Ive discovered REM

Oh you horrid man.

Tom, I was rather hoping that Nick has no U2, and was mearly on the wind up, although I see where he is coming from.

On a lighter note, am playing Ian simmonds right now, which on first inspection seemed a little repeatative, but on seond, third and forth play I have decided is actually rather tidy.

Coupled with my other steal, Spacer: The Beamer I feel I have done rather well this week.

Plus I have some Roni Size, Big Bud and elctro soma, stuck in the post office, just as soon as I can get up there.

Life is good as long as there is music in there.

You certainly should not stop with Green - like any act with their volume of output some of it is patchy, but they are a class act and everything I have has some worthwhile songs on it even Monster.

Olly

Hi Garyi

Start at the start with 'Murmur' the first 'proper' album.

Onomatopoeiac mumbling by Mr Stipe (on his own admission) lends this album a certain wonderful enigmatic quality.

'Reckoning' is in a similar vein and also great.

Mr Stipe's use of words and rhyme is spellbinding.

'Cuyahoga' on the 1986 'Life's Rich Pageant' is a beautiful history lesson.

Buy Eponymous, the "greatest hits" of their 80's stuff (through Document, I believe) and be done.

Nothing was good after that. They stopped mumbling.

Algers- PS, buy They Might Be Giants' Lincoln if you haven't yet.

I'm in the start with "Murmur", keep going in chronological order till you get to Document or feel you've had enough camp. Possibly skip "Fables..." along the way.

Matthew

quote:

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They stopped mumbling

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And Stipe started jumping around like a fool. I saw them on the Reckoning tour back in 1984 and he just stood there with hair in face stuck to the microphone looking all the world to be afraid to move a muscle for fear of breaking. Great show though but I stopped listening to them after Fables. Shame on me.

Ages ago now the label released a "Best of REM", which Andy Kershaw gave a capsule review of on his show once, something like. "A complete waste of money, if you want the best of REM you should buy all their albums". And he was right. Though I like some better than others (Murmur and Automatic are my faves) they're all good and all worth having.

As are several U2 albums, btw. Particularly Achtung Baby and Boy..

Pete.

quote:

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Originally posted by maxwellspeed:

And Stipe started jumping around like a fool. I saw them on the Reckoning tour back in 1984 and he just stood there with hair in face stuck to the microphone looking all the world to be afraid to move a muscle for fear of breaking. Great show though but I stopped listening to them after Fables. Shame on me.

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To be fair to Stipe, the jumping around did take place, but during the UK tour he injured his back, so the dancing stopped....
I saw them twice during this tour, before and then after the injury. The second show was much more subdued.

I like their work rather than love it, but I do have a soft spot for "Murmur" and "Reckoning". The subsequent recordings I inherited with my wife, and I do think "Adventures in HiFi" is pretty good.

Brian OReilly

Matthew wrote: "I'm in the start with "Murmur"..
Actually the start was 'Chronic Town', a 5-track 'mini-LP' (well it was 1982) which could be the most likeable thing they ever did, and certainly has the definitive REM sound. Available on CD along with 'Dead Letter Office', an equally enjoyable collection of outtakes and covers from the mid-80s.

REM are one of my favourite bands, I have been into them since the late 80's and have pretty much all of their stuff. Highlights would be 'Lifes Rich Pagent', 'Document', Murmer (so far ahead of its time), 'Green', 'Out of Time' and 'automatic for the people'. For a band that have been together over 20 years they have been very consistent and even their patchy albums still hold the interest. For some reason they have always been lumped with U2 in so far as if you like one you probably dislike the other. I really dislike U2!

quote:

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Originally posted by Pete:
Ages ago now the label released a "Best of REM"

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Yeah - that's the one on IRS with the stupidly naff cover (4 stylised heads and a REAAAAALY tacky REM logo) but good tunes - I hate the font they used for the track listing though

Is it true that on one of the tracks on Reckoning, Stipe got so emotional during the track that he fell down the stairs (he used to mic himself up in a stairway for better vocal sound apparently)? The track just stops dead where he stops. I'd like to think this is true.

Automatic is HEINOUSLY worn out in my circle of mates, but brings back ace memories. I liked Monster too, even though no-one else does.

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

Gary--

Automatic is generally regarded as one of their very best albums, along with Murmur, Reckoning, and Document. I would also personally add Life's Rich Pageant and Up to that list.

Given that you have Automatic and Out of Time, I'd suggest Murmur next, followed by Pageant and Document. I'd then suggest New Adventures in Hifi, which for me is a bit spottier--some great songs, but also some I don't like as much.

Of course, you could also just get the special edition "Best Of" double CD they just released. Since I've already used up bandwidth describing it, I won't repeat it. You can find it here:
http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=67019385&f=38019385&m=1681977386

To get a good overview of the group, get Eponymous and In Time--that covers their whole history. And if you want some hilarity, pick up Dead Letter Office, which is a collection of b-sides and the like...

One of the two most important/influential American bands of the last 23 years...

And Chris--it actually started with the Hib-Tone single of "Radio Free Europe." It preceded Chronic Town and makes for a great trivia question.

Best,

Bob

Oddly going back to the top of this thread U2 got voted as having the best love song of all time in some music mag or another for One.

what has this world come too.

And Sargant Peppers in another mag as the best album of all time, give me a break its at best spotty, I prefer the zappa piss take cover as well!