The R.E.M. thread

[HOF]

Shiny Happy People is infectious and fun. It’s a great song IMO.

[Kotowboy]

Country Feedback is amazing and sounds like the exact opposite of Shiny Happy People.

Like the entire band were Bi-Polar - wrote and recorded Shiny Happy People and then the next day were all in a bad low and write and recorded Country Feedback.

[Stadler]

Shiny Happy People sounds like a record company placating single.

I love that you hear Stipe giggling singing Sidewinder... Maybe he was laughing at the banality of the lyrics ?

He loves the lyrics, though, if you believe his liner notes on the last hits compilation.

[Kotowboy]

Baby instant soup doesn't really grab me - today I need something more sub sub sub substantial
A can of beans or black eyed peas. Some nescafe and ice
Candy bar. A falling star or a reading from Dr Seuss!

Apparently the song is about a druggie trying to get a fix and is ringing the dealer so often he basically lives in the phone booth. He has to sleep in there

in the hope his dealer will phone back. Or something.

Hence " I can always sleep standing up ".

[Stadler]

Baby instant soup doesn't really grab me - today I need something more sub sub sub substantial
A can of beans or black eyed peas. Some nescafe and ice
Candy bar. A falling star or a reading from Dr Seuss!

Apparently the song is about a druggie trying to get a fix and is ringing the dealer so often he basically lives in the phone booth. He has to sleep in there

in the hope his dealer will phone back. Or something.

Hence " I can always sleep standing up ".

Who knows - even Mike Mills says we're largely on our own - but I think it's lighter than that.  Both Mike and Michael said that it was an attempt to lighten up an otherwise serious, dark record, and they both felt it probably went too far in that direction.  Mike seemed to indicate it was more about a person with nowhere to go, and another person trying to get in touch with them (not specifically a drug dealer) to offer them a place to stay, but failing.

[KevShmev]

I am a big fan of both Shiny Happy People and The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, so I must be weird.

[Kotowboy]

I realised it's TEN years this year since R.E.M. split and I can still remember exactly where I was when I read the news on my phone.

[HOF]

I think I was only vaguely aware that they kept releasing albums after 2000. The last thing I remember hearing was The Great Beyond from the Man on the Moon soundtrack. Are any of those later albums any good? I should probably check out New Adventures in Hi-Fi first and go from there I suppose since I don’t own anything after Monster.

[soupytwist]

I think I was only vaguely aware that they kept releasing albums after 2000. The last thing I remember hearing was The Great Beyond from the Man on the Moon soundtrack. Are any of those later albums any good? I should probably check out New Adventures in Hi-Fi first and go from there I suppose since I don’t own anything after Monster.

New Adventures has some of REM's very best songs on it......but it also has a few that really didn't need to make the cut - if you trim it down you have a bloody great record.  The 3 albums that come after New Adventures (and after the departure of Bill Berry) are all iffy - there are enough good moments between them to make one great album, but there is a lot of forgettable or just plain bad stuff on those albums.  As I wrote earlier their final 2 albums are really quite underrated - Accelerate is a genuine return to form, and Collapse into Now is solid too.

[WilliamMunny]

I think I was only vaguely aware that they kept releasing albums after 2000. The last thing I remember hearing was The Great Beyond from the Man on the Moon soundtrack. Are any of those later albums any good? I should probably check out New Adventures in Hi-Fi first and go from there I suppose since I don’t own anything after Monster.

New Adventures has some of REM's very best songs on it......but it also has a few that really didn't need to make the cut - if you trim it down you have a bloody great record.  The 3 albums that come after New Adventures (and after the departure of Bill Berry) are all iffy - there are enough good moments between them to make one great album, but there is a lot of forgettable or just plain bad stuff on those albums.  As I wrote earlier their final 2 albums are really quite underrated - Accelerate is a genuine return to form, and Collapse into Now is solid too.

That is a great point...and I agree, the final two (Acclerate especially) are fantastic.

[Kotowboy]

Out Of Time  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Automatic For The People ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Monster ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New Adventures in Hi Fi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ( Final album with Bill Berry on drums )

Up ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - but still has some great songs on it like Airportman, Hope, Sad Professor, The Apologist, Walk Unafraid is probably the album's best song and of course Daysleeper.

Reveal ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A bit more like 'classic REM' - has great songs like All The Way To Reno and Imitation Of Life, The Lifting...

Around The Sun ⭐️⭐️ very patchy and even the band know it's no good. Electron Blue is a good song though and Leaving New York is not bad. It's not a 'shit' album - but it's not their best.

Accelerate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More rocking and straight forward. Like 'Document' . Living Well Is The Best Revenge is a great opener.

Collapse Into Now ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Easily their best post Bill Berry album. A great swan song and "It Happened Today" is by far the best song. Discoverer is a great song too.

  Enjoy ! x

[soupytwist]

  Enjoy ! x

How'd you rank 'Green'?  For me that is the weak one in the classic period.  Not as interesting as the IRS albums and not as fully formed as they became on 'Out of Time' onwards.

[Kotowboy]

Yes I remember not liking it that much bar a couple of songs. I always think of it as an IRS album even though it's their WB debut.

[HOF]

Out Of Time  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Automatic For The People ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Monster ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New Adventures in Hi Fi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ( Final album with Bill Berry on drums )

Up ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - but still has some great songs on it like Airportman, Hope, Sad Professor, The Apologist, Walk Unafraid is probably the album's best song and of course Daysleeper.

Reveal ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A bit more like 'classic REM' - has great songs like All The Way To Reno and Imitation Of Life, The Lifting...

Around The Sun ⭐️⭐️ very patchy and even the band know it's no good. Electron Blue is a good song though and Leaving New York is not bad. It's not a 'shit' album - but it's not their best.

Accelerate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More rocking and straight forward. Like 'Document' . Living Well Is The Best Revenge is a great opener.

Collapse Into Now ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Easily their best post Bill Berry album. A great swan song and "It Happened Today" is by far the best song. Discoverer is a great song too.

  Enjoy ! x

Thanks! I’ll try to make my way forward from Monster and see if any of these grab me.

[KevShmev]

As a still relatively new hardcore fan, I put New Adventures in Hi-Fi way up there, just behind Automatic... and Murmur.  Because it was basically recorded on the road, it sounds kind of raw, which totally fits the experimental nature of the record.  It's killer, warts and all.

[Kotowboy]

Yes and the CD has literally no art on it at all. It's a blank disc and the only way you can tell is - it says New Adventures In HiFi around the 'hole'.

Also I like that after Bill quit - they decided they were finally going to put all the lyrics in the album booklet.

[Stadler]

As a still relatively new hardcore fan, I put New Adventures in Hi-Fi way up there, just behind Automatic... and Murmur.  Because it was basically recorded on the road, it sounds kind of raw, which totally fits the experimental nature of the record.  It's killer, warts and all.

It's a way underrated record; to me it's kind of Monster without the affectations.  I wrote this a long time ago, but R.E.M. to me is "pairs" of records.   Murmur and Reckoning; LRP and Document, Out Of Time and Automatic, and, for me, Monster and New Adventures.   I prefer Murmur of it's pair, I'm a wash with LRP and Document, but if I had to pick one I'd say LRP, and I slightly prefer OOT to Automatic, but New Adventures is, I think, the better of its two, even if it's harder to get into at first and has Patty Smith (who I think is horrible).

[Zantera]

I find Out of Time slightly overrated to be honest. Losing My Religion is great, Low is a personal favorite and Shiny Happy People is fun, but honestly the second half of the album doesn't really have any standouts at all. I'd take it over Green but compared to the other albums before it and a few after it, it has a bunch of songs that feel a bit like B-sides.

[KevShmev]

As a still relatively new hardcore fan, I put New Adventures in Hi-Fi way up there, just behind Automatic... and Murmur.  Because it was basically recorded on the road, it sounds kind of raw, which totally fits the experimental nature of the record.  It's killer, warts and all.

It's a way underrated record; to me it's kind of Monster without the affectations.  I wrote this a long time ago, but R.E.M. to me is "pairs" of records.   Murmur and Reckoning; LRP and Document, Out Of Time and Automatic, and, for me, Monster and New Adventures.   I prefer Murmur of it's pair, I'm a wash with LRP and Document, but if I had to pick one I'd say LRP, and I slightly prefer OOT to Automatic, but New Adventures is, I think, the better of its two, even if it's harder to get into at first and has Patty Smith (who I think is horrible).

I can sorta see that, the pairs thing, although it is hard for me to not put Document and Green together since they came out so close to each other and the hits from both were my intro to the band.  I can't say I am a fan of Patty Smith per se, but her contribution to E-Bow the Letter is massive, and definitely elevates the song, IMO.

I find Out of Time slightly overrated to be honest. Losing My Religion is great, Low is a personal favorite and Shiny Happy People is fun, but honestly the second half of the album doesn't really have any standouts at all. I'd take it over Green but compared to the other albums before it and a few after it, it has a bunch of songs that feel a bit like B-sides.

I can't say I agree with this.  Country Feedback is definitely a highlight, and I love Texarkana like crazy. The latter is a major "put the top down and enjoy driving on a sunny day" kinda song.  And of course Me in Honey, as I noted earlier in the thread, was the gateway song to me (finally!!) becoming a big fan, so it will always get extra points for me for that alone. 

[Stadler]

I'm with Kev on this.   The REM "hits" are hit or miss for me (no pun intended).   I don't care for "End Of The World", "Orange Crush", "Stand", "Radio Song", "Shiny Happy People", "Man On The Moon"... so for me, the deeper cuts on "Out Of Time" are the ones that resonate.   That second half is pretty strong for me (I'm a Kate Pierson fan, too).

[Kotowboy]

I find Out of Time slightly overrated to be honest. Losing My Religion is great, Low is a personal favorite and Shiny Happy People is fun, but honestly the second half of the album doesn't really have any standouts at all. I'd take it over Green but compared to the other albums before it and a few after it, it has a bunch of songs that feel a bit like B-sides.

Excuse me - Country Feedback and Me In Honey are here to see you. 

As for croaky voiced has beens singing on rock songs - gotta go with Marianna Faithful on The Memory Remains.

[KevShmev]

I'm with Kev on this.   The REM "hits" are hit or miss for me (no pun intended).   I don't care for "End Of The World", "Orange Crush", "Stand", "Radio Song", "Shiny Happy People", "Man On The Moon"... so for me, the deeper cuts on "Out Of Time" are the ones that resonate.   That second half is pretty strong for me (I'm a Kate Pierson fan, too).

Don't you have to be dead inside not to be a Kate Pierson fan?

Regarding the hits, I remember getting Green about a year ago or so and being stunned at how much I didn't like Get Up or Pop Song 89.  I can't remember if those were played on the radio or MTV a lot back in '88/'89, but I have a feeling they were and likely contributed to my dismissal of them as a band at the time.  I will always swear by Stand as being as a good one, though.

[Stadler]

I find Out of Time slightly overrated to be honest. Losing My Religion is great, Low is a personal favorite and Shiny Happy People is fun, but honestly the second half of the album doesn't really have any standouts at all. I'd take it over Green but compared to the other albums before it and a few after it, it has a bunch of songs that feel a bit like B-sides.

Excuse me - Country Feedback and Me In Honey are here to see you. 

As for croaky voiced has beens singing on rock songs - gotta go with Marianna Faithful on The Memory Remains.

Generally not a big gan of croaky voiced has beens singing on rock songs, as a rule.

[Kotowboy]

On The Memory Remains - that was the point of the song. Faded stars still trying to be relevant. The singing was perfect.

Also - Damn, Hetfield's lyrics were great on Load and Reload.

Also inb4 someone posts an example of bad lyrics from one of the 27 songs as a joke.

[HOF]

Picked up Document recently. I already knew about half of it, but it’s a really fun album. I’m loving the saxophone on Fireplace. Sounds almost like a modern King Crimson track. Was not expecting that from R.E.M. 

[KevShmev]

Picked up Document recently. I already knew about half of it, but it’s a really fun album. I’m loving the saxophone on Fireplace. Sounds almost like a modern King Crimson track. Was not expecting that from R.E.M.

I like Document, but I don't love it.  As a still relatively new big fan (got into them in a big way finally in late '19), Document is low on the list of albums I reach for.  I will bust out the first four songs somewhat often, as well as the aforementioned Fireplace and King of Birds, but nothing else from it really grabs me (I am fine with never hearing It's the End of the World... ever again).  Murmur, Automatic for the People and Out of Time are holding up for me as the best of the bunch, with New Adventures in Hi-Fi and Lifes Rich Pageant both being quite good as well.

[HOF]

Picked up Document recently. I already knew about half of it, but it’s a really fun album. I’m loving the saxophone on Fireplace. Sounds almost like a modern King Crimson track. Was not expecting that from R.E.M.

I like Document, but I don't love it.  As a still relatively new big fan (got into them in a big way finally in late '19), Document is low on the list of albums I reach for.  I will bust out the first four songs somewhat often, as well as the aforementioned Fireplace and King of Birds, but nothing else from it really grabs me (I am fine with never hearing It's the End of the World... ever again).  Murmur, Automatic for the People and Out of Time are holding up for me as the best of the bunch, with New Adventures in Hi-Fi and Lifes Rich Pageant both being quite good as well.

It's The End of the World is a really nostalgic one for me. I can see getting tired of it but I never have for some reason. The One I Love is another one I've heard a million times, but something about the performance always pulls me in. It's a really simple song to play (and the lyrics are totally repetitive), but I love the drum groove on it.

[KevShmev]

It's The End of the World is a really nostalgic one for me. I can see getting tired of it but I never have for some reason. The One I Love is another one I've heard a million times, but something about the performance always pulls me in. It's a really simple song to play (and the lyrics are totally repetitive), but I love the drum groove on it.

Document and Green both have some good stuff, but both have a particular sound and element that sort of bothers me, and I cannot, for the life of me, put my finger on what it is.  I just know it when I hear it.  Vague, right? 

While I was a big fan of Stand at the time, and still really like it, it feels like many of their singles back then were duds.  Pop Song 89 and Get Up are both painfully annoying and mediocre. 

[HOF]

It's The End of the World is a really nostalgic one for me. I can see getting tired of it but I never have for some reason. The One I Love is another one I've heard a million times, but something about the performance always pulls me in. It's a really simple song to play (and the lyrics are totally repetitive), but I love the drum groove on it.

Document and Green both have some good stuff, but both have a particular sound and element that sort of bothers me, and I cannot, for the life of me, put my finger on what it is.  I just know it when I hear it.  Vague, right? 

While I was a big fan of Stand at the time, and still really like it, it feels like many of their singles back then were duds.  Pop Song 89 and Get Up are both painfully annoying and mediocre.

Green is my least favorite of the REM albums I own. I don’t mind Pop Song, and I like Stand and Orange Crush, but nothing else on it is very interesting.

[KevShmev]

Green is my least favorite of the REM albums I own. I don’t mind Pop Song, and I like Stand and Orange Crush, but nothing else on it is very interesting.

I consider World Leader Pretend a top 5 R.E.M. tune, so I have to at least give Green that.

[Stadler]

Green is my least favorite of the REM albums I own. I don’t mind Pop Song, and I like Stand and Orange Crush, but nothing else on it is very interesting.

I consider World Leader Pretend a top 5 R.E.M. tune, so I have to at least give Green that.

What DO you reach for then?    I'm a frustrated R.E.M. fan, in that when I love them, I LOVE them, but there's so much in the catalogue that I find close... but no cigar.    Lifes Rich Pageant is, at any given time, my favorite record by them.   I really dig Document, but understand you when you say "after the first four songs....".    I'm not a fan of the hipster favorites: "ITEOTW(AWKI)", "Man On The Moon", "World Leader Pretend", "Shiny Happy People".  I prefer the stuff that's a little more direct and unabashedly what they are:  "Begin The Begin", "Disturbance At The Heron House", "Everybody Hurts", "Me and Honey".

[HOF]

Green is my least favorite of the REM albums I own. I don’t mind Pop Song, and I like Stand and Orange Crush, but nothing else on it is very interesting.

I consider World Leader Pretend a top 5 R.E.M. tune, so I have to at least give Green that.

What DO you reach for then?    I'm a frustrated R.E.M. fan, in that when I love them, I LOVE them, but there's so much in the catalogue that I find close... but no cigar.    Lifes Rich Pageant is, at any given time, my favorite record by them.   I really dig Document, but understand you when you say "after the first four songs....".    I'm not a fan of the hipster favorites: "ITEOTW(AWKI)", "Man On The Moon", "World Leader Pretend", "Shiny Happy People".  I prefer the stuff that's a little more direct and unabashedly what they are:  "Begin The Begin", "Disturbance At The Heron House", "Everybody Hurts", "Me and Honey".

R.E.M. is one of those “has a bunch of great songs” bands more than a “has a bunch of great albums” bands maybe. I do dig Monster and Automatic for the People as albums, and I think Document is really good too (so far, I’ve had it for a couple weeks).

[KevShmev]

Green is my least favorite of the REM albums I own. I don’t mind Pop Song, and I like Stand and Orange Crush, but nothing else on it is very interesting.

I consider World Leader Pretend a top 5 R.E.M. tune, so I have to at least give Green that.

What DO you reach for then?    I'm a frustrated R.E.M. fan, in that when I love them, I LOVE them, but there's so much in the catalogue that I find close... but no cigar.    Lifes Rich Pageant is, at any given time, my favorite record by them.   I really dig Document, but understand you when you say "after the first four songs....".    I'm not a fan of the hipster favorites: "ITEOTW(AWKI)", "Man On The Moon", "World Leader Pretend", "Shiny Happy People".  I prefer the stuff that's a little more direct and unabashedly what they are:  "Begin The Begin", "Disturbance At The Heron House", "Everybody Hurts", "Me and Honey".

Aside from the aforementioned Document and Green songs...

All of Murmur (top 3 R.E.M. album)
I really dig about half of Reckoning
I really like a few songs from Fables... but I find the majority to be a miss for me (but I plan to revisit it at some point)
I dig most of Lifes Rich Pageant, with the exception of Superman, which I do not like
Almost all of Out of Time (another top 3 R.E.M. album)
Almost all of Automatic for the People, outside of the New Orleans instrumental (probably their best)
A few songs from Monster (the majority of this blows, though)
Most of New Adventures in Hi-Fi (this was initially my favorite, and I still really like it, but it's more of a "I have to be in the right mood for it" kinda album now)
And then select tracks from the last five albums.  I recently discovered some of the good ones from the last one, most notably It Happened Today and Uberlin.

R.E.M. is one of those “has a bunch of great songs” bands more than a “has a bunch of great albums” bands maybe. I do dig Monster and Automatic for the People as albums, and I think Document is really good too (so far, I’ve had it for a couple weeks).

I think I agree with this.  Seems like the majority of their albums have songs I feel aren't very good, and even most of their best ones have one or two that could have been chucked, IMO.

[EPICVIEW]

Im a fan of most of their old stuff  I dont reach for it much lately

[Stadler]

Kev, we're not that far off in our assessment of the R.E.M. catalogue.  Murmur is definitely top three.  I would never put Automatic as best, but I'm in the same place with Reckoning, Fables, and Hi-fi.

I do like Superman, though.  I love when Mike and Michael trade off vocals like that.