Topic: Buying REM (Read 8745 times)

Thrillho · « **on:** 16 Oct 2009, 10:26 »

'Sup motherfuckers.

I've been really getting into REM lately. I have Automatic For The People - which might just be the greatest thing I've ever heard, Out Of Time, which is very good almost front to back except for 'Radio Song' (yes, I even love 'Shiny Happy People'), Document, which is a similar case to Out of Time, and then their IRS singles comp and In Time: The Best of 1988-2003.

So, where do I go next? I feel like since I have their greatest albums it's all going downhill from here.

I've heard Monster is terrible, and the one song I have from it I'm not that big a fan of.

Basically, I want to hear something of theirs that rocks, or captures the semi-acoustic glory of Out Of Time and Automatic. Or even both in the same album.

Document took me so long to get into that I'm wary about going much earlier than that at this stage, and I'm leaning towards Accelerate.

Help me?

karl gambolputty... · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Oct 2009, 10:38 »

Reckoning. Definitely Reckoning. Then Murmur.

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Oct 2009, 11:35 »

The best thing they ever put out was Chronic Town. It is available as part of Dead letter Office, a compilation of b sides and other oddities.
The albums Murmur, Reckoning and Lifes Rich Pageant are damn near perfect albums. After that they are sort of a different band, I still think they are great but there are major differences. Monster is really vilified but I actually quite like it though it is definitely patchy. New Adventures in Hi Fi I think is a great album but is super long.

You might want to look into Reveal and Around The Sun, both are pretty records where nothing much happens.

Inlander · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Oct 2009, 22:33 »

Quote from: Ptommydski on 16 Oct 2009, 16:09

Fables of the Reconstruction . . . Stand-out tracks - 'Kahoutek', 'Good Advices'.

What, no love for "Driver 8", tommy?

I stand by my opinion that New Adventures in Hi-Fi is a fantastic, and fantastically under-appreciated, album.

Muffin_Buns · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Oct 2009, 23:21 »

Murmur is absolutely essential for any REM fan. Go buy/download it. Now.

Ptommydski speaks the truth -- listen to him. As long as you already have Automatic for the People, getting their albums in chronological order is the best thing to do.

Ptommydski · « **Reply #5 on:** 17 Oct 2009, 04:05 »

Quote from: Inlander on 16 Oct 2009, 22:33

What, no love for "Driver 8", tommy?

I've never been particularly fond of that song. It's alright. I believe Peter Buck once used it as an indication of what he thought was lack of imagination on their part, calling it "REM by numbers". I much prefer 'Feeling Gravity's Pull' and 'Maps and Legends'.

Inlander · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Oct 2009, 04:13 »

A by-the-numbers jangly guitar pop song by R.E.M. is a pretty great song by any other band, though.

Thrillho · « **Reply #7 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 03:15 »

It appears that Murmur is my next port of call then. Is the deluxe edition worth the extra summolians?

scarred · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 03:23 »

According to poopspork, yeah

Thrillho · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 09:36 »

How about according to somebody I don't constantly ignore the opinion of?

(Pitchfork, not scarred).

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 11:27 »

Yes, not so much for the extra stuff (a pretty good live show) but forthe vastly improved sound quality.

Orbert · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 14:43 »

I never realized how others - or the band itself - felt about "Fables of the Reconstruction". It's my favorite. Maybe because it's so different.

As with most bands, I prefer the older stuff. "Life's Rich Pageant" is also a fave. A mature, established band can often put out masterpieces because they've got it all worked out and are firing on all cylinders. They can also put out tired music that's derivative of their earlier, better material. A young band struggling to establish itself puts passion into its work, and (if they're any good) it shows. They also take more chances, and aren't as formulaic.

"Monster" is not terrible, but about as close as you can get for an R.E.M. record.

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #12 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 16:19 »

You mean "Around the Sun"?

Inlander · « **Reply #13 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 17:07 »

Don't worry Orbert, I totally dig Fables too. I'd certainly listen to it over the much more widely praised Document any day.

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 Oct 2009, 23:16 »

I honestly don't think of Green. It took me about 5 minutes to place it in the chronology.

Thrillho · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 Oct 2009, 03:26 »

I've only heard 'Orange Crush' and 'Stand' from it. I love the former, but the latter is fucking terrible.

Thrillho · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 Oct 2009, 10:36 »

I dunno, I hate almost all U2 songs. If 'Orange Crush' is REM doing U2, they're doing it a lot better than U2 do it.

Thrillho · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 08:45 »

Updates!

Well I managed to ignore your guys' advice which was not exactly my own fault.

I've picked up five REM albums in the last few weeks because they were in sales, Accelerate, Reveal, Monster, Up and Green.

Accelerate is brilliant even though the cynic in me wants to hate it.
Reveal has left virtually no impression on me no matter how much I've listened to it.
Up I've not listened to yet.
Monster is pretty bad but has a few decent moments.
Green has some decent songs but is mostly crippled by its production and overly political conscience. Saying that, the handful of songs on it that I like are true greatness.

I'm thinking of not buying their first four albums until last so that I don't end up going downhill from their best. I figure I'll fill in the post-Green gaps, and then start over with Murmur.

tricia kidd · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 12:27 »

i don't know what's wrong with you all, Monster is a fantastic album, aside from a few boring tracks in the first half. "I Took Your Name", "Let Me In", "You", and "Circus Envy" are great.

also yes, New Adventures In Hi-Fi is insanely underrated. i would even say it's roughly as good as Document and Automatic For the People.

i don't get the hate for Green. "get up" and "stand" are really the only two bad songs on it. "World Leader Pretend", "I Remember California", "The Wrong Child", and the untitled last song are brilliant and haunting, "Orange Crush" and "Turn You Inside-Out" are great rockers, and "Pop Song '89" is serviceable. i guess i could see hating "You Are the Everything" for being too... "typically 80s new-age" or whatever but there's plenty of that on Automatic For the People and Out of Time as well - "Nightswimming" is worse than anything on Green.

Out of Time is pretty forgettable aside from "Country Feedback" which is probably the best song they have ever done. i guess "Me in Honey" is fun enough and "Losing My Religion" was awesome the first 1,000 times i heard it i guess.

Murmur i don't really get the love for, either. a few good songs, the rest is just kind of there. Chronic Town is perfect, yes. Dead Letter Office has some really great, goofy stuff on it, especially the alternate take of "Seven Chinese Brothers" with Michael Stipe reading the liner notes to a gospel album. for years i thought those were actual alternate lyrics.

doombilly · « **Reply #19 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 07:22 »

E.Spaceman is right. Chronic Town is where it's at.

Thrillho · « **Reply #20 on:** 23 Jan 2010, 15:42 »

I'm listening to the Singles Collected compilation I have that's exclusively from their IRS days, and there's some really good stuff on it but also a lot I'm really unenthused about, including a couple of covers they did.

But the 'other mix' of 'Finest Worksong,' with those horns on it? That's fucking magnificent, I prefer it to the original.

tricia kidd · « **Reply #21 on:** 23 Jan 2010, 16:22 »

if you can find/download it, the REM "tribute" album Surprise Your Pig is... interesting. here's the tracklist, just to give you an idea:

"Radio Free Europe" by Just Say No – 3:10
"1,000,000" by Band of Susans – 4:25
"Stumble" by Gumball – 6:19
"We Walk" by Steelpole Bathtub – 3:40
"Talk About the Passion" by Samson & The Philistines – 4:07
"Pretty Persuasion" by Jawbreaker – 5:35
"(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" by J Church – 3:40
"Feeling Gravitys Pull" by Phleg Camp – 3:03
"Cant Get There from Here" by The Mr. T Experience – 2:50
"Good Advices" by Flor de Mal – 3:06
"Bandwagon" by The Punch Line – 2:19
"I Believe" by When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water – 2:39
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by Vic Chesnutt – 4:04
"Get Up" by King Missile – 2:31
"Losing My Religion" by Tesco Vee's Hate Police – 3:05
"Low" by Jawbox – 4:08
"Shiny Happy People" by Mitch Easter – 3:28

doombilly · « **Reply #22 on:** 23 Jan 2010, 17:12 »

If you send me your address I'll send you a copy of this.
My 1st band did track 6.

Thrillho · « **Reply #23 on:** 18 Feb 2010, 04:40 »

I got Lifes Rich Pageant. It has made virtually zero impression on me.

I also got Murmur... and holy fuck this record is amazing. Very odd sound it's got, too, but then I'm sure you all already knew that.

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Author Topic: Buying REM (Read 8745 times)

Ptommydski