Incidentally, the next album lined up to review is their 1991 Unplugged bootleg. What a great performance. The Out of Time songs really fit in the Unplugged setting.

Oh good! I think that's when the band was really at their peak regarding live performances. They played a few older songs at that performance as well. I think the entire thing (or most of it) is on Youtube. The songs from Out Of Time really do suit the acoustic performance.

I've listened to Out of Time on and off for a few years. It's a really solid album. It's definitely a very sunny album. I remember just randomly playing it as I walked the river front sometime last year on a very nice spring day. I still think "Shiny Happy People" was meant to be tongue-in-cheek but was somehow taken seriously by people. I like the addition of Kate Pierson on the album, due to my love of the B-52's.

I think I'm more anticipating the review of Automatic for the People. It's the album that made me (and thousands of others) fall for the band. I'm not really old enough to have been around for their IRS albums. I was really only familiar with the radio songs until a certain point in my life which I will probably go into detail after you get to the album.

I vaguely remember hearing the "Leaving New York" single when it was new. It actually wasn't until Accelerate when I heard, and then actually purchased, a whole album of theirs brand new. The rest of them I've found in thrift stores and through the local library. It's kind of sad when a band like R.E.M. seems to be donated frequently with a lot of mediocre '80's and '90's CD/vinyl collections.

Great review, one thing I seemed to notice when listening to this is it seems to have more Mike Mills vocals than any other album.

Totally agree with the summer theme, the music video and sound of Near Wild Heaven especially, if you've ever seen it?

You given up already? ;-)

Sorry guys, I've been really worked out for the past month with school and such, but my finals are done in two weeks and I should be able to rocket through the next few reviews after that.

Finally...


Recorded in 1991 and released later that year, "Blue" is an unauthorized audio release of R.E.M.'s 1991 MTV Unplugged session. For those of you unfamiliar with the "Unplugged" format, it is fairly simple. Bands are invited by MTV to play stripped down versions of some songs of their choice without the use of electric instrumentation. Some of these songs that are performed are aired on TV, and audio bootlegs of the full shows sometimes surface. Occasionally, these performances are released officially. Nirvana and Eric Clapton have both released official Unplugged albums to critical acclaim. R.E.M. performed two Unplugged shows, one in 1991 and another ten years later. Neither of these performances were officially released, so the quality is less than stellar on both. Nevertheless, their first Unplugged show "Blue" provides an interesting new look at R.E.M. songs both well known and more obscure.

The show begins with the Out of Time standout "Half A World Away," a song the beauty of which transcends explanation. The performance is essentially note-perfect, and while the lush string arrangement and high production of the album version are missing, the stripped down nature of the song gives it a more honest and earthy tone, something that is best captured by a live performance. It is with this release that R.E.M. seem to assert their position as a folk/gothic country band, and while no songs from that album are present here, many of these performances evoke the more mellow cuts from their 1985 masterpiece "Fables of the Reconstruction." it pains me to listen to Blue without wondering how perfectly "Wendell Gee" or "Maps and Legends" would fit on here, but I digress. Rather than choose songs already tailored to acoustic performance, they instead chose to reimagine many of their songs new and old for the Unplugged setting. This is a bold choice, but one that pays off well on Blue. Their folk leanings are evident on darkly reserved "Low" from Out of Time, whose plodding bass stands out among the sparse instrumentation. When Michael raises his voice fully to sing "You and me, we know about time!" chills abound, before he continues the stream of consciousness outburst. On Blue, Low begins a remarkable five song run of fantastic performances. After Low comes a version of Murmur's "Perfect Circle", prefaced by a heartfelt dedication to an anonymous Donald. "Don't give up" Stipe says, before launching into the sparse, organ led performance. As the organ plays, Peters Buck and Holsapple (the latter of jangle pop band The dB's) play quiet acoustic guitar melodies, intertwining with each other to produce a very cathartic result. Stipe's own voice takes a backseat to the chorus harmonies of Mike Mills, stunning in their own right, but particularly beautiful here. All in all, it is perhaps the best performance on the record.

...that is, if it wasn't directly followed by Fall on Me, the best song on the band's 1986 record "Lifes Rich Pageant." Though my love for Fall on Me is well documented, I need to go on record once again to say that it is truly one of R.E.M.'s greatest accomplishments if not one of the greatest accomplishments in all of music. This song is mindblowingly good, and the Unplugged performance of it is no exception. The twin guitars shine once again, as do Mills' harmonies. Stipe sounds more harrowing than ever; his age gives the song a new, more mature sound, and while the average listener may be unable to understand his cryptic lyrics, he certainly sounds confident in what he is saying. After thunderous applause unexpected given the intimate nature of the show, the band segues into "Belong." While the Out of Time version suffered from immense overproduction, the version found here is quite wonderful. The guitars, bass and congas provide a flowing undercurrent for the gorgeous wordless chorus, rich in Beach Boys-like harmonies. The song is still marred by Stipes' borderline thought-provoking/borderline pretentious spoken word stuff in the verses, but it is a significant improvement over the original. The five song run culminates in a heart-warming cover of the Troggs' "Love is All Around", for which Mike Mills takes lead vocals duties. Mills' child like voice gives the song a joyfully innocent tone, while Michael's dutiful "Ba ba ba ba ba"'s keep it centered.

Unfortunately, none of the performances elsewhere on this record match the quality of the aforementioned six. While some of them are performed well, they seem uninspired. Such is the case with the version of the then-megahit "Losing My Religion", as well as the Document song "Disturbance at the Heron House." Even the encore closer "Pop Song 89," fantastic on record, sounds contrived and out of place in this setting. Worse still is the performance of the abysmal "Radio Song" which is improved slightly over the original by removing KRS-One's inexplicable rap, but still suffers from general sucking. Finally, "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" is performed as something of a joke; a bitter kiss off to MTV who requested that it be played as an obvious cash grab. "We had to get the words on a computer," Michael says, "and I'm not sure they're right."

In all, Blue is great in concept and scope and while often well executed, it suffers from some poor song choice and occasionally weak performances, as well as somewhat lackluster sound quality. Nevertheless, it is a worthy addition to any R.E.M. fan's collection.

Key Tracks: "Half A World Away", "Perfect Circle", "Fall on Me"

What's this mean?

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Oh, OK.

Alright y'all, Automatic for the People is next. The review should be up in a few days. Thanks for reading!

As plaintively stated in "Everybody Hurts", sadness is a universal human emotion. At some point in his or her life, every person has experienced some event of such unequivocal pain, loss, or disappointment that makes us grieve; disoriented, we face the world with the kind of infantile vulnerability that defines a child. We come to crave a mother's consolation, we cry for help, and for better or worse, we redefine ourselves in the process. My depression now defines my life, impacting my grades, my social behavior, and my sense of self-worth. With breathtaking scope and startling accuracy, Automatic for the People charts this cycle of depression through Michael Stipe's poetic lens, and in doing so, provides an ocean of hope to those trapped within this vicious circle.

The album begins with the chilling "Drive", a, well, driving minor key acoustic guitar led anthem which, through heavily reverbed and echoed vocals, sarcastically mocks the Jonathan Richmand/Springsteen rock cliche of kids driving away from home with hope for a new life. It's bleak outlook on this common musical notion perfectly emulates the initial feeling of cynicism and bitterness towards life that depression leads to. The song is hopelessly dark, and as it climaxes, Peter Buck's electric guitar storms in, furiously announcing the album's arrival. Subsequently, "Try Not To Breath" offers a disturbing but brilliant double entendre. "I will try not to breath" Michael Stipe sings, either a startlingly morose threat of suicide or a childish reversal of the old saying "Don't hold your breath." Who is it that Stipe is waiting for? It is not a specific person or thing so much as a call for help. Furthermore, the song takes on a third meaning when one considers the second verse. "This decision is mine. I have lived a full life and these are the eyes that I want you to remember." In light of Terri Schaivo and cases like hers, "Try Not To Breath" seems to be a statement of a rational and self aware need to die. However, by the end of the song, Stipe sings that he only wants the ambiguous second person to understand to "remember". This internal torture marks Stipe's own depression, while the subject matter helps the listener understand his fascination with death, a theme which is nearly ubiquitous on "Automatic for the People." The following track, "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" has been criticized as throwaway and thematically out of synch with the rest of the album, but while I recognize its upbeat and seemingly joyful nature as different, a closer listen reveals its ironic nature as a simply great pop song. The indecipherable chorus is classic R.E.M. - impossible to understand, and seemingly meaningless once the words are finally discerned. Thankfully, Sidewinder does provide a much needed dose of joy early on in an otherwise stark and depressing album.

"Everybody Hurts", which follows, is somewhat deservedly disliked among R.E.M. fans. For some, it was seen as the point at which they stopped being a "cool" band. It certainly does contain a fairly high concentration of sappiness, as well as lyrically coming across as somewhat middling and overwrought ("Sometimes everything is wrong/Now it's time to sing along""). But who can deny the emotional power harnessed by that chorus? "Everybody Hurts" has a near-Hey Jude level of epic crescendo; the final "You are not alone!" is enough to bring tears at my most pathetic. Perhaps one needs to approach this song from a certain perspective to enjoy it. While line's such as the central "Everybody Hurts, everybody cries" might come off as generic and meaningless in a normal state of mind, they gain innocently beautiful meaning in a sad one. After the emotional tour de force that Everybody Hurts evokes, the listener is graced with the sombre "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1", a mellow funeral effigy which at just over two minutes never overstays its welcome but rather provides a quiet period for reflection. Without vocals, "New Orleans" forces the listener to focus on the instrumentation, which is mostly the same throughout the whole album. Unlike Out of Time, which boasted lush, occasionally overdone instrumentation and production, Automatic is more sparse. It still retains a very high production value, but everything on Automatic is more reserved than its predecessor. The string arrangements, while prevalent, are more folk influenced, as well as the organ tracks, which recall Green more than Out of Time. The guitar also takes on a very different role for Automatic. No longer the jangley riff-master of the IRS Years, Peter Buck's guitar contributions here are rarely more than an afterthought, often solemnly following Michael's bright vocal melodies. Rather, Buck's strength shows more on the mandolin led tracks. His playing shines on the sinister "Monty Got a Raw Deal", which boasts a mandolin riff of Losing My Religion proportions.

Anyway, "Sweetness Follows" continues on with the theme of death and rebirth. Michael talks about burying his mother and father, and asks what would happen if he "lost another". I am not sure if "Sweetness Follows" is suggesting that sarcastically or honestly, but the vocal harmonies and horn arrangement make it a great song. "Ignoreland", is upbeat, like "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" except instead of pop perfection, it is angry and void of the joy and happiness that "Sidewinder" encapsulates. Led by a charging electric guitar riff and a blasting harmonica, Michael Stipe's stream-of-consciousness lyrics read like OK Computer-era Radiohead and play like Henry Rollins after a trip through the library. "I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this. So, fuck you, man" might be the most hilarious thing Michael Stipe has ever written, intentional or not. Regardless, "Ignoreland" is an awesome, high energy song the internal frustration of which captures the rage of a depressive episode to a tee. The reflective "Star Me Kitten", an interesting, albeit flawed experiment, serves as a cooling period for the hateful feeling invoked by "Ignoreland", and in the context of the album, it works.

Finally, the album culminates in perhaps my favorite album closing trio in popular music. "Man On the Moon" is a slide guitar led mid-tempo hit single which covers topics as varied as Moses, Darwin, Elvis, and Andy Kaufman. None of it makes any sense but somehow when I'm sad it never fails to bring me to tears. The chorus is just glorious, with Mike Mills backing vocals adding so much, as they always seem to do. It's followed by "Nightswimming", an absolute masterpiece which like Wendell Gee seven years earlier, stands out as the clear highlight of an amazing album. From the first piano line, Nightswimming plays like a modernized "Moon River", as Michael reads innocently and beautifully his story of swimming at night in Athens, forgetting his shirt at the water's edge, his shyness hiding just beneath the surface as he contemplates his fear of getting caught, of recklessness and water. "These things they go away, replaced by everyday" Michael sings. On an album full of turns and stops at which one has the opportunity to fully reassess himself, Nightswimming is the last and most meaningful point of reflection. In some ways, it feels like the culmination of a brilliant musical career, and a funeral song for a band that from this point would never recapture such flawless brilliance. Whatever your interpretation, it is easy to appreciate "Nightswimming" as one of the greatest musical achievements credited to R.E.M.

Impossibly difficult to follow, and seemingly a great closer itself, Nightswimming is succeeded by "Find The River" which, however impossibly, serves not only to perfectly close this monumental album, but to inject a final sense that all is not lost into an incredibly dense, depressing record. Though Stipe admits "Nothing is going my way" he still finds "a need to leave". Finally, after a beautiful but harrowing 48 minutes, Michael Stipe leaves the listener with this, and as such, I will do the same.

Spot on review. Good job. My first R.E.M. album and easily my favorite. I discovered it right when I needed it too.

Oh, and Mon and Antarctica is a great suggestion,

So I just got an advance copy of the Fables of the Reconstruction reissue and I'm loving it. Expect the review for the bonus disk next. Should be up in a few days.

I'm in no mood to make a cogent point right now but if you consider this album a 10/10 then your previous 10/10s don't mean much because this is certainly not a perfect album (not even close). I don't like the MM comparison either

Obviously you are a fanboy but this is too much. I do like the album btw - it's just that most of it's shit compared to a lot of their older stuff. Truly

I think a significant factor in the formation of my opinions regarding an album is my personal experience associated with the album. Consequently, this is a factor in my rating system as well. I understand that different people have different standards and different opinions and I wish you would respect mine. Thanks. For christ's sake, the rating doesn't even matter anyway. Isn't the review far more important?

Also, I chose that Modest Mouse album because I think both albums have a similarly dark, cold feel to them, and both deal with themes of death and isolation.

And I don't think that most of it's "shit" I think it's a great album, though very different from much of their IRS stuff. I'm sorry you don't feel the same way.

Good review of AFTP. Personally I would give the album 9/10. It's near perfect, except for the song "Ignoreland". Not my most favourite song of theirs, and I believe it would have fit better on an album like Green, mostly due to the strong political tones in the song.

Yeah the review is more important. I almost added an edit to say that I actually think your review of the album is quite a good one. My personal feelings about how different this is from other albums that you've rated 10/10 provoked me

Well, that's a lot more cogent a point than I was willing to make. I can see the comparison

Honestly I haven't listened to the album in years. But I listened to it a lot once upon a time. I remember about a 40% shit factor.

I could be wrong though and I didn't mean to trash your review. The 10/10 obviously made me prickle but, like you said, to each his own

I'm sorry. Automatic meant a lot to me when I was a little kid and I had to acknowledge that. Sometimes it's hard to downrate an album that you've essentially grown up with. I guess it just has a lot of sentimental and nostalgic value, even though it doesn't matter to me as much now as it did when I was younger.

Good job Rickenbacker, just read the AFTP review and will enjoy reading the rest when I'm not half asleep. Its a shame REM were never the same band since.

Great thread Rick!

Are you still planning to complete the reviews? I'd LOVE to hear what you have to say about the rest of the 90s REM albums and their later material.

Looks good so far.

I await "Monster".... be gentle, as it is one of the worst. lol. I would personally give it about a 5/10 actually. It is middle of the road stuff. Not awful, Not great... just average. I do not hate it as much as some though, I think it is an interesting shift into the world of alt. rock, just has no one great song that stands out and seems kinda forced.

But I will await your review to see how that turns out.

No way man! Monster's great! I love how REM can put out an accoustic rock masterpiece and then immediately after put out a big rock album that kicks ass too! The album's full of great tunes like What's The Frequency, Strange Currencies, Circus Envy, You, Tongue, Crush With Eyeliner, etc. Nearly every song on this album is good - great in my opinon.

In my personal opinon, the only REM album that could possibly qualify as middle of the road would be Around The Sun. Some don't like Reveal, but I think Reveal kicks ass.

Monster is okay. I hate the song Tongue though.

I think the whole concept around the song is interesting. Michael's falsetto is funny and reminds me of U2's Lemon.

Maybe I haven't given it enough of a chance, I don't know. It just never grew on me.

That's probably because it's terrible.

I listened to it again, and yes it really isn't a good song. Not one of Michael Stipe's best efforts, that's for sure.

Monster all around though is a strong album. But New Adventures kicks its ass.

I just realized, in Rick's original post he said Monster was released in 1995, when in fact it was actually released in 1994.