55 replies to this topic

[7 chineSe robs.]

Zero chance he's referring to Coldplay. Stipe and Chris Martin are friends who have collaborated on multiple occasions.

Another vote for Oasis, but the individual is anyone's guess.

[welliwonder]

hmmm ,I'd be surprised if it was Oasis , as they've done way more than 4 good songs ( theres at least 4 classics on their first LP to start with) , and they also supported rem , which didn't usually happen unless they liked them.

Certainly not Coldplay either as they weren't a part of  the Britpop scene and Michael is very pally with them.
Michael has a huge respect for Morrissey too and vice versa , thats already known.

So I'd take a guess at Suede as they were the toast of London at the time of Britpop but never really pulled it off really and I probably couldn't name 4 songs well known songs by them .

By contrast , despite the usual snobbery about them ,Oasis were just about the biggest band in the world for a short time and held some of the biggest gigs in history in the UK , and they also had many top selling singles and several multi million selling LPs. Saying they only had 4 songs doesn't really tie in with that unless theres also a little personal grudge in there somewhere.

yup its probably Weller too as he and Buck had a little spat in the media a while back.The Jam were brilliant though!.

[welliwonder]

Also, again Michael in shock that no one realised CIN was 'one big goodbye'

Driver Nate , yes it was mentioned on here around the time of release that It Happened Today was for Vic  , but I don't remember where that came from and I never did really glean anything in the lyric to specifically support that , though it does seem to fit  in with the 'goodbye' theme. I suppose , as said earlier , it could be just about goodbyes.

[Lori]

It's a great interview and funny in places.    No, I didn't pick up  that CIN was a goodbye record at all.

[elkokolores]

welliwonder, on 10 November 2011 - 01:17 AM, said:

So I'd take a guess at Suede as they were the toast of London at the time of Britpop but never really pulled it off really and I probably couldn't name 4 songs well known songs by them .!.

Suede supported R.E.M. as well. Saw them together in '99, and even though I have never been a big Suede-fan (quite the contrary) they managed to perform a decent show.

I'd go with Oasis. Four good songs? Seem a bit high for me. Can think of two. Maybe three. What's the fourth?

[welliwonder]

elkokolores, on 10 November 2011 - 04:35 AM, said:

Suede supported R.E.M. as well. Saw them together in '99, and even though I have never been a big Suede-fan (quite the contrary) they managed to perform a decent show.

I'd go with Oasis. Four good songs? Seem a bit high for me. Can think of two. Maybe three. What's the fourth?

Which are the classic songs from Suede? I liked Animal Nitrate. They fell flat after that.

Regarding Oasis heres a few great songs ;

1.Rock and Roll Star
2.Live Forever
3.Columbia
4.Supersonic
5.Cigarettes ands Alcohol
6. Slide Away

....thats  off their first record . Not bad for a debut ? They went on to do more commercial stuff like Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova , Whats the story morning glory and Dont Look Back in Anger , all of which most people would be able to sing along to I reckon.

Whats the Story? went on to be the third biggest selling LP of all time in the UK behind Seargant Pepper and Queens greatest hits.

So thats just the first 2 albums and so if Michael is indeed refering to Oasis as only having 4 songs he's got it very wrong in my opinion.

Twats they may be , but Noel Gallagher is also one of the most successful songwriters of recent times and is currently no.1 in the UK with his new album.

[beatadrum]

How about Blur? Albarn's always got something to say...

[kizmatica]

Welliwonder: Oasis supported REM on one date during the 1995 tour. I don't think that particularly means REM were fans of Oasis. It was, to my knowledge, that massive Milton Keynes show (which was broadcast live around the world) rendering it more like a festival show than an individual REM show.

I wouldn't look into that slot too much. I still think it's Oasis (despite the fact a few years ago Noel commenting how great Peter was as a person)

[stipeeyes]

It is a good interview but whoever typed it made a lot of typos. It could have used some editing.  There is  a lot of broken English in this.   Michael's last answer seems like its missing something.    


MS: That was the big surprise. Mike and I got together few days after announcement in New York, and he said exactly that. “This feels liberating.” And I was actually relieved. Because that was exactly the word inside me. And we've said bittersweet a lot too. But it is bittersweet. It's hard to walk away from what we've done since we were teenagers... But I'm so proud, too. We're all so proud of what we did.

Okay if CIN is filled with Nothing but Clues about the break up than what the hell was I supposed to get from Mine Smell Like Honey?

Michael must realize not everyone is the same.  Most of us don't buy our favorite band's new album assuming that its the last one.  I still say they should of said it was the last one before it came out.

[Driver Nate]

I'm glad they didn't say it was the last one. Probably for many of the same reasons why they say they could never have done a farewell tour. I listened to Collapse Into Now thinking there would be a future beyond that record. The only tell tale sign that there might not be (at least to me) was "Blue". At the time, I figured that if was their last album, that there was no more fitting song to close it out than that song. Yeah, it owes a lot to both "Country Feedback" and "Ebow the Letter" but I'm perfectly fine with that.

[stipeeyes]

Michael says he will not miss it because he thinks he'll always be creating something.  But if he doesn't go public with his new projects how will he have an audience to connect with?   What makes him so sure that every R.E.M. fan will like his work?  Gosh he even gave up on his tumblr and has not posted any more pictures.  Maybe he should change his website to something more normal with news updates and such on his projects.

[MurmursAdministrator]

stipeeyes, on 10 November 2011 - 08:25 PM, said:

Michael says he will not miss it because he thinks he'll always be creating something.  But if he doesn't go public with his new projects how will he have an audience to connect with?   What makes him so sure that every R.E.M. fan will like his work?  Gosh he even gave up on his tumblr and has not posted any more pictures.  Maybe he should change his website to something more normal with news updates and such on his projects.

You make an awful lot of assumptions about what people should and shouldn't do.

[robertandrews]

Still surprised so many people didn't read Collapse Into Now as their moving on to pastures new. It's written throughout.

stipeeyes, on 10 November 2011 - 05:18 PM, said:

Okay if CIN is filled with Nothing but Clues about the break up than what the hell was I supposed to get from Mine Smell Like Honey?

I read it as a Hansel & Gretel tale. He goes back through his work and catalogue to assess it, following the markers he has dropped along the way in order to trace this way back. These markers are the "honey" because, his conclusion, every step was good (honey = good).

stipeeyes, on 10 November 2011 - 05:18 PM, said:

Michael must realize not everyone is the same.  Most of us don't buy our favorite band's new album assuming that its the last one.  I still say they should of said it was the last one before it came out.

But I also get why they would want the work to be judged on its merit. Would also have detracted from Part Lies' status as the big final album.

I think, when you look at the way they conducted themselves since even, say, 2003/4, touring a lot, they wanted to pack in as much as possible before they knew they would reach their conclusion.

[welliwonder]

kizmatica, on 10 November 2011 - 11:19 AM, said:

Welliwonder: Oasis supported REM on one date during the 1995 tour. I don't think that particularly means REM were fans of Oasis. It was, to my knowledge, that massive Milton Keynes show (which was broadcast live around the world) rendering it more like a festival show than an individual REM show.

I wouldn't look into that slot too much. I still think it's Oasis (despite the fact a few years ago Noel commenting how great Peter was as a person)

  No you're right it doesn't ,but I do know Pete Buck was a big fan of Oasis' first album , and has gone on record as saying the Wake Up bomb comment was nothing to do with Oasis.

It was Slane Castle not Milton Keynes incidentally ,and  again you're right that means nothing ,but the fact that Noel Gallagher is known as a prolific and successful songwriter ( and still is) means the 4 song comment just doesn't suit them at all, where as just about any other insult would. I do know Oasis let rem down badly with a no show for another support slot shortly after the Slane Castle show , so maybe theres still some professional bad feeling over that.

Like I said, I'm not saying Michael is not referring to Oasis , only that if he is , then in my opinion he's wrong and should have picked a more fitting insult , or chosen a band that despite the hype only really only had about 4 well known songs , like Suede

Michael loves Blur so its not them either.

[stipeeyes]

MurmursAdministrator, on 10 November 2011 - 10:01 PM, said:

You make an awful lot of assumptions about what people should and shouldn't do.

There are no assumptions here.

Fact:  Nothing on Tumblr since 9/21.  A lot of his followers are wondering why and hope he returns.  He has a decent size following on there.  So yes some think he left for good.

It is also a fact not all R.E.M. fans like Michael's photography and/or artwork. I like it but some of my friends who are fans are only interested in the music he has helped create and might create later.

Ethan its okay not to like something.  No one is putting the man down.

[Lori]

robertandrews, on 11 November 2011 - 01:47 AM, said:

Still surprised so many people didn't read Collapse Into Now as their moving on to pastures new. It's written throughout.

So what?  Some us don't it know it all, but you can keep rubbing it in if that's your fancy.

[welliwonder]

okay , just to finish up my take on the britpop comment, having finally read the sleevenotes myself now , its obvious to me he's not referring to a specific band at all, but the entire britpop scene, which showcased many bands with all the attributes and haircuts of great bands and promised so much...except they didn't have the songs. I would think in that case he'd be referring to all those bands except Blur and Oasis, who did actually get to somewhere beyond the 'britpop scene' and do something global, and obviously had more than 4 songs.
If that is the case then I'd agree after all.

[evry streetlite]

Suede were barely a blip on the radar here in the states.  I remember them, though.  I wanted more from them.  Of course it's not Radiohead (he loves them and is friends with them) or Coldplay (he is friends with Chris and Gwenneth and has worked together with him.)  I think Oasis has been successful with big hit singles, but I doubt that sales is the Stipe benchmark.  If he likes your songs, that's it...regardless of sales.  It could be Oasis, since they have been overhyped, and he's likely to be more critical of someone like that, rather than a struggling unknown.  I like some Oasis, but being in the states, I don't have as much exposure to the climate of their marketing.  There are a handful of good songs, but there are others that sound too similar to each other or directly "appropriate" elements from other artists.  It's not Blur/Damon, because the guy has really proven to be a creative juggernaut and I assume Michael is a fan of those multimedia ambitions and the diversity of the catalog.

While I suspect it's Oasis, there are a couple of other possibilities (and let's not forget the New Test Leper comment)
Pulp (Jarvis is a bit cocky--pun intended--and one could debate the number of good songs, as it would come down to personal taste.)
Travis (indebted to REM and a very sincere band that aims for depth.  They've been successful, but how many standout songs?  Personal taste...but have they accomplished a New Test Leper?  I'm a fan of theirs, btw.)

I don't see Michael cutting anyone down who's been nice and made an honest effort.  He still tries a bit to be a nice Southern fella.  He doesn't go for name-calling, unless he thinks the person/group deserves it and can handle it.  Oasis can afford to be humbled a bit.  All the hype and media asside, they have made catchy songs but not the most CREATIVELY impressive catalog.  And before the breakup, most people had written them off for years already--after the first two albums.

[mr_spenalzo]

Come on, Suede had many great songs, and 5 singles from Coming Up alone went Top 10 in the UK.

How about the 2nd tier Britpop acts? Supergrass, Sleeper, Echobelly, Gene, Cast, Northern Uproar, Boo Radleys, Menswear, Shed Seven....?

Any of those ever nasty about R.E.M. in the press?
(I guess we can cross Gene off the list in that case, as they covered Nightswimming, and I remember one of them saying R.E.M. are their favourite group ever)

[Sweden]

Have none of you read the actual liner notes? He obviously speaks about britpop band in general, not a specific band.

As for the Living Well comment, I would guess it's Keith Richards. Works with the number of letters.