530 replies to this topic

[inspectorjason]

Having been a serious R.E.M. fan since the mid-80's, I've had relatively few disappointments with the band, but most of them have been of recent.

I remember back in 1991 when several friends of mine who were also longtime R.E.M. fans disliked Out Of Time, but I personally thought that it was one of my favorite R.E.M. recordings to date.   I fell in love with that album instantly and still love it.

I was initially disappointed with Automatic For The People, though, as I thought that R.E.M. were bending over backwards at the point to regain their "alternative" status.   Only in retrospect have I grown to appreciate Automatic For The People as a great record on its own terms, although it's still not one of my favorites from the band.

I was hugely disappointed with many of the lesser tracks on Monster when that album was released.   I instantly loved many of the songs ("What's The Frequency, Kenneth", "Crush With Eyeliner", "Star 69", "I Took Your Name"), but very underwhelmed with "Strange Currencies", "Bang And Blame", and others.

New Adventures In Hi-Fi re-established my faith in R.E.M. when it was released.   It's, by far, the best R.E.M. album under the Warner Bros. label stuff.   I can't say anything bad about anything on the album, really.

Up disappointed me with a few of the songs that I tend to skip over these days..."You're In The Air", "Parakeet", "Falls To Climb"...I don't like any of those.   I like most of the songs on Up, though.

I was more impressed with Reveal than I was with Up.   There are a couple of truly absymal songs on the album..."Chorus And The Ring", "I'll Take The Rain".....blah...worthless....but I do like most of that album's summer feel and have some fond pre-9/11 2001 memories of that album from that summer.

Around The Sun...this was the first time in R.E.M.'s history that they truly lost my interest over the span of an album.   I have a passing like for "Electron Blue", but the rest of the album just flat out sucks to my ears.   I actually sold my copy of Around The Sun a few months back because I never listened to it.


Now, I've seen R.E.M. five times in concert and they've pulled through in flying colors each time.   I've never been disappointed by R.E.M.'s live performances.

[Driver Nate]

Jaesin923 said:

Then why even take up space on a fan site?   :confused:

I hope being a fan of R.E.M. (or any band for that matter) doesn't mean I like everything they do because I don't.

[Jaesin923]

Driver Nate said:

I hope being a fan of R.E.M. (or any band for that matter) doesn't mean I like everything they do because I don't.

Yeah, but you'd figure on a fan site, you at least talk about what you LIKE about the band...if you can't help but spew incessant and reduntant jargon on what you don't like about the band, why not start a thread for the haters? :confused:

It gets really frustrating to hear what people like you dislike about the band, when they could focus their attention and comments on the fact that our beloved band has stayed true to themselves, their ideals, their visions, etc despite what any critic has ever had to say over a 25+ year period...so from now on, I don't want to hear anyone comment on the quality of R.E.M.'s recent work unless they have a constructive (rather than destructive) basis...or unless they are Neil Young.:rolleyes:

[Driver Nate]

Jaesin923 said:

Yeah, but you'd figure on a fan site, you at least talk about what you LIKE about the band...if you can't help but spew incessant and reduntant jargon on what you don't like about the band, why not start a thread for the haters? :confused:

Maybe you should take a peek at the subject line.

Looking through the thread I don't see anyone expressing any out and out hatred for R.E.M. What I do see are people discussing what they consider their biggest disappointments.

[Jaesin923]

inspectorjason said:

Around The Sun...this was the first time in R.E.M.'s history that they truly lost my interest over the span of an album.   I have a passing like for "Electron Blue", but the rest of the album just flat out sucks to my ears.   I actually sold my copy of Around The Sun a few months back because I never listened to it.

Oxymoron - ex. Saying something is worthless, then realizing there is at least enough worth to cash in on...

If the CD sucks so much, why not give it away for free to someone who will listen to it...surely, an R.E.M. fan wouldn't think of using any of these beloved albums in any way for personal gain...Heck, if you have any other "sucky" R.E.M. albums to give away, I'll be glad to add doubles to my collection...

[Jaesin923]

Driver Nate said:

Maybe you should take a peek at the subject line.

Looking through the thread I don't see anyone expressing any out and out hatred for R.E.M. What I do see are people discussing what they consider their biggest disappointments.

HAHAHA What disappointments??? :D   You make it sound like there are so many, and here I struggle to find but one...

If you cling to Automatic for the People any harder, you're going to break it...and the shards will cut your ears, and you will lose your hearing, and in turn, miss out on great future R.E.M. albums...

..and I wouldn't want that to happen to any of you...:rolleyes:

[inspectorjason]

Jaesin923 said:

Oxymoron - ex. Saying something is worthless, then realizing there is at least enough worth to cash in on...

If the CD sucks so much, why not give it away for free to someone who will listen to it...surely, an R.E.M. fan wouldn't think of using any of these beloved albums in any way for personal gain...Heck, if you have any other "sucky" R.E.M. albums to give away, I'll be glad to add doubles to my collection...

One man's trash is another man's treasure.   That's the whole idea behind used CD stores.  

Around The Sun is worthless to me, but it might very well be worth a lot to others who visit the store to look though the used racks.   I got a few dollars, the used CD store will get even more from selling it to someone who wants it, and everyone will live happily ever after in a state of blissful contentment secure in the knowledge that the right CD's have, indeed, been placed in the hands of loving, caring owners who really want them and all is right in this wonderful world.




Unless, of course, this copy of Around The Sun sits on the used CD shelf for an extended period of time because nobody wants to buy it.   That would be unfortunate because this copy of Around The Sun would then be put to sleep.  

Yes, that's right.   You didn't realize that about used CD stores, did you?   The CD's that sit around and take up space without selling get put to sleep after they've been sitting around for a year or so.   Every used CD store has a secret euthanasia room in the back of the store where unsold CD's are euthanized and put to sleep.   The used CD store owners say that it's a humane process, but I suspect otherwise.   Yes, being put to sleep is obviously a less painful way to go than most, but the CD still probably feels pain and realizes in the end that it's being put to sleep forever.  

So, let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that this wayward copy of Around The Sun doesn't have to go into the euthanizing room in back of the used CD store to be put to sleep, along with all of the Right Said Fred CD's, Chumbawamba CD's, and Everclear's last dismal disc.  

I'm hoping that this copy of Around The Sun will, instead, find its way into the hands of caring, loving owners who will give it the shelter and love that it deserves.

[Driver Nate]

Jaesin923 said:

HAHAHA What disappointments??? :D   You make it sound like there are so many, and here I struggle to find but one...

If you cling to Automatic for the People any harder, you're going to break it...and the shards will cut your ears, and you will lose your hearing, and in turn, miss out on great future R.E.M. albums...

..and I wouldn't want that to happen to any of you...:rolleyes:

I don't think I've ever named Automatic as one of my favorite albums. I certainly like it well enough but would pick Hi Fi over it (as far as the Warner releases are concerned) any day of the week.

[boy in the well]

My biggest dissapointment was the Monster Concert.  I can't hold the venue, our bad seats or the terrible sound against REM.  However, I had seen live recordings from earlier in the tour, and they had played some great songs I really wanted to hear (Disturbance at the heron House, Me in Honey), but by the time they got to dallas, all of those were dropped for new songs (they should have replaced a few songs from Monster instead).   I would have been ok with the new songs if the lousy sound hadn't prevented me from hearing any sense of melody or the lyrics.

At least they played Begin the Begin.

I had to laugh at the early post that mentioned "Hair Shirt" and "King of birds".  I love those songs as well.

[Matthew Wood]

Jaesin923 said:

...from now on, I don't want to hear anyone comment on the quality of R.E.M.'s recent work unless they have a constructive (rather than destructive) basis...

Don't let the door hit your constructive ass as you leave. :)

Unless of course you're prophetic and know which threads to peruse. You know, the two or three on the entire board that are negativity-free.

[TidgeyPud]

I was pretty stunned when I heard Bad Day playing in a store - I wondered who this second-rate band ripping off ITEOTWAWKI was until I recognised Stipe's voice.  Recycling is a good thing, but come on...

ATS confirmed my suspicions things were on the slide - I've come to like a few more tracks, but it's never going to be loved.  Forget it and move on.

I've posted constructive criticisms about ATS in the past here so I can't be bothered to go over them again.  I think "Lose that fucking piano" was one of them.

[OrangeCrush76]

I was really into Monster after it came out, and was really pumped to find out that the new album was almost out.... then I caught the new video .... and thought....

They followed Monster, with all its guitars, and rock with a single called "E-bow the Letter" ?

Didn't make any sense at the time, and to this day, even though I love the song now, it didn't make a good choice for the first single following the Monster tour/album.

(btw... the first single should have been wake up bomb)

[surprisepig!]

Jaesin923 said:

It gets really frustrating to hear what people like you dislike about the band, when they could focus their attention and comments on the fact that our beloved band has stayed true to themselves, their ideals, their visions, etc despite what any critic has ever had to say over a 25+ year period...so from now on, I don't want to hear anyone comment on the quality of R.E.M.'s recent work unless they have a constructive (rather than destructive) basis...or unless they are Neil Young.:rolleyes:

The great thing about this site is the different opinions. Some people like old R.E.M. some like new R.E.M. It took me a while to admit that there were flaws in R.E.M.s work but i'm ok with the flaws. Also remember this thread is about disappointments - just because a person has been disappointed with something over the years probably does not mean they hate R.E.M. or will not give new material a fair hearing, people here tend to be smarter than that. For every negative comment there are as many positive.

[Jaesin923]

surprisepig! said:

The great thing about this site is the different opinions. Some people like old R.E.M. some like new R.E.M. It took me a while to admit that there were flaws in R.E.M.s work but i'm ok with the flaws. Also remember this thread is about disappointments - just because a person has been disappointed with something over the years probably does not mean they hate R.E.M. or will not give new material a fair hearing, people here tend to be smarter than that. For every negative comment there are as many positive.

The different opinions?  It seems everyone who mentions Around the Sun lately casts the album in a negative light, as if R.E.M. were a quarterback whose best years were behind him (don't worry Brett, I still believe!:D ).  I find it very hard to believe that R.E.M. would put out any album, unless they truly believe they were moving ahead with their music instead of dwindling in the shadow of some former glory...

One fan says, "Oh God, enough piano!" in regards to some of the songs on ATS, but goes on to revere other piano driven songs such as Electrolyte or At my most beautiful...Another fan may already know in his/her mind that they would really enjoy another rocking album from R.E.M. (in the vein of Hi-Fi), and already has any new album pigeonholed unless it is exactly that...

Well, you have to grasp that no R.E.M. album isn't specifically prepared with us in mind, and their unique, unwavering vision is the reason why we fans (wherever we are) hold a candle so high next to them...

If were going to have a thread stating supposed disappointments, how about we come up with something a little more concrete than "they didn't make the songs I wanted to hear", because if that's the basis of your disappointment, you just may find yourself complaining to each other throughout the remainder of the R.E.M. catalogue...and who wants to spend their time complaining?  

As for me, I have an album to look forward to...:rolleyes:

[Jaesin923]

Driver Nate said:

I don't think I've ever named Automatic as one of my favorite albums. I certainly like it well enough but would pick Hi Fi over it (as far as the Warner releases are concerned) any day of the week.

Still pining for the 20th century, it would seem...:cool:

[TidgeyPud]

Jaesin923 said:

If were going to have a thread stating supposed disappointments, how about we come up with something a little more concrete than "they didn't make the songs I wanted to hear"

Isn't that the point?  I'm not going to listen to something I don't enjoy just because it's REM!

At least REM fans have the honesty to admit they don't care for something, rather than pretend to love it or have some unquestioning blind devotion.  REM will continue to do whatever they want, and if we all love it, great.  That's what we all want in the end.  But anyway...

[Driver Nate]

Jaesin923 said:

Still pining for the 20th century, it would seem...:cool:

Nowhere in my post did I even allude to such a statement. It seems you're looking for a R.E.M. site that only praises them. If so, you came to the wrong place.

[rosie]

Jaesin923 said:

The different opinions?  It seems everyone who mentions Around the Sun lately casts the album in a negative light, as if R.E.M. were a quarterback whose best years were behind him (don't worry Brett, I still believe!:D ).  I find it very hard to believe that R.E.M. would put out any album, unless they truly believe they were moving ahead with their music instead of dwindling in the shadow of some former glory...

One fan says, "Oh God, enough piano!" in regards to some of the songs on ATS, but goes on to revere other piano driven songs such as Electrolyte or At my most beautiful...Another fan may already know in his/her mind that they would really enjoy another rocking album from R.E.M. (in the vein of Hi-Fi), and already has any new album pigeonholed unless it is exactly that...

Well, you have to grasp that no R.E.M. album isn't specifically prepared with us in mind, and their unique, unwavering vision is why we fans (wherever we are) hold a candle so high next to them...

If were going to have a thread stating supposed disappointments, how about we come up with something a little more concrete than "they didn't make the songs I wanted to hear", because if that's the basis of your disappointment, you just may find yourself complaining to each other throughout the remainder of the R.E.M. catalogue...and who wants to spend their time complaining?  

As for me, I have an album to look forward to...:rolleyes:

i hear what you're saying, and i agree that R.E.M. wouldn't put out an album they didn't believe in.  it's been said before, but when an artist is influenced by the expectations of the fans, that's when art (ART, Art?) dies.  if the new record turns out to be rockier than Around The Sun, all well and good.  if it's 45 minutes of dirges about death, then fine, i can cope with that, because i believe that whatever they put out comes from the heart.  thematically every single album has been different.  whatever Mike says, or Michael doesn't say about it, i reckon the new record will be another step in the evolution of R.E.M.

sue

[Jaesin923]

rosie said:

i hear what you're saying, and i agree that R.E.M. wouldn't put out an album they didn't believe in.  it's been said before, but when an artist is influenced by the expectations of the fans, that's when art (ART, Art?) dies.  if the new record turns out to be rockier than Around The Sun, all well and good.  if it's 45 minutes of dirges about death, then fine, i can cope with that, because i believe that whatever they put out comes from the heart.  thematically every single album has been different.  whatever Mike says, or Michael doesn't say about it, i reckon the new record will be another step in the evolution of R.E.M.

sue

I believe this also...and if it is the case, then perhaps this says something about others, in that certain people are -- and will always be -- just too stubborn to evolve...

"That's me in the corner; that's me in the spot-light, losing my religion...
  ...trying to keep up with you, but I don't know if I can do it..."

If R.E.M. were a girl, I'd love and appreciate her for her humour, her style, her passion for life, her understanding, her charsima, her uniqueness, that she smelled nice, and those things combined would make her beautiful to me...

It seems a few around here (won't mention names) would (metaphorically?) prefer to date for looks...or worse yet, for sex...

...and the rest of us who know better, know exactly how those kind of relationships turn out...:rolleyes: