[atari 2600]

I like both of those too (Document (last for IRS) and Green (first for WB))...
he was writing about Out of Time...

stepping stones to superstardom

"Radio Free Europe" on Letterman '83 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA57Pafq_NU
"So. Central Rain" Letterman '83 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykp0Vq77IBw

USA channel's Night Flight aired selections from the Passaic, NJ and Seattle (both from June '84) concerts. MTV's I.R.S. The Cutting Edge aired rehearsal and interview segments.

Can't Get There From Here airs on MTV 120 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXscBQ9HHKE
Driver 8 MTV 120 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCPRsxvCoHU
Feeling Gravitys Pull directed by Jim Herbert MTV 120 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGRijAMkl8
Life and How to Live It had airplay on the 120 Minutes program a handful of times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwcib...eature=related

The upstart Spin magazine put them on the cover. Then Rolling Stone hailed them as "America's Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band" with a cover story. I wish I still had the issues. There's some libraries that have bound volumes in periodicals, I suppose.
Fall On Me was played in regular rotation. and R.E.M. are nowhere to be seen in it; the content featured upside-down footage of a railyard and song lyrics. A purposeful mystery. Stipe and Co. became fairly regular items on MTV News hosted by Kurt Loder. The band were prominently featured in the Athens, GA Inside/Out documentary. The "R.E.M. Succumbs" video compilation appeared in '87 and featured "Left of Reckoning" and their early music videos.

The One I Love (virtual no-show) and It's the End of the World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine) (again the band was a no-show) came out.
Orange Crush was released from Green. Per their new contract with WB, pressure began to be applied that they occupy their videos more. Pop Song '89, and Stand came along. By the time Losing My Religion became a critically-acclaimed smash hit video by Tarsem, they had really arrived.

[diskaholic-anonymous]

i love their artwork, and my favourite album is "monster".
(not only 'cause of "Crush with Eyeliner"...!)
Long live r.e.m!

[acousticrock87]

Don't much like the I.R.S. stuff, but the later stuff is good car music.

[atari 2600]

ack!

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by pbradley

What album are you saying is unremakable? Because I consider both Document and Green to be remarkable albums and both represent their immediate before and after breakthrough.

I was thinking of Out of Time.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by atari 2600

The One I Love (virtual no-show) and It's the End of the World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine) (again the band was a no-show) came out.
Orange Crush was released from Green. Per their new contract with WB, pressure began to be applied that they occupy their videos more. Pop Song '89, and Stand came along. By the time Losing My Religion became a critically-acclaimed smash hit video by Tarsem, they had really arrived.

It was a great sequence of singles from The One I Love up to Stand, that saw England's media doing all they could to boost the band via TV slots. Losing My Religion was, of course, their commercial breakthrough - and then there was Shiny Happy People, which became a bit of a perverse anthem for the nation's post Acid House comedown (along with the B52s Love Shack(!)) That was quickly forgotten about (fortunately) and, in the UK at least, it was the arrival of Everybody Hurts (with blanket airings of the video) that really solidified their place (at least in terms of singles - albums are more straightforward.)

[LittlePuppetBoy]

Murmur is a freaking masterpiece!

[evollove]

R.E.M. is one of those bands I don't listen to for years, then obsess about them for a few weeks, then go back to ignoring for a few years.

In an R.E.M. phase now.

Hot damn, they were good.

There's a live disc on the Automatic box set that is stunning. They fucking rock, then play the melancholy masterpiece "Country Feedback," then mix the two for "Fall on Me."

I'll be bored of them in a week, but for now I'm in love. Must be Autumn in the midwest.

[Rob Instigator]

REM and Neil YOung doing Country Feedback. sad. https://youtu.be/Z4VfQBDoX6E

[evollove]

Wow.

Downloaded as an audiofile to keep forever.

Thanx

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

R.E.M. is one of those bands I don't listen to for years, then obsess about them for a few weeks, then go back to ignoring for a few years.

In an R.E.M. phase now.

Hot damn, they were good.

There's a live disc on the Automatic box set that is stunning. They fucking rock, then play the melancholy masterpiece "Country Feedback," then mix the two for "Fall on Me."

I'll be bored of them in a week, but for now I'm in love. Must be Autumn in the midwest.

Yeah, I go through those too.
My phases mostly surround Murmur, Out of Time, Monster and New Adventures in HiFi (the best REM album by a mile).

Then I forget they existed, or they become boring in my mind, when they’re actually not boring.

[Rob Instigator]

I am a Chronic Town EP, Murmur, Reckoning, Dead Letter Office, Life's Rich Pageant, Document, Green guy.

[Rob Instigator]

Originally Posted by evollove

Wow.

Downloaded as an audiofile to keep forever.

Thanx

amazing stuff. I love when two similar but different artists from different generations get down with the "younger" artist's music

[Skuj]

Their best album is New Adventures In Hi-Fi.

Also, the post-Berry albums are better than you think they are, and I'm including Around The Sun in this statement.

Discuss.

[Skuj]

Originally Posted by Severian

...... New Adventures in HiFi (the best REM album by a mile).

This.

[evollove]

Originally Posted by Skuj

I'm including Around The Sun in this statement.

I agree.

They put out a live album shortly after Around came out, and the performances of some songs make it clear there's some good material to be found on their supposed worst album.

Originally Posted by Skuj

Their best album is New Adventures In Hi-Fi.

I disagree, although it is quite good.

I sort of don't think they ever made a totally bad album. I prefer some over others, or some are better for certain moods, but none really suck. That's pretty fucking rare in any discography.

Interestingly, my top 10 song choices don't really comment on how I feel about the albums. Example: Automatic may be in my top 3 albums, but not one particular song makes my list.

Wolves, Lower
9-9
Pilgrimage
Harborcoat
Photograph* (w/ Natalie Merchant, off the Born to Choose compilation)
Fall on Me
End of the World
Country Feedback
Beat a Drum ("This is all I want, all I need" from Reveal)
Uberlin

This list will change in an hour. Sooner. Yeah, I'm already swapping "Oh My Heart" for "Uberlin."

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Skuj

Their best album is New Adventures In Hi-Fi.

Also, the post-Berry albums are better than you think they are, and I'm including Around The Sun in this statement.

Discuss.

No love for anything after HiFi, personally.

[Skuj]

Up and Reveal deserve your love.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Skuj

Up and Reveal deserve your love.

I found Up to be completely unstimulating in every way. It didn’t even have the Pet Sounds vibe I (think) I remember Michael Stipe saying it would. Felt fitting for that early morning VH1 time slot.

(Shrug)

Reveal had a shining moment or two if I recall, but nothing — absolutely nothing — on the majesty of the band’s best records.

REM puttered out big time. And not even in an odd ball, this-is-too-weird-for-me-to-tell-if-it’s-good-or-not like the Cure’s “Wild Mood Swings.” Just super duper boring. Especially after HiFi and the underrated Monster, which knocks pretty hard and holds up to modern scrutiny. Love that shit.. “Tongue,” “Strange Currencies,” etc. Compared to that stuff, late REM is like non-music.

Generally speaking from memory here, as I haven’t listened to any post-HiFi REM album in many years. Maybe I’ll give it another go... sometime.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

REM and Neil YOung doing Country Feedback. sad. https://youtu.be/Z4VfQBDoX6E

I must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Rob Instigator again, this time for giving us a link to a TOWERING performance of "Country Feedback" Jesus Christ Mother-FUCK!