530 replies to this topic

[Pilgrimager]

dr_strangemiester, on 25 April 2009 - 04:20 AM, said:

Around The Sun will always be the weakest album, that was definatly a big big dissapointment for me. It just seemed very knocked together, not much thought or imagining put into it, even the album cover wasn't particularly creative.

I hate the liine 'leaving New York never easy'. Just missing out the is does my head in.

[MOFO]

Wanderlust

[e-botti]

a DVD from the Up Tour

[frotus]

The Wrong Child... yuck

[lordweary]

Disappointment implies expectations...I had no expectations about Reno, or Beachball...

ATS did fall below my, already fairly low, expectations.

But Accelerate really disappointed.  And "Hollow Man" most of all...it just falls flat.  "I'm Gonna DJ" couldn't disappoint: we'd already heard it live.  The disappointment was finding out that it was going to be the last track on the album.

At the time, I was disappointed with Up--but since then, have come to love it.

[bluemookie]

I can't imagine this not having been brought up 100 times, but Airportman, aside from being a poor song, if you can call it that, is hands down the worst album opener.

[Driver Nate]

To my ears, "Airportman" sets the mood for Up in a way no other track for that album could.

[Joni Smeke]

Driver Nate, on 11 October 2011 - 09:07 AM, said:

To my ears, "Airportman" sets the mood for Up in a way no other track for that album could.

+1

(Except, perhaps, the intro of The Lifting)

[electroglodyte]

Re. Airportman, I thought it was the best opener possible for Up, setting that melancholy mood. Besides, how can anyone miss the obvious joke? It's their first album without Berry, and the first thing you hear is that cheesy drum machine. I laughed out loud when I heard it.

Re. this thread's topic: my biggest R.E.M. disappointment? That they split up, and that I couldn't take my 12-year-old son to see them live (he's been an R.E.M. fan by osmosis for some time now...). I thought the band was on a good roll lately, and after their WB contract expired, I could easily see the R.E.M. fivesome with Scott and Bill R. continue another couple of albums IMO.

[Driver Eight]

Driver Nate, on 11 October 2011 - 09:07 AM, said:

To my ears, "Airportman" sets the mood for Up in a way no other track for that album could.

Agreed.

I may have posted about this years ago, but I would have loved to see the following songs released as singles:

"You Are the Everything"
"New Test Leper"
"Diminished"
"Beat a Drum"

I think "Everything," in lieu of "Pop Song 89" or in addition to it, could've been a top 10 hit in the US, and "Beat a Drum" is a much better song than "Reno," though I like "Reno" a lot. Leper and Diminished are great songs, not sure they would've translated as hits, but I'd've liked to have seen them tried.

[Scootre]

I won't get the last fan club package, due to my eternal procrastination.  
Other than that, the next biggest disappointment would be not getting to see them play live again. I got to see them 3 times.  Monster, Up and AtS tours.

[wagtail]

bluemookie, on 11 October 2011 - 09:06 AM, said:

I can't imagine this not having been brought up 100 times, but Airportman, aside from being a poor song, if you can call it that, is hands down the worst album opener.

great song and the best album opener.

I'm disappointed they didn't follow the trajectory of that song/album for later releases.

I'm disappointed that we wont get an indication of what REM would sound like, as an independent band.  I would have liked to have seen where Stipe could have gone from the ideas he was pursuing with the CiN film project.  while listening to Patti Smith's version of "so you want to be a rock n roll star" as I was out driving the other day and was struck by the line...'this is the era where everybody creates'.....and it seems to me that has a resonance all over again.....smaller, more personal projects that speak to and of community are emerging in the arts around here, it's kinda exciting and it would have been really interesting to see whether Michael coulda found a way to take the band somewhere different and away from populist marketing/networking blah.

[Electrolite1]

I never saw them sing Superman. I know it was not the most meaningful song, but when I first heard it, it really hit me. It was the first R.E.M. song I ever heard.

[7 chineSe robs.]

The way they "called it a day." That's it, really.

[Driver Eight]

wagtail, on 21 October 2011 - 02:12 AM, said:

I'm disappointed that we wont get an indication of what REM would sound like, as an independent band.  I would have liked to have seen where Stipe could have gone from the ideas he was pursuing with the CiN film project.  while listening to Patti Smith's version of "so you want to be a rock n roll star" as I was out driving the other day and was struck by the line...'this is the era where everybody creates'.....and it seems to me that has a resonance all over again.....smaller, more personal projects that speak to and of community are emerging in the arts around here, it's kinda exciting and it would have been really interesting to see whether Michael coulda found a way to take the band somewhere different and away from populist marketing/networking blah.

Agree. There's nothing preventing them, individually or as a group, from doing this as they see fit. Would like to see it, too.

[Pilgrimager]

Too many  b sides from the mid 90's onwards were just live or inst. versions of old songs instead of new studio out-takes that didn't fit on the albums. It seems like they just went in to make enough songs for an album then said 'right.Let's hit the road...or not'.

[Bill Berrys Eyebrows]

Disapointed only I never got to say goodbye. Disapointed in not seeing ALL of my fave songs performed. Even at their worst they were still great.

[xfile94]

The biggest failure to me, anyway was everything that was done after Bill left. I was such a fan, and everything ended after that. I know there were some great songs in that era, but nothing ever caught my fancy again.

[Collapse2012]

The fact that they retired when they did. They'd more in em.

[Driver Nate]

Collapse2012, on 22 June 2012 - 03:10 AM, said:

The fact that they retired when they did. They'd more in em.

I believe that's one of the reasons why they disbanded when they did. As the old show biz adage goes, you always leave 'em wanting more. If they had gone out while on a downward spiral the circumstances would have been much different.