When did REM turn shite (2 Viewers)

[nEiLo]

So the IRS DVD is worth getting? Have avoided all the best ofs up to now cos i have every album.
E-bow the letter, Leave, Binky the Doormat, How the West was won... are all amazing songs, whole album is deadly besides Zither which always annoyed me. My favourite Warner Bro's album anyway.

Murmur probably my favourite IRS one.

Think everyone agree's they lost it mid 90's anyway.

I don't like a single song on New Adventures.

Murmur is my favourite, and one of my favourite alubms ever to boot. The best of the Warner years is probably Green.

 

[Mitchum]

It was when Bill Berry left and Mike Mills started wearing Jimmy Page's bespangled nudie-suit that things took a turn for the worst. Somewhere between Monster & New Adventures In Hi-Fi (most misleading album title since 'Modern Life Is Rubbish') they drifted apart-both physically on stage and telepathically in terms of studio work. There's too much space between Buck and Mills these days. They need to play smaller gigs & listen to more 'interesting' music. I'm not suggesting they seek out Wolf Eyes cd-rs but they need a jolt to spark a new direction. Meh. I reckon they're finished actually.

 

[deedee]

as is...

actually Reckoning is probably my favourite. I got it on CD recently and was amazed at how much of my youth came rushing back at me... real shiver up the spine stuff

Me too. Amazing album.

It's been mostly indistinguishable bollocks since Automatic For The People. A few amazing songs interspersed among a hive of mediocrity. Up was actually a decent album with some amazing moments having said that.

What he said.

Me too! But not for the current state of REM.
I saw them in the Point last february and Peter Buck looked like he couldn't give a shit!

Cos he's too gaked out of his mind to give a shit.

 

[Beanstalk]

Within a short period they lost jefferson (holt?) the manager, Bill Berry (drummer) and Scot Litt (producer) and that may have broken the magic formula they had.

I think formula was the problem...every song seemed to have the same structure and arrangement...no experimentation...it got boring.


Admittedly, it was a good song they kept repeating...I just got tired of hearing it.

 

[trensmat]

a good wire cover does not a decent band make

 

[clonan attack]

I don't like a single song on New Adventures.

Murmur is my favourite, and one of my favourite alubms ever to boot. The best of the Warner years is probably Green.

Thats really interesting, sharing the same opinion on Murmur and total opposites on Hi-Fi,

it could come down to age, I was only born in '82 so only got into REM when they signed for Warner Bro's. I do realise IRS were their glory years even if not their most profitable but I completely love N.A.I.H.F regardless.

Think I've only listened to their last 2 albums about ten times each.

 

[MDR]

I blame Mike Stevens.

for me, they turned crap when they released Reveal and got even worse with Around The Sun.

Up is a great record, New Adventures in Hi-Fi is somewhat overrated.
Nothing tops the IRS albums. Amazing.

Nnngggllllttthhh speaks for me as well.

 

[coast to coast]

I think its after Up. But the fact that they got so big and then were expected to be one of those 'big' bands thats ont the cover of Q magazine whenever they fart is probably part of their undoing. They were never meant to be U2. They just got too popular. Everybody Hurts, I just don't get it. One of the weakest tracks on Automatic For The People.

Up is suprisingly good given that Berry had just quit. It needs trimming. After that I don't know. Leaving New York was fantastic.

 

[Mitchum]

But the fact that they got so big and then were expected to be one of those 'big' bands thats ont the cover of Q magazine whenever they fart is probably part of their undoing. They were never meant to be U2. They just got too popular.

Well I think U2 (without liking their music) and say, Radiohead have proved you can play stadiums and release records which challenge you and your audience. That R.E.M have 'chosen' to repeat the successful formula of Automatic is what probably annoys long-time fans of the band.
Document is my favourite album by theirs incidentally but we'll be playing 'Gardening At Night' down in Slattery's this Friday. Ahem.

 

[Scientician 0.8]

[SIZE=-1]We all know rock music attained perfection in 1974.

Each of their albums has some jewels but the ratio of shit to jewels has certainly increased of late. Their last album was fairly ropey but had its moments and tracks that sounded like shite on the album actually worked rather well live.
[/SIZE]

 

[Pantone247]

this poll is crap cos everything in the options happened in the space of a week.

That was kind of the point, it's like a joke poll cause it was really all of those things happening that lead to where we are today

I like New Adventures a lot, but then I was just glad it was Automatic Mk2, cause I thought Automatic was awful, even Everybody Hurts is a very average song, albeit one that pulls a few heart strings... so anyway the dark sparse sound of New Adventures was nice, but just showed how far behind they'd left that aspect of thier sound

 

[CitySickness]

Monster was the real turning point for me. Stipe should have fucked off and gone solo at that point - the royalties from Everybody Hurts alone would have kept him in eyeliner and Super8 for decades.

 

[CitySickness]

I don't think I'm uber enough to make polls, so someone stick a "When will Radiohead turn shite?" poll up there, like a good lad.

 

[therealjohnny]

That was kind of the point, it's like a joke poll

Poll-ish jokes are racist

 

[MrT]

Three words:
Shiny.
Happy.
People.

 

[hermie]

New Adventures = a lot of great songs, but needs a few tracks trimmed off
Up = excellent (especially considering the circumstances)
Revel = pretty mediocre, excepting one or two songs
.. and the last one got such bad reviews everywhere that I didn't have the heart to actually listen to it.

that pretty much says it all for me.i really love Up, it's up there with Murmur and Life's Rich Pagaent as one of my favourite.haven't got anything since reveal.

i quite like automatic; ignoreland, try not to breathe and nightswimming are all great songs.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

we'll be playing 'Gardening At Night' down in Slattery's this Friday. Ahem.

.|..|
Chronic Town or Murmur version?
I prefer the CT version but both are deadly.

 

[Mitchum]

.|..|
Chronic Town or Murmur version?
I prefer the CT version but both are deadly.

Spotter's badge!
Chronic Town actually. Stipe at his most mumble-tastic.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

Spotter's badge!
Chronic Town actually. Stipe at his most mumble-tastic.

actually I meant the version on Eponymous not Murmur. It ain't on Murmur.

kinda slower on Eponymous.

 

[Corey]

Pete Brady.