesn’t quite realize how weak the music seemed to listeners.

tbc Reveal was (is?) much better regarded in the UK.

Hell, it could just be ego at work. Apparently "Up" was kind of challenging, because without Bill in the mix Peter and Mike sort of wrestled with balancing one another's songs. Maybe Stipe stepped up a bit more for the next album and had more involvement?

Poor fables

A paltry 1 track

I wonder to what extent that is because they had such a bad time recording the album; that seems to bias the opinions of musicians more often that you might think.

One of the albums has to be like that, they can't all be winners

Stipe with 5 post-2000 tracks is…unsurprising

I don't think it's surprising that an artist thinks their later work is their best work. They have a totally different perspective on their work and surely weren't that interested in chasing after something they'd already captured before. Everything grows out of what came before so I totally get him choosing a lot of songs from the later albums or being on record thinking Reveal is one of their best. But I also think it's wild, even if you had to do a POX of just the post-Berry stuff, to rate Electron Blue that high.

(Also for the record, I also think Reveal is a great album and is unfairly maligned. It's certainly better than the three that came after it and I might even argue that it's better than Up, too. Maybe.)

xp

One of the albums has to be like that, they can't all be winners

I don't think it's surprising that an artist thinks their later work is their best work.

I can definitely see Stipe thinking that his later songwriting, in the abstract, was his best. But in terms of the recorded performances, especially with Accelerate on, his voice was so shot that the final product is weaker regardless.

I love Reveal, and I'm not sure if how much better regarded it is here but two weeks at number one are nothing to be sniffed at. Although it had half the chart life of Up (which never went to the top because they released it the same week as Robbie).

Im glad to see I Remember California get some love too — what a weird track and I’ve always liked it

i can't believe no one picked Fall On Me

Love that one

I Remember California is MAAAYBE my favourite 80s track. And I'm not sure how to feel about it being maaaybe my favourite 80s track.

I used to enjoy it but it was never a favourite. Then a good few years ago I reminded myself of the Tourfilm version - so much menace and electricity - and it has forever changed how I hear either version.