R.E.M Thread

I reckon they’d probably be my favourite band if I was alive pre-Radiohead.

Opinions and all, but I’d pretty much agree with that top 10. Would almost certainly have Fall on Me at #1.

Fall on me is an absolute tune

2 Likes

If anyone asks me, REM are always my favourite band. Since the Automatic days when I remember hearing ‘Sidewinder…’, ‘Man on the Moon’, and ‘Everybody Hurts’ on the radio I was in love with the melodies and Stipe’s voice.

First album I bought was Monster on cassette whilst on an exchange in Germany. It wasn’t what I expected and tbh wasn’t what I had hoped for. Yet, after listening to it constantly for the remainder of the trip I was waiting with baited breath for the release of New Adventures…

So much to love about them. They knew how to write a killer pop song, there are so many salacious hooks and each album (even Around The Sun) has some belting tracks on. I’d argue that the majority of albums up to Up have very little in the way of dead / filler tracks.

And to echo @Kallgeese above, Mike Mills is understated. His harmonies, bass playing and occasional lead vocals (check out Yellow River) - simply perfect contrast to the more guttural vocals from Stipe.

3 Likes

wait, what?
there was a RSD release of chronic town that I missed?

grr
got into rem not long after I had my first cd player in the late 80’s so lots of their stuff I only had on cd
luckily I still had a lot of the 12"s & the albums up to document on vinyl
so wish I had naïf on vinyl

There was but it was probably 5 years ago or so. I also don’t remember whether it was available in the UK, I ended up buying it off ebay for a silly sum. Lovely blue vinyl.

looked it up - 2010
cheers!

have you heard the MFP pressings of murmur & reckoning?
completely different mixes

I didn’t know about them, I’ll give them a look up. Thanks for getting the RSD year right, I can now find the pics in my archive!

IMG_0421

3 Likes

Ooooooooooo shiny

sorry for mentioning them then - they can be quite pricey too!

1 Like

Perfect Circle :heart:

Automatic for the People was the first album I ever bought and was my favourite album for a really long time

1 Like

A song I love that I always forget about is At My Most Beautiful. I remember when it came out thinking that it (and Up in general) was such a great and needed departure in sound at that stage of their career. That song and Daysleeper convinced my they could still write a classic without Bill.

4 Likes

Up is so underrated, probably was such a departure that it threw people off a little.

3 Likes

Daysleeper’s one of my favourites. One for the shift workers among us.

1 Like

Agreed. I was expecting a tonne of Automatic type stuff, I really wasn’t expecting the dirty, grungy - almost scuzzy feel of Monster at all. But I soon grew to love it immensely. It’s a great rock record.

2 Likes

Not usually one for bands releasing singles compilations, but REM’s one is stone cold proof what a solid band they were across their career (aside from the latter couple of poor albums).

Also, listening to REM really puts into perspective how shit and derivative Idlewild became post-Remote Part. Seriously, they’re like the absolute shittest REM tribute band ever.

2 Likes

what is MFP please? never heard of these different mixes!

I think you meant to ask me…
& it was a typo

should have said MFS - mobile fidelity sound laboratories

1 Like

looks amazing. the Out Of Time demos were pretty fascinating, i prefer the demo of Half A World Away to the finished version.

1 Like