79 replies to this topic

[Remixomatosys]

Ethan, is the single to be released in april or may ?

[hail kid a]

mmmm bad choice I feel! the singles of this should be

Supernatural (tick)
Living well
Man sized Wreath
until the day is done

[Caniglia]

Uncle Remus said:

If this song is a hit, I'll suck my own dick.

I am on a personal mission to make this song a top 10 hit now.

[MurmursAdministrator]

Uncle Remus said:

Who is coaching these guys these days? "Hollow Man" as the next single? This song ain't gonna do shit.  "Supernatural Superserious" barely made the Top 100 in the UK or elsewhere, and that was even after an absolute shitload of pre-release hoopla and publicity; did it even make the Top 100 in the US? I heard in on the radio in the US for, like, about a week--then nothing. "Hollow Man" sounds like Michael has a big loogie stuck in his throat. Sometimes I think the guys WANT to fail. Oh well. Not my call. And the band doesn't owe their fans anything. If this song is a hit, I'll suck my own dick.

I'd love to see you run a radio department. I'd pay for it in fact.

[MurmursAdministrator]

REMFMFAN said:

I was hoping for Man-Sized Wreath as well...but I wanted The Lifting as the second single from Reveal so what the hell do I know?

Oh well...I'm going to go watch the Early Show segment again.

also: singles aren't directed at you all, so what you deem a good single might not be. Likewise, non-hardcore fans probably won't appreciate 6 Days as much as we all do.

There are two sides to the story when it comes to the music listening audience.

[Caniglia]

Ethan, I know you probably can't answer at full length, but is WB pulling most of the rank for the singles or is the band acting autonomously? Kinda of a dumb question but a question nonetheless.

[Leilani]

Singles are promotion for those people who've not bought the album or concert tickets yet.

I said this in one of the other "Hollow Man is the next single" threads, but those people here who buy singles do it for the "B-sides" or extra tracks - so it is pretty much irrelevant what the "A-side" is.

[WaterHyacinth]

It's poppy and catchy for sure, and I do like the song, but I think Accelerate has plenty of other songs that a) Have mass appeal, and b) Sound like they come from a rock record that people forgot REM could make. I would've picked Man Sized Wreath, it'd be astonishing if that doesn't get a release, so I'm hoping it becomes the 3rd single. It's been rumoured Until The Day Is Done might be said 3rd single, but as much as I love the song, its sound isn't really representative of the record it promotes (MSW on the other hand, defines it).

I don't care if REM has hits or not, but if I wanted them to, this isn't the course of action I would've taken.

[TheCrackedJack]

ethank said:

I'd love to see you run a radio department. I'd pay for it in fact.

I don't see what that has to do with anything.  Sometimes the best suggestions and and most constructive criticisms come from those on the outside.  Just like little kids can be more perceptive and pick up on things adults might not.  

We could fill a novel with things you couldn't do worth a damn (me and others included) but that's doesn't make his point any less valid or others incorrect on other subjects.  Just saying.

[halfaworldaway]

Wouldn't have been my choice as a single, Man Sized wreath would have been great, Theres a few i would change over the years.

Wake-Up Bomb or So Fast So Numb from Hifi should have been singles
Walk Unafraid from Up should have been a single
She Just Wants To Be from Reveal should have been a single.

[instansoup]

Some of the "I know better than r.e.m" style posts about what should be the next single are laughable to be honest.

This shit doesn't happen by accident: industry opinions are canvassed, a discussion goes on within bands themselves and the record execs get to have their say too.

It's clear to see why Hollow Man would be a single. I said it would be the minute I heard the chorus on ninetynights. Regardless of how any of us view the song (those who moan about it are legion it would seem) it is very catchy. It will also be very radio friendly and that, from the point of view of what a single is supposed to achieve, is what counts I suppose.  

I do have some sympathy with an earlier post which stated that it would be better to have a more rocking tune as the second single. It's a fair point as Living Well or Man Sized Wreath would be more representative of the album as a whole.

It doesn't always work that way. Look at Up. Suspicion aside, Daysleer, Lotus and At My Most Beautiful hardly gave an accurate impression of what that album was like. Hope or Airport Man would have better reflected the overall feel of the album: they'd have gotten no where on the Radio though!

The long and short of it is I think the guys know what they are doing.

[TheCrackedJack]

instansoup said:

It doesn't always work that way. Look at Up. Suspicion aside, Daysleer, Lotus and At My Most Beautiful hardly gave an accurate impression of what that album was like. Hope or Airport Man would have better reflected the overall feel of the album: they'd have gotten no where on the Radio though!

The long and short of it is I think the guys know what they are doing.

Those went nowhere did they not?  The only UP song I've ever heard on radio, TV, anywhere outside my car or home has been Daysleeper.  Not to mention I don't think any other singles on ATS or Reveal went anywhere outside or Leaving New York and Imitation of Life.  So, who's to said they did or didn't make the right decisions.  You'd think companies like Enron and people like Elliot Spitzer would know better to, but that's not always the case.

[instansoup]

Well AMMB from Up was a top 10 single in the U.K as I remember.

That wasn't my point though. I was simply saying that: (i) I suspect they know what they are doing more than some random punter on an internet forum does; and (ii) that the song that best represents an album isn't always the best choice as a single as regards commercial success.

Moreover, the reason so many of the singles have not done so good may well have more to do with the nature of the industry itself (i.e. people simply moving away from r.e.m's sound during those records) than the choice of single itself. In truth, any song from Up, Reveal or Around the Sun may not have been a hit so the question of a single choice, and by implication whether such a choice was good or bad, is a rather moot one.

[MurmursAdministrator]

halfaworldaway said:

Wouldn't have been my choice as a single, Man Sized wreath would have been great, Theres a few i would change over the years.

Wake-Up Bomb or So Fast So Numb from Hifi should have been singles
Walk Unafraid from Up should have been a single
She Just Wants To Be from Reveal should have been a single.

I'll say it again:

single choices have nothing to do with what YOU want to hear on radio, but what radio programmers want to hear on radio.

thats why what I want (as a fan) for people to hear rarely jives with what actual audiences want.

there isn't one person in a dark room making these decisions either.

hard core fans (which we are) should just play the fucking CD and enjoy it.

[halfaworldaway]

instansoup said:

Some of the "I know better than r.e.m" style posts about what should be the next single are laughable to be honest.

This shit doesn't happen by accident: industry opinions are canvassed, a discussion goes on within bands themselves and the record execs get to have their say too.

It's clear to see why Hollow Man would be a single. I said it would be the minute I heard the chorus on ninetynights. Regardless of how any of us view the song (those who moan about it are legion it would seem) it is very catchy. It will also be very radio friendly and that, from the point of view of what a single is supposed to achieve, is what counts I suppose.  

I do have some sympathy with an earlier post which stated that it would be better to have a more rocking tune as the second single. It's a fair point as Living Well or Man Sized Wreath would be more representative of the album as a whole.

It doesn't always work that way. Look at Up. Suspicion aside, Daysleer, Lotus and At My Most Beautiful hardly gave an accurate impression of what that album was like. Hope or Airport Man would have better reflected the overall feel of the album: they'd have gotten no where on the Radio though!

No one knows them better than you then.

Suspicion was an afterthought single, kinda of conjured up when the band decided that they were going to tour after stating that they wouldn't, all those song represent Up very well.

instansoup said:

The long and short of it is I think the guys know what they are doing.

Why don't you just say that at the begining

[jimjos]

I wonder what the video will look like?

[instansoup]

halfaworldaway said:

No one knows them better than you then.

Suspicion was an afterthought single, kinda of conjured up when the band decided that they were going to tour after stating that they wouldn't, all those song represent Up very well.



Why don't you just say that at the begining

Oh grow up for fuck's sake. If you've nothing intelligent to add to my post then don't say anything at all.

I have not said that I am better placed than anyone else to comment on the single choice. I'm one fan among many in that regard so stop talking rubbish by suggesting that I think otherwise.

I'm not the one crying "oh my God they don't know what they are doing" am I?. I merely said that after 28 years in the business I suspect that they may know more about what makes a good single than some moaning git on an internet forum.

[petruchio]

I think the nay-sayers are ignoring how completely catchy and infectious that chorus is in Hollow Man. The song comes on like gang-busters and builds momentum fast.  It is like an old 7" single, its got a big hook and a huge chorus.  It is not the best song on the album (though I personally really like it) but I think it is a great choice and will so get on radio, the rock stations can play that and so can a wide range of others.  
Man Sized Wreath is a good choice for third, I think Until The Day is Done would be a poor choice.