I thought it was - "There is nothing left to grow / But ginger, mint, and indigo"
― Reese's Pisces Iscariot (morrisp), Wednesday, November 9, 2022 2:00 PM (forty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
sounds right to me
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Wednesday, 9 November 2022 21:44 (one year ago) link
I believe Peter Buck brought “Drive” to the rest of the band essentially musically complete.
I’m not sure how many cases there are of first track lead singles - on what is probably their biggest selling album - failing to make it on subsequent best of compilations; “Chocolate Cake” and Recurring Dream is one
(Deliberately not including the live ‘funk’ version on the 2003 comp)
― Master of Treacle, Wednesday, 9 November 2022 21:48 (one year ago) link
That's an interesting observation about the comps... looks like "E-Bow the Letter" (which I also love) didn't make it onto Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, though it was on In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003.
I agree that "Drive" is a very cool and singular (for them) track, and probably underrated in the context of their catalogue.
― Reese's Pisces Iscariot (morrisp), Wednesday, 9 November 2022 22:10 (one year ago) link
It sounds like a dark twin to James Taylor’s “Riding on a Railroad” to me. Perhaps just my upbringing. I mean it as a compliment, I adore “Drive”.
― assert (matttkkkk), Wednesday, 9 November 2022 22:19 (one year ago) link
It’s singular within and without the REM catalog if that’s not too big a claim - and discounting the fact that it samples David Essex (!)
I like that Automatic, Monster and New Adventures all have very left-field debut singles - Ebow, has a similar sui generis quality - their last great single imo
― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 9 November 2022 22:33 (one year ago) link
Drive, perfect though it is, I'd say was never going to make it onto In Time or Part Lies. The next four singles from Automatic all eclipsed it in the public memory (at least in UK but I'd imagine US as well?) Like numerous 90s alt-rock lead singles - including a few others of R.E.M. - it was mostly there to appease the fanbase before the second single was to really set things up crossover-wise.
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 11 November 2022 18:02 (one year ago) link
in the ballot poll we did a long time ago, i put Drive at #3. still one of my all-time favorites, and love the video as well
― Karl Malone, Friday, 11 November 2022 18:10 (one year ago) link
not a great choice for a first single, though, but they ended up doing pretttttty well commercially on that album so i suppose they knew what they were doing, heh
― Karl Malone, Friday, 11 November 2022 18:11 (one year ago) link
even "everybody hurts" sounds pretty good these days
― na (NA), Friday, 11 November 2022 18:42 (one year ago) link
because it's true.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 11 November 2022 18:43 (one year ago) link
feel pretty alone as an r.e.m. fan in loving "ignoreland"
― ivy., Wednesday, 15 November 2023 15:58 (five months ago) link
i see discussion of "ignoreland" takes up most of this thread.... you cannot IGNORE the pull of "ignoreland"
― ivy., Wednesday, 15 November 2023 15:59 (five months ago) link
anyway "monty" deserves 500 votes
― ivy., Wednesday, 15 November 2023 16:00 (five months ago) link
got a raw deal, imo
― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 16:29 (five months ago) link
i would probably pick "try not to breathe"
I might agree these days. I remember the first time I heard this album (bought on the street in NYC). I knew "Drive," since it was the first single. But "Try Not to Breathe" as the second track was the real indication that I was in for something special.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 16:33 (five months ago) link
I like "Ignoreland"! Takes me back to voting against Poppy Bush.
― stuffing your suit pockets with cold, stale chicken tende (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 16:33 (five months ago) link
While I've since more or less come around to the song, I think that gets at its relative ... failure is too strong a word. Setting aside any suspicion that the song was inserted to interrupt an otherwise pretty sleepy, even dreamy record, I also think it interrupts the thematic flow a little, too. "Automatic" is so steeped in a certain out of time (to coin a phrase) Gen X nostalgia. David Essex, Zeppelin strings, Dr. Seuss, Andy Kaufman, Montgomery Clift (just like the Clash!), "Nightswimming." But "Ignoreland" and particularly its anger feels very out of place and contemporary. Though I suppose a case could be made that it works as a sort of negative nostalgia, connecting then current grievance to a timeline of Republican malfeasance.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 17:21 (five months ago) link
I’ve always thought of Nightswimming as the older companion to Gardening At Night. The Big Chill to the latter’s Animal House or something stupid like that. (Ouff. I’m gonna regret that.)
It’s almost too pretty, but a key song in my life regardless.
― Mule, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 17:33 (five months ago) link
A lot of good tracks here, not sure what I’d have voted for
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 17:40 (five months ago) link
I love "Ignoreland" though it wouldn't be my #1 pick from this album. The fast parts are cool, but it's the pre-chorus ("They hypnotized the summer..." etc) that really puts it over the top for me. (The clavinet doesn't hurt either.)
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 18:07 (five months ago) link
I would rank #1 Drive, #2 Try Not to Breathe, #3 Find the River. Nightswimming gets an honorable mention.
― Phair · Jagger/Richards · Carl Perkins (morrisp), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 18:15 (five months ago) link
Listening to this front-to-back for the first time in years amazed at how much of it is deeply embedded - melodically, lyrically. It'd be Nightswimming for me; if music runs through our lives like a mountain range, this'd be a gentle peak, veiled in a soft haze.
Minor things I don't think I noticed at the time: this quite clearly leads to Jar of Flies/Sap by Alice in Chains.
― I would prefer not to. (Chinaski), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 21:10 (five months ago) link
the only thing i really like about "ignoreland" is the clavinet in the chorus
the best tracks here are the first three and last two, and then "sweetness follows". my favourite is "the sidewinder sleeps tonite". those six are a rather good half-album but the rest, bleh.
― ufo, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 22:40 (five months ago) link
would have voted "ignoreland"
― "another slice of death, please." (Austin), Wednesday, 15 November 2023 22:44 (five months ago) link
I love this album back-to-back
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Thursday, 16 November 2023 17:25 (five months ago) link
^ this
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Thursday, 16 November 2023 17:31 (five months ago) link
"Star Me Kitten". The rest isn't bad but I think they did better versions of all these styles on New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 16 November 2023 20:53 (five months ago) link
...and some of Monster, for that matter.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 16 November 2023 20:54 (five months ago) link