R.E.M. - Opinions

Mirrorball95 · 06-05-2009, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burning Down

I like everything they did up until New Adventures in Hi-Fi in 1996, (I'm sure lots of people can agree with that), but I do like [I]Accelerate[/].

I think they lost something when Bill Berry left the band in 1997. He was a great drummer and a crucial part of their songwriting, arranging all the songs for them as well as other stuff.

Really? I think 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi' is terribly underrated & happens to be my favourite album by them. As for 'Automatic For The People'. has some great songs in 'Drive' & 'Try Not To Breathe' but is, to me, a patchy effort.

Burning Down · 06-05-2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mirrorball95

Really? I think 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi' is terribly underrated & happens to be my favourite album by them. As for 'Automatic For The People'. has some great songs in 'Drive' & 'Try Not To Breathe' but is, to me, a patchy effort.

Sorry, I phrased that wrong. I meant that I like up until and including NAIHF but not so much the later stuff. Accelerate is pretty good though.

FooFighting · 06-05-2009, 07:53 AM

I'm not sure whatsd my favourite.. I've only heard a couple. But I absolutely love Losing My Religion

Burning Down · 06-05-2009, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FooFighting

I'm not sure whatsd my favourite.. I've only heard a couple. But I absolutely love Losing My Religion

Me too, and it is their biggest song. The band themselves actually splits their career using LMR as the turning point - the pre-LMR and post-LMR periods!

This is how I'd rank their albums:

1) Automatic for the People
2) Out of Time
3) Document
4) Monster
5) Murmur
6) Reckoning
7) New Adventure in Hi-Fi
8) Lifes Rich Pageant
9) Fables of the Reconstruction
10) Green
11) Accelerate
12) Reveal
13) Around the Sun
14) Up

Notice how all the albums with Berry make my top 10!

Rickenbacker · 06-05-2009, 04:19 PM

I disagree. From 1992 - 2004, R.E.M. was in a bit of a "soft music" slump. It was more present on some albums (Around the Sun) than others (Monster), but it was always there. Sometimes it worked really well, like with Automatic, but, coming full circle with Up, it had begin to get boring and stale. Reveal and ATS didn't help much either.

Burning Down · 06-05-2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickenbacker

I disagree. From 1992 - 2004, R.E.M. was in a bit of a "soft music" slump. It was more present on some albums (Around the Sun) than others (Monster), but it was always there. Sometimes it worked really well, like with Automatic, but, coming full circle with Up, it had begin to get boring and stale. Reveal and ATS didn't help much either.

Actually you have a point. Though I have a feeling that the songs on Automatic and perhaps New Adventures flow together better than the songs on Up.

I don't mind ATS and Reveal so much, they're pretty decent, but IMO Up was probably a really awkward album for them to make.

Rickenbacker · 06-05-2009, 07:53 PM

Let's get this straight. ATS was baaad... Stipe even said so.

Burning Down · 06-05-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickenbacker

Let's get this straight. ATS was baaad... Stipe even said so.

Yeah it definately ranks low for me as well. I just bought it so I could have a complete REM collection!

Mirrorball95 · 06-06-2009, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickenbacker

Let's get this straight. ATS was baaad... Stipe even said so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burning Down

Yeah it definately ranks low for me as well. I just bought it so I could have a complete REM collection!

I guess your talking about 'Around The Sun'. I know its quite a poppy album, but I actually love it & rank amongst one of their best along with New Adventures In Hi-Fi. The songs 'Leaving New York' & 'Electron Blue' are excellent.

I think their worst album is probably Out Of Time.

EDIT: I can really get my head around people slating the 'Around The Sun' song: Your not seriously telling me this isnt a great song:
.

I know it isnt their best work but just from the first time I heard the album it just clicked with me & I have loved it ever since.

Burning Down · 06-06-2009, 07:18 AM

Around the Sun as a whole was not their finest piece of work, but I like "Leaving New York." It's such a beautiful song.

Out of Time is not one of my favourites either, but I listen to it as a whole every once in a while. "Losing My Religion" is a masterpiece in my books; a lot of people say that, but I really believe it. "Shiny Happy People" not so much, but I still think it's a fun song. It's too bad they refuse to perform it live, along with "Stand."

Edit: I would actually quite enjoy singing "Shiny Happy People" along with them if it was ever performed live!

06-05-2009, 07:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
FooFighting Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 61	I'm not sure whatsd my favourite.. I've only heard a couple. But I absolutely love Losing My Religion

06-05-2009, 04:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	I disagree. From 1992 - 2004, R.E.M. was in a bit of a "soft music" slump. It was more present on some albums (Around the Sun) than others (Monster), but it was always there. Sometimes it worked really well, like with Automatic, but, coming full circle with Up, it had begin to get boring and stale. Reveal and ATS didn't help much either.

06-05-2009, 07:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	Let's get this straight. ATS was baaad... Stipe even said so.

06-06-2009, 07:18 AM	#10 (permalink)
Burning Down The Music Guru. Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Beyond the Wall Posts: 4,858	Around the Sun as a whole was not their finest piece of work, but I like "Leaving New York." It's such a beautiful song. Out of Time is not one of my favourites either, but I listen to it as a whole every once in a while. "Losing My Religion" is a masterpiece in my books; a lot of people say that, but I really believe it. "Shiny Happy People" not so much, but I still think it's a fun song. It's too bad they refuse to perform it live, along with "Stand." Edit: I would actually quite enjoy singing "Shiny Happy People" along with them if it was ever performed live!