auctioneer69

What's an anorak? I figured with a name like auctioneer you knew the history, just thought you got confused on which tracks were studio. I never really listen much to those versions because Binky and wake up bomb aren't favs and and I don't like how stipe sung undertow on the 2nd U.S. leg. I'm gonna really geek out here. I saw them 4 times in June '95, Pittsburgh and all three MSG shows. By the 4th MSG show undertow was my new favorIte song of all time as they had played it at all 4 shows. Then there was that Milton Keynes show broadcast in July and I had a clean copy and played the shit out of it. I then saw them 6 times on the fall leg and stipe changed the way he sang it. The first way he sang it, he sang I'm drowning leave me, I'm drowning, leave meeeeeeeeeeeee. By the fall leg, he just sang I'm drowning, leave me, I'm drowning, leave me without that big meeeeeeeeeeeee on the end and it just took a lot of the emotion out of the song. I have no idea why he changed it and would love to know but to me, that one difference totally changed the song. I was relieved when hifi came out and they used the version from Boston in June.

 

I still have fond memories of that fall leg, getting hot java every night and departure as the last song before end of the world and singing along with everyone around me probably wondering how I knew the words, good times.

 

Like i said, sorry for the geek out, sitting with a kid as he watches wonder pets and not much else to do.

I was just joshing. "Anorak" - is a British term for an obsessive fan taken I think from people who are literally train-spotters. Jealous of your experience in '95 when I didn't see any shows. Too bad they aren't touring this year.

Hmm. I was going to post that it's ironic that auctioneer thought that the live versions blew away the "studio" versions, when in fact these "studio" versions were done live or at soundcheck (like dtram mentioned) and the audience noise was stripped away. R.E.M. didn't fool anyone here. These definitely sound different than the studio tracks on New Adventures, so I agree with dtram on his thoughts about this record's sound. I think even The Wake Up Bomb was done at a soundcheck. That being said why are people downloading these fan remixed tracks when they can get the live B-sides of the same songs, but not the same session? (edit: downloading that now. Hmm. Bittersweet Me stripped down to acoustic? This should be interesting.)

 

And you can even hear some audience noise at the end of Undertow.

 

Oh, and don't forget about Revolution that was on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. That also sounded weird hearing it in the movie because it sounded live. I guess the smartass wish would be instead of live b-sides how about actual studio takes of these songs.

This is like an R.E.M. anoraks convention. Yes, I do know the history of the making of "NAIHF". The live versions are different from the record versions beyond the removal of the crowd noise. Take "Undertow" - less feedback. Like "Binky The Doormat" - the keyboards/organ on the live version have been mixed way down in the album version.

Tut, tut - to think you were going to teach me something about REM I didn't know

Thanks.

 

I used to be obsessive about collecting every b-side etc but got away from that in the '00's and have recenntly discovered the bonus tracks, to Bad Day: Favorite Writer, Out in the Country and Adagio and these are really good, not sure how i missed them. I have created a folder on itunes for non-album R.E.M. tracks and so far, not including the b-sides/bonus tracks that appeared on Dead Letter Office and In The Attic but including the fan club single songs that arent' xmas related, I'm sitting at around 145 tracks and I know I'm missing a few. If you include the DLO, ITA and all fan club single tracks that brings the total close to 200. That seems like a pretty crazy amount of official non-album tracks to me.

Wow that is crazy. Going back some years, well before the birth of the internet, I used to have 20-30 bootleg tapes from '81 to '89 but that pales in comparison to your effort.

Talking of bonus material. I love the live tracks that accompany some of the singles off "NAIHF". The live versions of "Undertow", "Binky The Doormat" and "The Wake-Up Bomb" blow the studio versions away.

They also include my favourite REM Cover of "Wichita Lineman". Listened to that last night and never tire of it.

Maybe they have, who knows. Clearly they have missed him as the songs got longer and less focused. Up was a great record but they kind of said it was the last record with BB because his absence had such an effect. Reveal got less focused and ATS was just boring. It's ashame because that isn't a good record because of bad songs but beacause of bad producing and arranging, there are a lot of great melodies on that record. I think Pat McCarthy had a lot to do with this as well, allowing them to get bogged down in mid-tempo blandness.

 

It seems like they are focusing now on the last 2 records they way BB would have and the results are there. I love a quote a read once where Berry would tell the guys once a song got over 4 minutes that no one wanted to hear their magnum opus. Clearly they put that advice aside for a while.

Spot on analysis. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Agree with being underwhelmed at first at Uberlin, not ready to call it a classic but it i really like it.it happened today is my fav so far. I probably haven't anticipated an rem record like this since reveal. Got me in a major rem mood, so much so that i uploaded all my rem stuff on cd to my iPod. Man, i forgot what an rem collection i have, i was obsessive about this band.

 

Can't find my 2004 and 2008 fan club singles though, gotta be here somewhere.

 

I don't think this will be their last record. Could be as they don't seem like the kind of band to do the whole farewell tour thing but i can't imagine them stopping after what is shaping up as a great album, although going out on top I'm sure would be appealing to them. Still holding out hope for the last record having BB on the kit.

 

There was a thread a wile back about who out of radiohead, rem and Wilco would have the best record this year. Looking like rem has set the bar pretty high.

Yes, I am with you. Played "Fables" and "Life's Rich Pageant" back to back this morning. So many great memories tied to listening to both of these obsessively as a teenager. Almost half-a-century later I am still picking out some of Michael Stipe's lyrics that had thus far been a mystery to me.

Dunno - have a feeling about them going out on a high with this record. Looking back to Bill Berry leaving I am surprised that the three remaining members haven't been tempted to ask him back to the studio. Not so much for his drumming chops (as good as they are) but for his judgement and songwriting skills. He was never prolific but wrote the music for two of R.E.M.'s most memorable slow-burners "Perfect Circle" and "Everybody Hurts".

"U-Berlin" is one of those songs for me which is initially underwhelming which after several plays refuses to leave my head. A true R.E.M. classic in my humble opinion. The live version of "Oh My Heart" is really good too. It would seem they have written a lot of songs that previously they might not have recorded for sounding too much like themselves in their heyday.

I don't know how I feel about 5 full songs being aired and another four clips being available prior to the album's release. There's a line between to little and too much that has been crossed to me.

I am genuinely surprised that R.E.M. aren't touring this year. This is obviously the most commercial-sounding record they have released in eons and you would have thought given how far their popularity has fallen that would have been tempted to do everything to promote it. They didn't tour "Out Of Time" or "Automatic" so maybe they are hoping for some of the similar mojo to rub off.

As this fulfills their obligation to Warner's Bros, might this be their swan-song? Perhaps with a farewell tour to follow in 2012? This would neither surprise me nor disappoint me. At 30 + years as a band I think they could call it quits soon with heads held high and plenty of other ventures to keep their members busy and satisfied.

Neat Spike Jonze video of the Suburbs. (From what I understand it is a bit of a collaborative effort)

(I would strip the vevo crap off here if I could...but here it is anyway)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Euj9f3gdyM

Nice piece of nostalgia. Kids spend all their time indoors today on facebook, chat-rooms and webcams or being driven round to endless soccer or basketball games.

Yeah, there's some good stuff, but meh overall.

I will have to respectively disagree - the undercard is great. That's a nice diverse line-up especially if you like more than indie-rock. Dance and electronic music in general which has always had a bigger place in this festival. There's some great new soul this year with Cee-Loo, Lauryn Hill and Raphael Saadiq. As an ex-pat Brit I am really looking forward to seeing Suede (first US tour since their re-union) and Elbow who would both be near the top of the bill in the UK on a far smaller stage and with a far smaller crowd. PJ Harvey and the reformed Big Audio Dynamite should be great too. Having been once before I can attest the mixture of guaranteed warmth, really cool art installations, five stages, a stunning setting and a pretty chill vibe make this a really enjoyable experience.

I had not idea about that. That's going to be fantastic.

Thanks for sharing. Can't wait

not feelin' this one nearly as much as the other 2, but still pretty good

Agreed. A bit too slickly-produced and genteel in tone. Would have loved to heard more of the horns too.

damn, would love to see Chris and Ed play!

 

thanks for all the kind words, people.

 

 

Auctioneer, I'll check for that band, thanks for the heads up. i did a phone interview w/ Steve earlier this year:

 

http://www.bigtakeover.com/interviews/interview-with-steve-diggle-of-the-buzzcocks-part-one

http://www.bigtakeover.com/interviews/interview-with-steve-diggle-of-the-buzzcocks-part-two

Thanks. Nice interview. Shame his solo stuff hasn't been released here.

I spent a fair bit of time last night and today going through all the shows I've seen this year (about 240 or so total performances), and came up w/ my top 22 and honorable mentions...click on the pic to see more

 

What brilliant photo's! Love the pic of Steve Diggle (think I got his name right) of the Buzzcocks best. There is a genuine "caught in the act" sense about it. Would have loved to have seen this show. Their first two albums are ace. (On a side-note, check out the current Seattle band, the Cute Lepers who are really good and owe a big debt to them and other more melodic punk/new wave bands.)

My first favourite show was LCD Soundsystem at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland in May. Amazing show - felt more like a magic night at a great club than anything else. Best arena show - The Gorillaz at Key Arena in Seattle. As they have said they won't tour this version of the band ever again I feel really lucky. Half of the Clash, Bobby Womack, De La Soul, a Syrian/American orchestra and so many other talented (I stopped counting at thirty) musicians on stage and fantastic visuals courtesy of the cartoons projected above the band as well. And best of all Damon Albarn giving it all and reveling in the the response of the crowd. Notable mention to Wilco in Victoria, B.C. in February. Coincided with the start of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver so our opening act was the opening ceremony on telly before a 5 minute stroll to the theatre. Band were great as always in a very intimate venue and at approximately 6 or 7 encores and well over two hours in length I finally got to hear "Red Eyed and Blue" and "I Got You" for the first time.

Is it because it sounds like the old 80s records? I understand where you are coming from for being excited. I am too, but I questioned my reasoning and it makes me wonder if any band can ever escape their "sound" and if it doesn't have that "sound" it is considered a disappointment in the wrong direction.

 

To clarify what I should have said is "great" album. "Classic" as you correctly infer tends to denote a certain type of song or sound associated with a certain era or time. I'd love to see U2 release a 10 -12 track album without one dud and with enough killer tracks to be considered one of their greats. I think U2's main motivation has been revenue generation for the last 11/12 years. Hence the relative lack of new material and massive tours. I could be wrong but sense they held back on "No Line On The Horizon". I think that there was a genuine attempt to make something more artistically interesting where ultimately certain songs might have been left on and others added to make it more commercial. They also made a massive mistake in releasing "Get Off Your Boots" as lead single instead of something like "Magnificent". Even though the latter is more "U2 Sounding" it is definitely a lot better than "Boots" which for many might be one of the weakest things they have ever done.

 

As for R.E.M., I'll forgive them after 30 years as a band and after lots of musical detours of putting out something that harks back to familiar parts of their best known prior work.

My .02 cents which probably won't change anyone's minds and is probably not even worth posting.

 

For me, U2's records dating back to 97's Pop are a lot more memorable & familiar to me than R.E.M.'s dating back to 98's Up. Seriously, I still don't know anything about the songs at the end of Reveal and looking at the tracklisting for Around The Sun I am left scratching my head for quite a few tunes. That could be a combination problem of me not playing them enough, although I've tried, or R.E.M. not playing them in concert.

 

Now what R.E.M. lacked in albums, I feel they more than made up for in their extremely generous setlists that I've seen. I really enjoy Up, but I don't like Airportman. I like almost all of Accelerate. They haven't put out horrible albums, since 98 in my opinion. If anything they have made somewhat great records with a smattering of unforgettable and indistinctive songs. And every one of these records have had some go-to-single that can compared with something that U2 had as a leadoff single.

 

Onto U2: Ironically, I think Pop and No Line On The Horizon are their best records in the last 15 years. All That You Can't Leave Behind is decent enough, but I think I never could get used to the album versions of Stuck In A Moment & Elevation which is pretty horrible compared to the energetic live versions. Also, I always had a problem with the sequencing on that one. But I KNOW the songs at the end of it that are somewhat classic: In A Little While, Wild Honey, When I Look At The World. Atomic Bomb was a great record from start to finish. It flowed very well, although there is something that is off about it. It could be that U2 was still trying to find itself and it sounds a bit like U2 trying to be U2. Now, No Line sounds like Pop and Unforgettable Fire had a hot and heavy night and thus it was born. It's a definite step in a very positive direction and wasn't lazy. It was quite bold and the bandwagon fans probably felt that because it wasn't that big of a hit.

 

Edit: RE: Pop - I made myself an iTunes playlist of Pop Version 2.0 which consists of the versions that were found on the cd singles of that era and the new recordings on the Best of 90-00. I still prefer the original album. Gone is such an amazing U2 song and it lacks that initial emotion on the rerecording.

 

RE: Wichita Lineman - I think that was a b-side on Bittersweet Me or something around that 96 era.

 

Plus, must we always compare R.E.M. to U2 (and vice versa) every time one of them comes out of the woodwork looking to tour?

I'm glad that they are both around.

 

 

Sorry I can't resist. Two very different bands. I will have to respectively disagree with you on "Atomic Bomb". To me it rivals "Around The Sun" in blandness. I do tend to diss them severely. Maybe the problem is that they have released about a grand total of 40 - 50 songs (three albums plus bonus tracks) between 1999 - 2010. When you get so lazy about releasing new music there's going to be a lot of people like me who look at the quality of that very critically given its paucity, the very high quality of what came before and the increasingly ridiculous hype around it much of which is generated and supported by Bono. Their tours have just become massive revenue earners. Nothing wrong with that just be more honest about your motives for still being around. I think that in "Collapse Into Now" we might have one more classic R.E.M. album. Maybe, maybe not. I'd love to see another classic U2 album but am skeptical. For one thing U2 seem to measure their success now in tickets sold and Bono especially seems very unfocused at times (for many good reasons).

Call me crazy but Pop I feel is very underated. I love Pop..just bought on LP in fact this month. It is a fun late night driving album. It is my 3rd fav after Achtung and Unforgettable Fire...Pop has unusual songs not replicated since by U2...I kind of lost interets with U2 after that but POP really stuck with me as it was a real grower and it was also the first time I saw U2 live and something just clicked!

Yes, I think "Pop" is underrated too. That said, U2 were obviously chastened by the response to the album and tour and made conscious decision along the lines of "screw art, let's make as much money as humanly possibly while only releasing an album every 4 years". "No Line on The Horizon" was a decent stab at injecting some more interesting stuff in their catalog but their career is at a similar point to the Rolling Stones in the late eighties. Albums are only released as an excuse to do a massive and massively lucrative tour. It's always embarrassing to read the interview prior to their release with Bono spouting utter tripe like "The Edge is really in fire on this one" or "This might be our equivalent of "Who's Next". He long ago forgot the best sales people under-promise and over-deliver. I am taking all this recent hype about how they have four albums in the pipeline with a massive grain of salt. The new songs they have previewed on the current tour like "Mercy" and "North Star" don't seem likely to change my opinion of their stuff since the mid-nineties. An overhyped mediocre product. And this from someone who thinks "Joshua Tree" and "Achtung Baby" are classics and who fell in love with the band about 1982.

I actually think Monster was the end of their world domination. I remember the used CD racks being full of them in the months after it came out. My friends who liked REM for OOT and Automatic were put off and really never came back and i think that was a case for a lot of those early 90's REM fans. It's not that it was loud, it just wasn't very melodic and quite frankly, wasnt that good. I also dont think it helped that by the Fall leg of the '95 tour they were playing 5 new songs per night that no one except the diehards knew along with the Monster stuff. They stay off the road for 5 years and then tour with a new record that people dont love and lop on 5 new songs that people don't know, while maybe playing 5 pre OOT songs per night. Not a recipe for the casual fan that will keep them coming. You may argue, who needs the casual fan but they are the ones that take you from 15,000 capacity sheds to 3 nights at the spectrum.

 

Maybe this was calculated on their part, they didn't want to turn into U2 and be a colosuss so they became difficult, who knows. I do suspect that had a record as accessible as Accelerate come out in '94, they may very well have kept that high level of fame.

Good points. I think you are exactly right. Had they done something more commercial than "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" after Monster they might have recovered a lot of their casual fans. I agree that "Monster" isn't very good. They seemed desperate to put out a rocky album but after not touring since 1989 the efforts seemed forced or weak with a couple of exceptions. I think R.E.M. had always had good counsel in Bertis Down and Jefferson Holt (until '96). Their contracts always seem to have given them complete freedom. I know more casual fans would have enjoyed more records that sounded like "Out Of Time", "Automatic For the People" , "Green" or even "Document" but I am glad they have always followed their own muse. The evidence for this in the contrast with U2. Since the relative commercial and critical disappointment of "Pop" in 1997 they have played it safe for the most part with mostly disappointing results. While few would argue that "Up", "Reveal" or "Accelerate" are R.E.M.'s best work they contain more interesting and enjoyable stuff than U2 have released in the same period. Looking forward to March.

He'd have to go for some more obscure stuff. The Wilco cover of "Thirteen" and Tweedy's solo cover of "Simple Twist of Fate" add absolutely zero to the originals. Covers for the most part are fun live but pointless on record.

Even though I really like accelerate and think its the best batch of songs they had since maybe automatic, I've been of the opinion that maybe this should be the last record, before they turn into U2 and just make "R.E.M." records for the rest of their career. Say what you want about Up and Reveal but at least they were trying new thigs, I actually thought Up was great.

 

The 2 songs released already and this trailer have me thinking differently though. While they clearly aren't breaking new ground (at least with what we've heard), these are really good songs and if this record is up to the level of these 2, then why would they stop.

 

I still hope they have some agreement with Bill that when they are ready to make the last record, the 4 of them convene in Athens and "make one the way they used to", then fold.

I agree with most of what you say. Ironically, from what I have heard in the previews "Collapse Into Now" sounds like it could be a Bill Berry era R.E.M. album. Apart from the turkey that was "Around The Sun I have admired and lobed or liked everything they have done. After "Out of Time", "AFTP" and "Monster" continued world domination was theirs for the taking. To some extent they are to be admired for following their own instincts as opposed to trying to repeat past successes. I am sure the people at Warner Brothers don't feel that way after the massive contract they signed in the early/mid nineties. At their core R.E.M. have maintained an ambivalent view towards selling tons or records or making tons of money (very unlike their peers from Dublin - U2). Their good fortune was that while their commercial success peaked domestically in the early nineties their overseas success continued in a upward trajectory for another ten years or so. I'd be curious as to what the band's expectations are around this record. Swan song or one last attempt at greater commercial success everywhere before entering a twilight part of their career without a large record label and where they release more esoteric music every few years or when the mood takes them.

Everyone..."Listen, listen to the Autioneer"!

 

 

LOL ...you have me pegged. I am really excited for March too. R.E.M. have only make one bad record in three decades ("Around The Sun"). Something tells me that this new album might have been considered a bit formulaic (judging by the seven song preview) if they hadn't taken so many musical detours over their career. "Collapse Into Now" certainly sounds like it has more commercial potential than any REM album for a long time. It will be interesting to see how well it is received, if at all, by a wider audience than established REM fans.

Official preview on youtube featuring snippets of seven songs:

Also, full version of "It Happened Today"

http://ozonlaag.tumblr.com/post/2388392119/it-happened-today-r-e-m-collapse-into-now

Liking these a lot: definitely lots of classic, trademark R.E.M. elements.

http://remhq.com/news_story.php?id=1250

Listened to it back-to-back several times now and like it a lot. Plenty of urgency and energy on this. It couldn't be anyone but REM but there's enough new stuff lurking in the background to make it interesting. Not to be too much of a muso but Bill Rieflin's drums kick like a mule and aren't a million miles away from something Bill Berry would play. Definitely hints of "Finest Worksong" and it wouldn't sound out of place on "Green", "Document", "NAIHF" or "Accelerate". Sounds like a great opening track. A very live feel and it's easy to imagine the band opening a show with this track. My wild, hairy guess from what I have heard from the dub-mix and the interviews is that "Collapse Into Now" is going to be a really diverse, multi-faceted album.

JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound

Thanks for sharing. Fantastic - just what a great cover should be- different and good enough to make you appreciate a song in another way.

Just finished watching the third episode. After a good first episode the last 2 have been very weak in my humble opinion. Acting, plot-lines and dialogue not close to AMC standard for me. That said I will stick with it for a couple more episodes.

I was always thought Drunk Girls was basically "White Light/White Heat" by the VU.

Good call. I have been listening to the song for months thinking it reminded me of something and you are spot on especially the verse.

I agree. There's potential in it. I'd like to see it in context of the story.

 

Mercy has finally made its live debut! Maybe it'll be on the next album.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS6tiSVILXQ

Yes, you wonder why this hasn't been released already. Again, shame about Bono's voice. Simon Cowell wouldn't be impressed