197 replies to this topic

[Kelly A]

FromHereYouCanSeeTheStars said:

Shame, this thread was quite funny, then all collapsed into the usual murmurs hellhole of sexual innuendo and hair failings.

FromHereYouCanSeeTheStars said:

Now where he live, so I kill him.

Interesting. Seems like you lost interest before the sexual innuendo. Faker.

Funny is in the mind of the beholder, much like music.

[bizaleth]

Murmurs wouldn't be Murmurs without sexual innuendo. Anyone who thinks differently is a faker.

[Kelly A]

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

Would it be too shocking if I suggested it was jangly yet tight??

Tight is always better than over-produced.

(I'll leave it up to the reader to determine whether or not I'm continuing the vagina analogy)

[isilida 32]

it's you. it's still about the vagina.

[RamblingRob]

I've said it once, I've said it a bunch of times.  The boys have been putting out solid albums, but the touring is incredible.  I agree with Mizz Mills- just stick to being a touring band.  If they did, then they would likely write some excellent new music in there....I'm sure of it.  But first, they need to get on the road again.

[Red Frog]

bizaleth said:

Murmurs wouldn't be Murmurs without sexual innuendo. Anyone who thinks differently is a faker.

Don't encourage people who fake orgasms.

"She phones in sex like REM does albums"

[Driver Nate]

RamblingRob said:

I agree with Mizz Mills- just stick to being a touring band.

If they go that route my fandom of the current R.E.M. will pretty much come to standstill right then and there but considering their standpoint on such things as greatest hits and live albums in the past I honestly don't ever see them doing such a horrendous thing. They supposedly recorded some stuff during soundcheck on the last tour so maybe that will come to light (ala Hi Fi) on the new album.

[bizaleth]

Driver Nate said:

They supposedly recorded some stuff during soundcheck on the last tour so maybe that will come to light (ala Hi Fi) on the new album.

Now, that is something I might be able to get into. I'll have to wait and see, of course. But even their crap work sounds decent live. It usually doesn't sound as lethargic and lazy as it does on the album.

[Lori]

There is also the chance of Mike & Michael doing meet ups with Peter, Bill & Scott on tour with the R.H. & Venus 3 in a couple of cities & working on the next R.E.M. record.   I'm just guessing, it's a possiblity.

[rosie]

RamblingRob said:

just stick to being a touring band.

please God no.  they're already accused of being a nostalgia act, and that would be the final nail in the coffin.  i think they would call it a day rather than do that.  of course Hi-Fi is a great example of how creative you can be on tour, but i'd hate to see them on the road just for the sake of it...R.E.M. is worth far more.

sue

[AlexFilip]

I haven't been around on murmurs for a while now, and coming back, I see there is chaos around here...

This AndyWTF guy (or girl)... listen... the fact that we bother to write here, even if we don't like some of their stuff makes us fans...

[Sweet Fanny Addams]

I wouldn't call it chaos, it's a long discussion which has become heated but nobody has been flamed yet. Remembering other murmurs threads, this one doesn't even qualify as a fight.

[AlexFilip]

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

I wouldn't call it chaos, it's a long discussion which has become heated but nobody has been flamed yet. Remembering other murmurs threads, this one doesn't even qualify as a fight.

Yeah, but the problem rasied on this thread seems pretty... well, I can't find the word for it, but basically, this thread is about REM having or not fans...

[Sweet Fanny Addams]

AlexFilip said:

Yeah, but the problem rasied on this thread seems pretty... well, I can't find the word for it, but basically, this thread is about REM having or not fans...

Believe you me, there is nothing new about that.  ;)

[sousa]

AndyWTFK said:

It's been quite a while since I posted on Murmurs, but the other night I decided to take a look at the boards since it had been so long. And frankly I am appalled at what's been posted recently. There's such a thing as constructive criticism, but this doesn't even look like a fan site anymore.

First of all, and it might be because I didn't start listening to R.E.M. until 2003 (I have all their material now), but I don't understand the hatred of Around the Sun and especially Reveal. Those records are repeatedly trashed on this site, and in my humble and subjective opinion, they are some of the band's best work.

When R.E.M. was in their (supposed) prime, in the late 80s - early/mid '90s, they put out some really, really awful songs (Star Me Kitten, The Wrong Child, Hairshirt, etc.) They also wrote some blatantly bubble-gum pop songs (Stand, Pop Song '89, etc.) But now doing either of those things signals the band's imminent demise because ...why?

This site is supposed to be comprised of the loyal fanbase. Reveal and Around The Sun include some of R.E.M.'s absolute best work (Leaving New York, Imitation of Life, I've Been High, Boy In The Well) These albums also include some mediocre tracks, that are constantly trashed on Murmurs (Beachball, etc.) But the hypocrisy is unbelieveable. I'll Take The Rain is terrible song-writing because it's too "straight-forward", but Everybody Hurts is acceptable because ... why?

Have any of you ever listened to Reveal with headphones on, just to experience the rich layers of sound? The production is unbelieveable. And even if you disagree with me about these albums being among their best (which 99% of you undoubtedly will) can you honestly argue that the majority of efforts by other bands can top R.E.M. even in their (again, supposed) mediocrity of late?

And on another note, the bitching about this year's fanclub package featuring a cover of Tongue reminds me of a spoiled-brat child complaining he got the white video iPod for Xmas when he really wanted the black one. Seriously people, get a life.

In closing, I have one final question. If you were R.E.M., and you read some of the comments made on this site by your (supposed) fans, wouldn't you be about ready to call it a career? Apparently that's what all of you want though. Me, I still have never seen them live, and my life won't be complete until I do. "Thanks."

Andy

Completly agree with you!!!! You have all my support!

[Person]

*Bump* (or whatever they do).

I have not had time to read through this entire thread but I always state that R.E.M's musical low was during the 'Monster' and 'New Adventures in Hi Fi' albums.  I hate all that "we are edgy Rock Gods" poser crap.

The signs that some kind of rot was going to set in were there from at least 'Out of time' onward but it reached its zenith with the two above mentioned albums.

Since 'Up' however things calmed down and the guys realised that the thing the group was best at was writing a good melody.  Yes, I agree that 'Reveal' is over-produced and there is a bit of 'sugary' after taste to the whole thing but I find the melodic breadth of the album striking.  'Around the Sun' is another kettle of fish entirely.  It has it's moments but comes across a bit like easy listening for the Betty Ford set.

I don’t know about some music fans; we as listeners have got to be able sort the good from the bad.  R.e.m’s songs consist outside of the band and even outside of the albums on which they are included.  What the band record at any given moment does not reflect on anything that has gone before or what will come in the future.  R.E.M is such an enigmatic group that I doubt that anyone outside of the band themselves could influence what they produce.  The band is not obligated to produce something you would appreciate just like you are not obligated to buy it.  Go back to the stuff of theirs that you like; that has not changed even if you think the band has.

[Driver Nate]

Person said:

I have not had time to read through this entire thread but I always state that R.E.M's musical low was during the 'Monster' and 'New Adventures in Hi Fi' albums.  I hate all that "we are edgy Rock Gods" poser crap.

Speaking just for myself, I never got that impression out of either of those two albums. I know some people have falsely accused R.E.M. of jumping on the grunge bandwagon with Monster but plans to record that record go as far back as the sessions for Automatic. I have a fanclub newsletter from the post Out of Time period when Peter Buck said R.E.M. had planned to follow up that record with a rock album "recorded straight to 2-track". However, when they got into the studio they found themselves going in quite the opposite direction (very similar to what happened with Around the Sun, which was originally envisioned as a "rock" album) stylistically, so they went with it. I don't think Stipe looks at Monster as any sort of failure but he's since acknowledged that they got the desired results with Hi Fi that they had hoped for with Monster; i.e., the songs having a rawer edge since most of the album was recorded on the road. I seriously doubt that presenting themselves as "edgy Rock Gods" was ever part of the agenda.

[wagtail]

I kinda agree with the description in regards to Monster, but completely disagree in regards to NAIHF.  I don't really care what their agenda with each album is, or if they even have one - we're never going to really know that, all we can look at is the end product and draw our own conclusion from that.  So to me Monster comes off like a bit of a try-hard effort, the framework for great songs are there but I reckon it's flawed because it gets a bit too clever and a bit too gimmicky..."poser crap" is maybe a more severe description, but yeah, I can see where that's coming from.