Before the R.E.M. of Monster or Automatic for the People, R.E.M. was the band that passed on a record deal with RCA and signed with I.R.S Records, because they refused to record commercial music. Yeah, R.E.M. was an indie band. Can you believe it? I guess my point is that it took this compilation to give me a sense of how they shaped rock music. You get a double-disc collection here of some solid rock tracks like "Finest Worksong", a track that I imagine should be the campaign song for the next Presidential nominee from the Socialist Party of America (I hear it's Glenn's favourite), "So. Central Rain", and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville". Anyway, there's your music education for the day.RATING: 95%
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10 comments:
If you look in the dictionary next to "insipid," you'll find a picture of R.E.M. Those motherfuckers sounded middle aged 10 years before they were middle aged.
John, I'd listen to Chronic Town. They've got an entirely unique "sound", mostly due to the guitarist playing apreggiated chords.
R.E.M. sounds insipid because it's nothing new now. But it was the early 80's, and these guys were alt rock before anyone knew what "alt rock" (Jesus, I hate that term) was in the 90's.
But say whatever you want about R.E.M. post-1987.
{Ohhhh!}
I was happy to hear about this collection, as R.E.M.'s early years deserved another look.
I, for one, like most of Green and Out of Time (yes, even "Shiny Happy People"), and all of Automatic for the People. I grant you, they have become a very different band from what they once were, but I still feel that they haven't forgotten their roots. Besides, who says a band can't evolve? Look at Radiohead.
A few misfires aside (a lot of Monster was uninspired, and Around the Sun was, by their own admission, one of their weakest albums ever), I think they still have it. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was refreshing after Monster; Up, while not exactly a huge hit, was a bold change for them and one of my favorites of theirs; and Accelerate was the closest they've come to their early sound in years.
Chris is right. Chronic Town is worth a listen. I understand, though, that R.E.M.'s sound is an acquired taste for many, just like beers, wines, cheeses, tobaccos, etc.
I've been a resident of Chronic Town for years. Guess I should check out the soundtrack.
THat's me, BTW.
(1) Michael Stipe's house isn't hard to find in Athens. Yeah, I've been outside it.
(2) As a pretty substantial REM fan (I've got every studio album save Around the Sun, plus Eponymous, Dead Letter Office, In The Attic, pand the Royal Philharmonic Tribute...), I'm a little ticked I don't have this.
(3) Berry, as a guitarist, is still remarkably underrated and underappreciated.
(4) The tracklist looks awesome - I've been waiting for a new digital remaster of Fall On Me and Pretty Persuasion.
(5) Chris, do you prefer the Radio Free Europe remaster, or the original Hib-Tone? It's totally the original for me.
On that note, has anyone listened to the anniversary edition of Murmur? I'm interested in the idea of a sweetened, clearer, remastered mix of what I consider a classic, yet sometimes kind of muddy sounding album. From what I've heard in samples, the bass and drums have more kick, and the guitars are a lot clearer. I haven't decided yet whether I want to spend the money on the anniversary set.
Yeah, the Murmur reissue is supposedly fantastic, but I kind of attribute it the fact that Murmur is a great album.
I find the appeal of early R.E.M. to be the semi lo-fi sound of the band, right down to Stipes' barely intelligible vocals. But I don't think it's a waste to spend money on the reissue.
Bryan, it's an awesome collection of their earlier work, and easily worth $20. And I think the original "Radio Free Europe" wins in a landslide. The remaster is just ho-hum (I mean, insipid) to me, whereas the Hib-Tone recording is a favorite. Kind of interesting how the recording affects the appeal.
Chris,
Thank goodness. Awesome to know we're on the same page. I'll totally get it when I get a chance.
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