This is a tragic American tale, much like the exploits of Fivel where he was so cruelly disappointed when the streets of America were not paved with cheese. I really should see that awful movie again. Why not? I've seen Short Circuit again, and liked it no less. Anyway, the tragedy is the REM tragedy. I've liked REM for as long as I've liked popular music that my dad didn't listen to. I remember listening to my brother's radio stations and hearing "Stand" and "Losing My Religion" in 1991, the latter of which was featured on my first mix tape containing such legendary acts as Laura Brannigan, Roxette, and the Alan Parsons Project. I liked REM before I liked U2 (It took until 1994 for me to like U2, while my affair with REM began in 1991/1992). Green was my first REM album that I bought on CD and I think it is still my favorite album. I was sucked into Monster and Automatic and Out of Time as my interest grew. Around this time was the first time that I heard the dreaded term "sell-out" being used to describe REM. This came from a junior level debator who made the claim that REM sold out after signing with Warner in 1988 and leaving IRS. Thus, to him, Document was the last of the pure albums. At the time, I thought he was an idiot. I explored the back catalog and found it wonderful. I loved such albums as Fables of the Reconstruction, my friend and I often quoting Old Man Kensey to one another because the lyrics killed us. Eric and I would go to Media Play every week to vainly search for a cassette of Chronic Town, it being the last REM recording that we didn't have between the two of us. I loved REM. I bought New Adventures in Hi-Fi the day it came out. It was a difficult album for a 16-year old to really grasp, but I listened to it over and over and over, leaving "Leave" on repeat indefintely. I was devastated by the loss of Berry, but this did not sway me. I purchased Up the day it came out two years later...At this point in time, REM had fallen off in popularity. While Monster had been relatively big, New Adventures barely made platinum strictly riding on the popularity of Monster. Up's first single was Daysleeper and the second was Lotus. Both were played about 5 times at the most on the radio and then were summarily replaced by Squirrel Nut Zipper, Cherry Pooping Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the rest of the swing swing crowd that populated alternative radio in the late 1990s. Most of REM's fan base turned away. I, on the other hand, loved Up. I still do. It's an incredible album, easily the most underrated album of REM's catalog. I still love to listen to it. On my return from my mission, I saw the video for Imitation of Life and bought Reveal. It's somewhat weak, but I still felt that they were doing okay. Still relevant, still great, still a band that I was dying to see.
Then came Around the Sun. I have forced myself to like albums in the past. I managed to listen to U2's Pop for years before finally admitting it's a weak album. If I like a band, I will make myself listen to their stuff. This is probably why I enjoy Reveal more than the rest of the crowd. I tried with Around the Sun. I tried so hard. It took me months of listening to it over and over before I made the decision...."This stinks! I hate it!" I turned my back on it. I didn't even make a good faith effort to attend their concert in SLC (and I heard it wasn't that good...Josh, let me know if I'm misinterpreting this). Anywho, they've broken me. I've always known that Stipe was a politico, and that's fine. But REM throwing in their lot with the Rock Against Bush crowd really got to me for some reason. Rock Against Bush with Radiohead and Bruce Springsteen and Elbow, but not Yellowcard. Please! Not Yellowcard!!!! REM is no longer the current Greatest American Band. Greatest of All Time? One album does not a career destroy, REM is the greatest American Band of all Time. I'll agree to that.
Implicit in my commentary is that anyone is welcome to comment on my blog. This is not an Anderson thing as only one Anderson is involved (unless you count my wife who comments to me offline). The other two commentators are a Call and a Sorensen. Maybe you have to have Scandinavian blood to comment. This is a shout out to ChiSox Inferno Lundberg (oy vey, I can't remember how to spell my sister's last name after three years of marriage) who hasn't commented in months.
I think I'm splitting my post, as I've got some other things to say
2 comments:
Sadly, I agree. I maintain that Berry is going to return for some secret writing/recording session and they're going to release one final, majestic album as R.E.M.
Dood, excellent post. Other than the Huey Lewis tape my aunt gave me for my 12th birthday, my first rock anything was R.E.M. Green, on vinyl, for Christmas that same year. I cannot even tell you how many times I've listened to that album. I started gathering tapes of the old stuff next. Through junior high and high school, I'd say R.E.M. shaped nearly all my tastes: clothes, movies, girls, everything. Automatic was even more impactful than Green. Its acoustic edge led me to tons of new music. I was kinda known as the kid who liked R.E.M.
Then there was Monster. And all the sudden all the kids who used to make fun of me for liking R.E.M. were piling into their moms' minivans to go the concert at Giants Stadium. The clincher happen one day at my locker when I overheard this little, blue-haired freak say to his buddy: "I heard this brand new R.E.M. song today, it's called Superman."
That was it, I was officially betrayed. But after the mish, I went and bought both Monster and Hi-Fi—let's just say they're both currently on my iPod. I’ve purchased every R.E.M. album since then, but rarely listen to them. Their new sound, never really appealed to me. Then, the song Leaving New York came out. It kicked my trash. It was layered, beautiful, and passionate and it inspired my wife and I to catch the SLC concert at the E-Center.
I somehow, without knowing it, managed to get 5th row, center stage tickets. And other than the mega-creepy Michael Stipe raccoon make-up, the concert rocked. Honestly the standout songs were actually The Great Beyond and Imitation of Live—two totally new-sound songs. So that was weird. But easily the best song of the night was their rendition of the original version of Drive—not that crap funk version they played for a few years. I'll be utterly honest here and say, made the eyes water. I realized how much of my youth was tied to that anthem.
So here's the deal, when bands and artist like The Coldplays, Radiohead, Nirvana, Grant Lee Phillips, etc. cite R.E.M. as a major influence, contributor, and/or friend—you know something's up. (Don't be shocked if this comment ends up as a post on my own blog.)
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