Including a title song on their last album, having never previously done such a thing. Then hearing ATS the song itself was disappointment was confirmed.
Then there's All The Right Friends, the reason it hadn't been revived for 20 years was because it was rubbish then, as it was when it was brushed off and rushed up for In Time/Vanilla Sky.
50
Your biggest R.E.M. disappointments
Started by madloop, Aug 13 2006 07:18 AM
530 replies to this topic
#22
Driver Nate
-
- Members
- 17,796 posts
Miles Standish Proud
- LocationRaleigh, North Carolina
Posted 14 August 2006 - 05:55 PM
I don't really see naming the last album after one of the songs within as being out of character, especially with this version of R.E.M. since they said they were "throwing out the rulebook" as of Up.
As for "All the Right Friends", I didn't particularly care for the updated rendition of that song but I love the version that appears as a bonus track on the I.R.S. Vintage Series version of Dead Letter Office.
Jonathan
As for "All the Right Friends", I didn't particularly care for the updated rendition of that song but I love the version that appears as a bonus track on the I.R.S. Vintage Series version of Dead Letter Office.
Jonathan
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#23
haggis
-
- Members
- 1,209 posts
The Thread Killer
Posted 14 August 2006 - 09:01 PM
Driver Nate said:
I think the biggest juxtaposition is watching Tourfilm followed by Perfect Square. I think they're both very good documents of R.E.M. in concert but what's really noticable about Perfect Square is what's missing: Stipe's rambling pre-song anecdotes and songs, the lighting, the film editing, etc. I know bands must evolve or die but the mystique began to get slowly stripped away to the point where it is totally nonexistant these days and I miss it. I also miss the rear screen projections and obscure cover songs. With each subsequent new R.E.M. release I've began to lose hope that they'll ever redeem themselves with something worthy of their catalog again. I certainly hope the new one is the record that does it.
Jonathan
Jonathan
Yes, I always find it quite strange watching those two performances and how different they are. Perfect Square is a decent performance of some great songs but there is something very special about Tourfilm - the performance and the way in which it was filmed....and they just don't have that feel anymore which is sad. I honestly don't think they can redeem themselves now but at least they gave us something fantastic to look back on.
Michael
It must be the curse of the age, what's taken is never renewed....
Boffin, Bongo, Weirdy & Beardy
It must be the curse of the age, what's taken is never renewed....
Boffin, Bongo, Weirdy & Beardy
#24
coinaphrase
-
- Members
- 651 posts
Home is a long way away
Posted 16 August 2006 - 06:02 AM
Numb said:
Hairshirt, The Wrong Child and King of Birds are all horrible songs, but nothing is more hideous than the rotting mass of shit that is Camera. Makes me shudder everytime I hear it...
Other than those songs, I don't really have any problems with R.E.M. and I even like ATS.
Other than those songs, I don't really have any problems with R.E.M. and I even like ATS.
King of Birds?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Die!!!!!!!
And I love Camera also....
Every-fricken-body Hurts
"The significant events are often the obscure ones, and the significant utterances are often those of men withdrawn from the world and speaking to a very few." - R.W. Southern
#25
RBowden
-
- Members
- 2,063 posts
Believe in nothing
Posted 16 August 2006 - 11:52 AM
Numb said:
Hairshirt, The Wrong Child and King of Birds are all horrible songs, but nothing is more hideous than the rotting mass of shit that is Camera. Makes me shudder everytime I hear it...
Now the first three I actually quite like but you are spot on with Camera. Easily the worst thing REM have ever recorded. It does have a close cousin though (ie tuneless, boring and with an appalling vocal performance) in Saturn Return.
Apart from those, just the nauseating At My Most Beautiful and 90% of Around the Sun.
#26
Driver Nate
-
- Members
- 17,796 posts
Miles Standish Proud
- LocationRaleigh, North Carolina
Posted 16 August 2006 - 12:22 PM
I love "Camera" and was very pleased to hear them break it out after a long absence when they played Raleigh on the Up Tour back in 1999.
As far as least favorite song "Chance" would probably rank among mine. Hell, I don't even mind "Shiny Happy People" that bad.
Jonathan
As far as least favorite song "Chance" would probably rank among mine. Hell, I don't even mind "Shiny Happy People" that bad.
Jonathan
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#27
JJMelody
-
- Members
-
- 14 posts
Registered User
Posted 17 August 2006 - 07:12 AM
I don't no if this is awful, but I rarely like all songs done by one of my favorite bands. Also, in most cases I feel that the band's music gets worse over the years. :(
#28
Low Feedback
-
- Members
- 2,535 posts
The narrator
Posted 17 August 2006 - 03:48 PM
Driver Nate said:
As far as least favorite song "Chance" would probably rank among mine.
Chance, chance, chance, chance...
Not good. Doesn't work. Not funny, not interesting, not adorable. Just, nothing.
Michael
#29 Guest_REMFMFAN_*
Guest_REMFMFAN_*
-
- Guests
Posted 17 August 2006 - 04:46 PM
Pilgrim Tick said:
Including a title song on their last album, having never previously done such a thing. Then hearing ATS the song itself was disappointment was confirmed.
I go back and forth with the naming ATS after a song. On one hand, it really bothered me because I've always admired R.E.M. for never doing it. On the other hand, it was released in a very heated political year, a year of division, and Peter has said, "It's something we all have in common...we're all born, we all die, and we all fly around the sun inbetween..." To me, it was their little way of finding something in common in all of us. I love the song though.
One thing that does bother me is back in 1995, they hardly played any 'hits' and played a good chunk of NAIHF. Michael told an interviewer, "People don't come to an R.E.M. show to hear the hits...it's not very fun for us, and not very fun for the audience..." then in 2004, when asked about the setlists, he said, "It's a few from the new record, and the hits..." That's a bit too Rod Stewart or Paul McCartney for me. Also, I've always admired them for always starting their shows with a new, non-hit from their newest record (hell, in 1995, they would open with three or four from Monster). They stopped that in 2003. I wish they still opened with a new song from their current record (they opened with Lotus all of 1999, which I loved).
That's all. :D
#30 Guest_REMFMFAN_*
Guest_REMFMFAN_*
-
- Guests
Posted 17 August 2006 - 04:52 PM
MizMills said:
For me it's not really the songs but they do need to pull out some of the older rare gems. I loved when they did on tour Wolves Lower and Life And How To Live It. Most of the songs on Reveal and ATS are such a disapointmentand should not be played.
And I know this will being out the tar and chicken feathers but why in God's name does Michael have to smear his face with that black goop? I don't mind a lil bit of glam shadow but that paint stuff has to go.Wish they allow Millsy to sing more. And less celebrity name tossing from Michael. :rolleyes:
And I know this will being out the tar and chicken feathers but why in God's name does Michael have to smear his face with that black goop? I don't mind a lil bit of glam shadow but that paint stuff has to go.Wish they allow Millsy to sing more. And less celebrity name tossing from Michael. :rolleyes:
She Just Wants To Be, I've Been High, The Outsiders and Boy in the Well are absolutely fantastic live. Leaving New York is stunning as well.
#31
Preston
-
- Members
- 463 posts
Registered User
Posted 17 August 2006 - 05:29 PM
Document almost made me give up on them. I think that's when they lost the mystery. I've grown into it over the years, though. The show I saw from the Work tour was awful, although I think the crowd was to blame.
The "loss of mystery" bothered me for a while, but I saw some phenomenally good shows in '95, '99, '03, and '04, and I've learned to appreciate the vibe at the shows of the past decade for what it is without comparing it to my first shows in the early and mid 80's. I'd rather they move on from where they are now than try to capture the murkiness they once had.
I am disappointed in the prevalence of "hits" in the set from 2004. I hope that when they release a really stong album or two (and they will), they'll go back to their old ways of focusing on new material.
The "loss of mystery" bothered me for a while, but I saw some phenomenally good shows in '95, '99, '03, and '04, and I've learned to appreciate the vibe at the shows of the past decade for what it is without comparing it to my first shows in the early and mid 80's. I'd rather they move on from where they are now than try to capture the murkiness they once had.
I am disappointed in the prevalence of "hits" in the set from 2004. I hope that when they release a really stong album or two (and they will), they'll go back to their old ways of focusing on new material.
#32
pantelis
-
- Members
- 303 posts
Registered User
Posted 18 August 2006 - 08:46 AM
Well, I don't expect from any band to write exclusively masterpieces.
My biggest disappointment is their appearance in "Party of five"
My biggest disappointment is their appearance in "Party of five"
How did you get this number?
#33
Jaesin923
-
- Members
- 208 posts
on the cusp...
Posted 08 September 2006 - 12:03 PM
It amuses AND suprises me once again, how certain so-called fans are able to pick out the alleged disappointments of R.E.M. 's career as if picking grapes off the bunch. All I want is to be included (sic), and in trying to find a disappointing R.E.M. moment/song/experience/anything to share with everyone, I'm afraid I've failed you all. Even the songs I didn't like so much at first listen (most recently, HIGH SPEED TRAIN and WORST JOKE EVER), I've grown to adore (which, in my view, says alot about the band in that they don't cater to part-time fans who won't give the music the comittment that it has warranted for these 25+ glorious years).
Sorry to disappoint, and I'll try to be more irrationally objective of my all-time favourite band in the future, I swear! :rolleyes: pfft!
Sorry to disappoint, and I'll try to be more irrationally objective of my all-time favourite band in the future, I swear! :rolleyes: pfft!
I've been high; I've climbed so high, but life, sometimes it...washes over me...
#34
Driver Nate
-
- Members
- 17,796 posts
Miles Standish Proud
- LocationRaleigh, North Carolina
Posted 08 September 2006 - 01:08 PM
Preston said:
Document almost made me give up on them. I think that's when they lost the mystery. I've grown into it over the years, though. The show I saw from the Work tour was awful, although I think the crowd was to blame.
The "loss of mystery" bothered me for a while, but I saw some phenomenally good shows in '95, '99, '03, and '04, and I've learned to appreciate the vibe at the shows of the past decade for what it is without comparing it to my first shows in the early and mid 80's. I'd rather they move on from where they are now than try to capture the murkiness they once had.
I am disappointed in the prevalence of "hits" in the set from 2004. I hope that when they release a really stong album or two (and they will), they'll go back to their old ways of focusing on new material.
The "loss of mystery" bothered me for a while, but I saw some phenomenally good shows in '95, '99, '03, and '04, and I've learned to appreciate the vibe at the shows of the past decade for what it is without comparing it to my first shows in the early and mid 80's. I'd rather they move on from where they are now than try to capture the murkiness they once had.
I am disappointed in the prevalence of "hits" in the set from 2004. I hope that when they release a really stong album or two (and they will), they'll go back to their old ways of focusing on new material.
I've been surprised to read at least a couple of posts showing disappointment with the Work Tour. I only saw them twice during the early years (Pagentry, Work Tour) but those shows are still my favorites. The most disappointing show to me was during the Monster tour. They seemed to feel the need to play all of their songs with the level set to 11 like Monster itself. To me, that greatly detracted from the songs that don't necessarily lend themselves to that level of volume and distortion. It wasn't a bad show by any means but it definitely ranks among my least favorite. More recently I'd have to say the 2003 show with Bill in Raleigh and the Ryman show on the last tour were pretty kickass but still don't hold a candle to the vintage tours.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#35
Preston
-
- Members
- 463 posts
Registered User
Posted 08 September 2006 - 02:48 PM
Driver Nate said:
I've been surprised to read at least a couple of posts showing disappointment with the Work Tour. I only saw them twice during the early years (Pagentry, Work Tour) but those shows are still my favorites. The most disappointing show to me was during the Monster tour. They seemed to feel the need to play all of their songs with the level set to 11 like Monster itself. To me, that greatly detracted from the songs that don't necessarily lend themselves to that level of volume and distortion. It wasn't a bad show by any means but it definitely ranks among my least favorite. More recently I'd have to say the 2003 show with Bill in Raleigh and the Ryman show on the last tour were pretty kickass but still don't hold a candle to the vintage tours.
I am sure there were plenty of amazing shows from the Work tour, it's just that the one I saw sucked, and it was due to the crowd. Someone hit Natalie Merchant in the head with a shoe, and it all went down hill from there. Bad vibes. I remember being disappointed with the setlist, and I've seen other setlists from the tour which looked much better. I also wasn't a huge Document fan at the time, so that didn't help. I'd be ecstatic with the same setlist today with a less Altamont-like crowd :-)
#36
Driver Nate
-
- Members
- 17,796 posts
Miles Standish Proud
- LocationRaleigh, North Carolina
Posted 08 September 2006 - 05:34 PM
Preston said:
I am sure there were plenty of amazing shows from the Work tour, it's just that the one I saw sucked, and it was due to the crowd. Someone hit Natalie Merchant in the head with a shoe, and it all went down hill from there. Bad vibes. I remember being disappointed with the setlist, and I've seen other setlists from the tour which looked much better. I also wasn't a huge Document fan at the time, so that didn't help. I'd be ecstatic with the same setlist today with a less Altamont-like crowd :-)
Would this be the show at Duke? I remember a friend of mine who was also at the show mentioning years after the fact that Natalie fell down then got back up and proceeded to act as though nothing had happened. I think I only caught part of that but thought it was part of her dance routine.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#37
Preston
-
- Members
- 463 posts
Registered User
Posted 08 September 2006 - 06:43 PM
Driver Nate said:
Would this be the show at Duke? I remember a friend of mine who was also at the show mentioning years after the fact that Natalie fell down then got back up and proceeded to act as though nothing had happened. I think I only caught part of that but thought it was part of her dance routine.
It was William and Mary. Rolling Stone was actually doing the "let's follow them around for a few days and keep a diary" thing at that time, and one of them (Peter, I think) remarked about how bad the crowd was and how it proved they simply could not play venues that big, and that they never would again :cool: At the time, William and Mary Hall was one of the biggest venues they were playing in the country (10,000 capacity). Definitely was in '86, but that was a great show.
#38
Matthew Wood
-
- Members
- 9,203 posts
Head Beagle
Posted 08 September 2006 - 07:51 PM
July 2001-present date.
And "The Great Beyond".
And "The Great Beyond".
For a Morrissey-clubbin' good time, visit: http://froggyandwoodman.blogspot.com/ So indie, it's not even marketed outside Murmurs, sucka.
"Monkey farts on a record is not avantgarde unless I do it first." - Matthew Wood
"Monkey farts on a record is not avantgarde unless I do it first." - Matthew Wood
#39
Driver Nate
-
- Members
- 17,796 posts
Miles Standish Proud
- LocationRaleigh, North Carolina
Posted 09 September 2006 - 11:05 AM
Preston said:
It was William and Mary. Rolling Stone was actually doing the "let's follow them around for a few days and keep a diary" thing at that time, and one of them (Peter, I think) remarked about how bad the crowd was and how it proved they simply could not play venues that big, and that they never would again :cool: At the time, William and Mary Hall was one of the biggest venues they were playing in the country (10,000 capacity). Definitely was in '86, but that was a great show.
Too bad. The show I saw was pretty good. Really funny about the size of the venue thing, especially looking back on it now. The Ryman really allowed them that intimacy though. The contrast couldn't have been more sharper when they played the Gwinett Arena the next night.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#40
Jaesin923
-
- Members
- 208 posts
on the cusp...
Posted 11 September 2006 - 07:37 AM
Matthew Wood said:
July 2001-present date.
And "The Great Beyond".
And "The Great Beyond".
Then why even take up space on a fan site? :confused:
Oh wait! I get it ...it's a spelling mistake!
You are really Matthew Good, and you're just jealous....proceed.
I've been high; I've climbed so high, but life, sometimes it...washes over me...
0 user(s) are reading this topic
members, guests, anonymous users
