R.E.M. - "Collapse Into Now"

[dtram]

Right - there was a brief video of them doing that one also. I recall reading about them doing those songs.

 

It's gotta be in the archives somewhere. Hopefully someday it comes out.

[dtram]

I went to that show at the Patriot Center--it was fantastic. They played plenty of stuff from the Document/LRP era that they don't play much any more, which was great. I've never seen it on DIME but would love to get my hands on a copy.

Yeah, definitely in the top 5 of the 27 times I've seen them. Finest Worksong/Begin the Being opener, Life and How to Live it and Nightswimming in the encore, heaven

 

Search for it. I'm 99% sure it was on Dime. If you find it, it probably wont have seeders so let me know and I'll open mine up for you.

[Analogman]

It's gotta be in the archives somewhere. Hopefully someday it comes out.

 

Speaking of old videos, I still need to get my hands on a copy of Athens, Ga. - Inside/Out. Swan Swan H is such a great song.

[dtram]

Speaking of old videos, I still need to get my hands on a copy of Athens, Ga. - Inside/Out. Swan Swan H is such a great song.

 

I have it on VHS and vinyl. I don't remember, is the version of Swan on that that different than the LRP verison? I happen to love their cover of (All I Have To Do Is) Dream.

 

I really need a new turntable to convert some of the vinyl I have. I can't find an MP3 anywhere of the 2000 fan club single that has Christmas Time Is Here Again and can't listen to it.

[Analogman]

That's odd. You would think it would be out there. Right now I am watching the band on The Cutting Edge do a bunch of acoustic songs from 1984.

[dtram]

That's odd. You would think it would be out there. Right now I am watching the band on The Cutting Edge do a bunch of acoustic songs from 1984.

 

Maybe I dont know where to look

 

That cutting edge stuff is great. They finally officially released that on that IRS years DVD comp of their music videos.

[Analogman]

I was wondering why the footage was so clear. I didn't think someone put it up from a VHS tape.

 

I figure someone at murmurs.com would know, unless they frown on such things.

[auctioneer69]

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.

[dtram]

I was wondering why the footage was so clear. I didn't think someone put it up from a VHS tape.

 

I figure someone at murmurs.com would know, unless they frown on such things.

I'm sure they do frown considering the guy who started the thing got a gig with WB.

 

Edit - sorry, thought you were talking about frowning on posting DVD footage on youtube. I checked the boards there and there posts about it, one person had one and I e-mailed them but never heard back. No biggie, I need a turntable anyway and will do it my self at some point.

[u2roolz]

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.

[Analogman]

Doh!

 

I meant the Christmas deal. I would think there is a collection of all those out there somewhere. There are ways to search Mp3 blogs, of course. Although, you may run across a bunch of dead links.

 

I didn't know about that, I have never really looked at that message board, or if I have, it was a long time ago.

 

 

I think the only R.E.M. song that has done anything for me since New Adventures in Hi-Fi is Daysleeper. But, as long as others enjoy the new stuff, it's all good.

[dtram]

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.

 

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?

 

Yes.

 

 

Just kidding, I could have easily said the Stones instead of U2. I said U2 only because they are contemporaries. I guess that's why they are always compared.

 

And let's not forget about the supergroup, Automatic Baby.

 

P.S. - Your comment about not remembering the songs on Around the Sun is right since that record is not memorable, except for it sucking, although the last 2 tunes I really do like.

[auctioneer69]

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).

[moxiebean]

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

Yes, it's on the maxi-single cd for "Bittersweet" - it's worth picking up for a few dollars on ebay for that alone. Too bad their cover of "Galveston" wasn't also released as a b-side...

 

I'll always prefer the mumbly smoke-and-kudzu REM of the 80's but, like A-man said, as along as others out there enjoy their new stuff, more power to 'em.

 

As a last hurrah they should drag Bill Berry off his tractor & into the studio and do an album of Jimmy Webb covers. I'd buy that.

[dtram]

Doh!

 

I meant the Christmas deal. I would think there is a collection of all those out there somewhere. There are ways to search Mp3 blogs, of course. Although, you may run across a bunch of dead links.

 

I didn't know about that, I have never really looked at that message board, or if I have, it was a long time ago.

 

 

I think the only R.E.M. song that has done anything for me since New Adventures in Hi-Fi is Daysleeper. But, as long as others enjoy the new stuff, it's all good.

Yeah I edited the post as I realized I misunderstood. If you haven't, I'd really give Up a 2nd chance. That record to these ears works really well and if you like Daysleeper, I would think you'd dig the rest. It's funny to me all the hate Airportman gets. I absolutely love that song, really captures the disconnected mood of walking through an airport and is perfect lead in to Lotus.

 

Reveal and ATS, ymmv, good things in there but not easy to go start to finish on.

[dtram]

As a last hurrah they should drag Bill Berry off his tractor & into the studio and do an album of Jimmy Webb covers. I'd buy that.

 

Now we're talking. How about 1 CD of originals and 1 of covers?

 

EDIT - Bill has been on the last 2 fan club singles. This year on the cover of Christmas, Baby Please Come Home and last year on Crazy Like A Fox and I think Santa Baby.

[Analogman]

Yeah I edited the post as I realized I misunderstood. If you haven't, I'd really give Up a 2nd chance. That record to these ears works really well and if you like Daysleeper, I would think you'd dig the rest. It's funny to me all the hate Airportman gets. I absolutely love that song, really captures the disconnected mood of walking through an airport and is perfect lead in to Lotus.

 

Reveal and ATS, ymmv, good things in there but not easy to go start to finish on.

 

Maybe I should. I actually had the cds, but I got rid of them.

[u2roolz]

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).

 

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.

 

None of the R.E.M. albums dating back to Up had that distinctive "sound" and all of a sudden this one does and everyone is proclaiming it to be a "classic". What would U2 have to do to make a "classic" record? Take the best ingredients of Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby and hope for the best?

 

You see what I mean? We all somehow want our favorite bands to push the envelope and we either like it or we don't when they do (or try). Then when that "sound" comes back it's like Jesus is back!

 

And you tend to get skeptical of the motivation behind doing such a record. Are they trying to recapture that "sound" after the last 5 or so albums weren't huge? Do we cut them some slack, since they tried a few different directions? Weren't some of us ready to jump ship, if they ever decided to recycle that old "sound"?

 

This is what really boggles my mind. I mean, I've heard people say that they want Wilco to put out another Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and I say "hell no". I would like to assume that they mean quality and not the same exact "sound". Let's face it, if they were to ever try that it would always be compared to it by those fans who want the sequel and say such things as "eh, it isn't that great". I think I'd rather have the "missteps" than having the same damn thing every time out.

 

I try very hard not to compare new work to older work by the same band. I also try harder not to compare bands to other bands etc. It's a very tricky thing and it gets even weirder as you delve into filmmaking.

 

How many fucking Saw movies have there been? 6 or 7? Aren't they all the same because the first one had that "winning" formula? We certainly see a lot of that in pop music. Do we apply that same logic to the bands that we love?

 

Then you look at someone like Martin Scorsese who reemerged with The Departed and then went off and did a Rolling Stones documentary. And then people didn't like Shutter Island and said that he should have stuck to what he knew and did something more along the lines of The Departed. Should we be really dictating to our artists in which direction to go? I'm not really sure. All of this stuff gets me wound up and makes me think that people love to shit on everything nowadays.

 

Edit: This leads me to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs which I love and listen to quite a bit. Then it brings me to Ryan Adams who I don't listen to a lot like I used to back in the day. Maybe I'd like III/IV because he isn't constantly being played by me, thus using his past records as a measuring stick (subconsciously or not) for this new one. I haven't picked it up yet because I'm not as excited by him. I'll get around to it sums it up pretty well.

[dtram]

None of the R.E.M. albums dating back to Up had that distinctive "sound" and all of a sudden this one does and everyone is proclaiming it to be a "classic". What would U2 have to do to make a "classic" record? Take the best ingredients of Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby and hope for the best?

 

You see what I mean? We all somehow want our favorite bands to push the envelope and we either like it or we don't when they do (or try). Then when that "sound" comes back it's like Jesus is back!

 

And you tend to get skeptical of the motivation behind doing such a record. Are they trying to recapture that "sound" after the last 5 or so albums weren't huge? Do we cut them some slack, since they tried a few different directions? Weren't some of us ready to jump ship, if they ever decided to recycle that old "sound"?

 

 

R.E.M. have been running from their "sound" since Driver 8 to varying degrees of success, very successful early, mixed later on. The thing I love about R.E.M. is that the only stretch of records that was really similar was the LRP/Document/Green run and even those have some distinct differences. When they are successful changing it up, Up for instance which for the exception of Daysleeper really sounds like nothing that came before, it is exciting.

 

Part of the issue as I see it is that a) bands are only so talented and most have a few interesting things to say and then fade away or just make the same record over and over, AC/DC for example. It's only the really talented ones that have the longevity and are able to keep it interesting. b. fans like a band and want more of the same, they are not interested in being challeged. Most bands are happy to oblige, see a. I think I once read the lead singer for def leppard lamenting on how REM was allowed to change it up all the time but they had to stay the same. I guess if you set the expectation that your band is one thing, you leave little room to break out. c) bands have interesting careers, make many interesting and varied records and then settle into an endgame where they kind of make the same record over and over. U2 and the Stones immediately come to mind. It's not that there aren't worthwile things on those records, just that no one will ever mistake their new stuff for Exile or the Joshua Tree.

 

I truly think all bands want to make great records each time out but feel R.E.M., of the bands mentioned, is really the only one that is willing to really turn it on it's ear each time out. They did with OOT - Success, Automatic - Smashing success, Monster - meh, etc. Since they did it so successfully with OOT and Automatic, to my ears they have never stopped trying. IMO, after Pop was slammed, U2 have made a conscious effort to stay safe.

[auctioneer69]

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.

[SteveMck]

Separated at birth?

[Coltrane]

Has anyone heard the b-side version of "The Outsiders" with Michael reciting the Q Tip part from the album version? Having some trouble finding it and was looking for some thoughts before I bought the Wanderlust cd single it's on.

[dtram]

Separated at birth?

Actually, I think mould looks more like Pete Townshend.

[u2roolz]

Separated at birth?

 

Sam Raimi & Peter Buck

 

I think I finally realized this around the time of Spider-Man 2.

[u2roolz]

Oh My Heart

Another new track now streaming via NPR