Comments on: The Over/Under: R.E.M.

By: Rating My CD’s: Automatic for the People « Andrew J. Patrick

Rating My CD’s: Automatic for the People « Andrew J. Patrick — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:14:41 +0000

[...] since I brought it up, let me say that making fun of “Everybody Hurts” smacks of hipper-than-thou posturing. Yes, the lyrics are simple, and so is the arrangement. But to [...]

By: memyselfi

memyselfi — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:48:24 +0000

Seriously…using “Fripperish” as a way to describe PB’s playing on Leave really says it all, doesn’t it? I hear Yes would like you back within their city limits…hurry along….

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:30:23 +0000

“Silly time for love making, Waste of time sitting still.”

Always get chills from Sitting Still.

And So. Central Rain IS one of my favorites, overrated or not.

Nothing in the world like those first 3-4 albums…

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:23:20 +0000

As a lifelong REM fan, I never really ever, ever thought of Stand or It’s the End of the World As We Know It as “highly rated” songs in the first place. I’m sure most of you would agree. Staples, maybe, but highly rated? Never!

I also think So. Central Rain deserves to be highly rated. Classic beauty.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:12:46 +0000

While I agree that latter day R.E.M. does not hold a candle to the E.M.I. years, referring to it as “lifeless crap” and a “steaming pile of pig vomit” tells me that you are one of these third graders that refers to everything as either ‘the best thing ever’ or the ‘worst thing ever’ without any ability to accept that certain things can rest on a middle ground. You say that ‘Accelerate’ “sounds like vintage R.E.M. without actually possessing the soul of a vintage R.E.M. record.” Yet you also refer to it as crap. So by that analysis, the only thing that separates vintage R.E.M. from, say, a Right Said Fred record, is this “soul possession.” I’m sorry, I feel that there are many more ingredients contributing to the greatness of early R.E.M. than simply a vague ‘soul.’ I’ll accept that post ’96 R.E.M. may be boring or simply ‘not for you’, but lumping it in with artists that really are ‘crap’ is a bit juvenile.

By: David S. Owen

David S. Owen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:20:26 +0000

All,
Every single R.E.M recording from Chronc Town to Document is classic and not to be fucked with on any level or discussion….end of story.
There are sparse projectiles of tunes that are great since then, and I have to say all of them with Bill Berry on drums are great, and Accerlerate is a peek into what happens when they forget their money and get down to business writing the meaningful art-indie style and force they have always had in them without trying…

By: Citizen X

Citizen X — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:13:48 +0000

Up to par and Katie bar the kitchen door, but not me in . . . ??????

By: Pup, MD

Pup, MD — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:43:45 +0000

I always put the comma after making, so “love-making, a waste of time, sitting still.” But that’s pretty much exactly the way I mumble the words.

Always thought Falls to Climb was about the most underrated late era track ever. Those comments on leave are spot-on. I remember my old CD player having some queue button that would actually skip just the acoustic intro and go straight to the crazy siren, and the fact that somewhere on the record the info was encoded to let that be so easy to do made me kind of sad.

And I’ve always had the sense that Driver 8 lives in the Fall On Me/Country Feedback land of regard, so I’m not sure it could be underrated–it’s just an amazing song.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:38:56 +0000

Up to buy, Katie buys a kitchen size, but not mae Anne
Setting trap for love, making a waste of time, sitting still

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:36:11 +0000

I agree with eiight of the thoughts, but disagree with the assessment of South Central Rain and Accelerate. Both are quite good, especially Acclerate. Is it a “returh to form” (what the hell does this mean anyway), I don’t know, but it is quite good.

Of course, everyone agrees that the post-Berry albums don’t measure up toe the four after, but the latter four are still much better than the shi-ite put out today. And they are still an excellent touring band.

My .02