Rapid Eye Movement
By Dan on Sep 8, 2008 in Music
I stopped buying REM albums after Automatic for the People. Although I’ve retained respect for their catalogue up to that point, I haven’t listened to it much over the last five years. Recently, 97.7 added Driver 8 to their weekend playlist and Dave Hustava played a track off Murmur on his show last night, rekindling my interest in the band.
I took a walk through Washington Park over lunch today and listened to Fables of the Reconstruction*, the album that introduced me to the band. In college, I permanently borrowed a mix tape from my sister that contained Driver 8 and Can’t Get There from Here. I liked them so much that I eventually permanently borrowed her cassette of Fables.
This was back when it was truly exciting to hear a new band, especially one that didn’t sound like anything being played on the radio. Today, music is so accessible there isn’t that satisfaction of discover when you hear a band for the first time. Getting hip to a band from Athens, GA, who weren’t then played on the radio, required some effort and an open mind, especially on a campus that was overwrought with classic rock.
Part of the excitement of discovering REM had to do with youth and the “soundtrack for my life” phenomena. Back then, hearing a great new album would make me think that somehow, it would change my life. I thought it would make me cooler, but it really only made my record collection cooler.
Anyway, in an effort to reconnect with a truly great band, I thought I’d make a list of a dozen of my favorite REM songs. So here they are, in somewhat particular order:
Driver 8
Crazy
Carnival of Sorts
Radio Free Europe
Can’t Get There from Here
(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville
South Central Rain
Near Wild Heaven
Sitting Still
These Days
The Sidewinder Sleeps at Nite
Disturbance at the Heron House
Feel free to add your favorites, but please be respectful of other people’s opinions. Things get out of hand from time to time around here.
*I eventually purchased a CD of Fables of the Reconstruction through a record club, only the artwork in the jewel case identified it as Reconstruction of the Fables. I always assumed it was a mistake, but when you Google the second title, it seems to be a common variation. Does anyone know if REM intended it to be known by either title?
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Apparently I am slightly later in their catalog than you.
These Days
You Are the Everything
Texarkana
Country Feedback
What’s The Frequency Kenneth?
Let Me In
Skipped Automatic and picked up UP and one other one which I apparently liked so little I cannot even remember now.
Gish | Sep 8, 2008 | Reply
I remember being told that Reconstruction of the Fables is a bootleg type of thing, possibly made by an old record label? I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s the one I have too.
REM has been one of my favorite bands since I was in 8th grade - that’s largely thanks to you and that sister you referred to having excellent musical taste in college and bringing it home with you. I always felt cool beyond my years; I had a folder covered with band names and the challenge was for my high school friends to be able to identify even one of them (no one could).
So - I have too many REM favorites to list them all, but some of my lesser known favorites are covers of Dark Globe, Arms of Love, and First We Take Manhatten from the Automatic box set that came out several years ago. Other favorites include Pretty Persuasion, South Central Rain, Wendell Gee, Crazy, Driver 8, Perfect Circle, Pop Song 89, Nightswimming, New Test Leper, Be Mine, and Wrong Child.
While I also lost some interest in the later years, I thought there were several worthy tunes on Up, including The Apologist, Falls to Climb, Hope, At My Most Beautiful, Walk Unafraid, and Daysleeper.
And - I recently got Accelerate and I must say I am loving it, after being unimpressed with Reveal. In particular, Mr. Richards (which begs to be played very loudly), Horse to Water, and I’m Gonna DJ have stood out for me after early listens.
Although I do miss the curly locks of his youth, I still think there is something incredibly sexy about Michael Stipe’s voice and he still has really nice eyes.
Laura | Sep 8, 2008 | Reply
Loved them but was never an avid fan. Listening to Stipe’s voice on Accelerate is painful. Sounds a little too Fred Schneider to me.
I wonder what Russ thinks of it?
M.B. | Sep 9, 2008 | Reply
Oh boy, this is tough. Here’s my list as of this morning. It would have been different a month ago and will be again a month from now. In no particular order:
Pilgrimage
Radio Free Europe
Man on the Moon
Gardening at Night
South Central Rain
Pretty Persuasion
(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville
Can’t Get There From Here
Fall on Me
Losing my Religion
I didn’t include it on the list, but I have to mention their drunken version of “King of the Road” which was originally the B-side of the 45 rpm single South Central Rain. I pulled the 45 out of the trash at the radio station where I worked in the mid ‘80s and just loved that horse-play version of the song. It later appeared on Dead Letter Office, a compilation of REM B-sides
Also, an honorable mention to the New Adventures in Hi-Fi CD which was universally panned but I really got into after it was released. It just struck me right for some reason at the time.
Dave | Sep 9, 2008 | Reply
My version of Fables (which I haven’t looked at for some time) has, as I recall, a kind of reversible/wraparound cover so you can read the title either way - or continually. Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables of the …
occula | Sep 9, 2008 | Reply
No doubt, the greatest work in REM’s catalog is ‘Furry Happy Monsters’. I never got as deep into them as most other college kids in the early 90s. They were, after all, no Deadeye Dick - and Stipe’s voice is much too masculine for my taste.
Nightswimming is good though.
Russ | Sep 9, 2008 | Reply
I will second: the praise for “New Adventures in Hi-Fi,” a remarkably good, surprisingly forgotten-about album; and “Furry Happy Monsters.”
My favorite songs from each (applicable) album:
“Murmur”: “Radio Free Europe”
“Reckoning”: “Pretty Persuasion”
“Fables”: “Can’t Get There From Here”
“Pageant”: “Fall On Me”
“Document”: “Finest Worksong”
“Green”: “Stand” (an obvious choice, but spurred along by its use as the theme song for “Get a Life”)
“Out of Time”: “Radio Song” (Strings AND the vocal stylings of KRS-One)
“Automatic”: “Nightswimming” (although “Sweetness Follows” is a close second)
“Monster”: “Crush with Eyeliner”
“Adventures”: “Leave”
“Up”: “Daysleeper” (but I hate that album)
“Reveal”: “Imitation of Life”
“Around the Sun” None. Boring.
“Accelerate”: “I’m Gonna DJ”
Unpainted Huffhines | Sep 9, 2008 | Reply
Didn’t KRS-One’s appearance on “Radio Song” kill or at least severely damage his career? And didn’t he criticize Stipe over it?
I am not a homophobe at all, but his spoken-voice part at the beginning of that song sounded like a woman selecting a scarf at a half-price sale.
M.B. | Sep 10, 2008 | Reply
I can’t stand REM anymore, but all these lists, including yours, remind me that I really used to love them. Brings back such great memories of college, too. I saw them in St. Louis, circa 1988, with Bitchin’, Joe Dog, Ed and I think Bob Peick and Poss. Here are some of my favorites:
Don’t Go Back to Rockville
Fall on Me
Near Wild Heaven
Also, Dead Letter Office, their B-sides album, is pretty great.
Kath | Sep 11, 2008 | Reply
OK here are my top REM songs from the same era and it was hard to whittle it down to 12-ish. So some that were on your list I would include too.
Catapult - Murmur
So. Central Rain - Reckoning
Driver 8 - Fables…
Can’t Get There From Here - Fables
It’s the End of the World As We Know It… - Document
Losing My Religion - Out of Time
World Leader Pretend -Green
Orange Crush - Green
You Are the Everything - Green
Begin the Begin - Life’s Rich Pagaent
I am Superman - Life’s Rich Pagaent
Fall On Me - Life’s Rich Pagaent
I Believe - Life’s Rich Pagaent
Losing My Religion and It’s the End of the World… almost didn’t make the list just because they were such huge hits but that really shouldn’t be a disqualifying trait.
I started listening to REM with Fables as well. I agree with you that even though Fables wouldn’t normally be ranked at the top of an “REMs Best Albums” list, that there is something special about those songs that you first discover a great band with. For the same reason Empire Burlesque will always be one of my favorite Bob Dylan albums. (not sure why I am using ‘albums’ when I originally got them on cassette but have since gotten them all on CD).
Also thanks for turning my on to “Crazy” I have pretty much slept on the whole Dead Letter OOffice.
Doug D | Sep 16, 2008 | Reply