Post by The Curmudgeon on Jul 8, 2012 23:31:17 GMT 2
For a limited time only! Things The Curmudgeon actually LIKES - Part One!
The Curmudgeon is a fan of tradition. Whether it's pretending to not be home for trick or treater's at Halloween, or watching people suddenly become massive fans of bands and artists hours after hearing that they'd died, or seeing the latest "next Michael Jackson" from the X Factor be dropped from their record label, the old philosophy rings true; for there to truly be chaos, we must also have order. Or something.
And so, here's the tradition I speak of; for every 50 of my one star name and shame reviews, I always pull back the curtain a little into my own personal tastes and preferences, and give you lucky people FIVE glowing, gushing reviews of the great and the good that makes my black heart beat. This is the first.
What's surprising when you scan through the track-listing for this comprehensive Greatest Hits album of R.E.M is not just how many genuine hit records the band have had, but how surprising it is that these songs have become the radio standards that they are now.
The almost incoherent babble of Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite somehow turns into a singalong anthem, even if barely anyone knows quite what the Hell Stipe is going on about. A pop record dedicated to Andy Kaufman? A top ten single called "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" actually exists. Then there's the bloody weird "Orange Crush", and the whip-smart lyrics of "It's the End of the World As We Know it"? contain an irresistible chorus you could stack books on.
R.E.M are as acceptable on drive-time radio as the likes of Bon Jovi, yet the music could not BE any more different. Intelligent, wry, witty, often dark songs and a commercial sound can be a hard trick to pull off, but this two disc set shows that it's a feat R.E.M were more than capable of.
So, it's been 30 years. Let's be honest, any band or artist with that longevity are never going to have their most recent material that can sit comfortably alongside their biggest hits. As great as the likes of the Rolling Stones or Lou Reed are, their new songs aren't a patch on the music that got them noticed in the first place. Well, R.E.M have never been a "typical" band, and it seems fitting that again they defy expectations of what to expect from a group with a three decade career span. The newer material contained here has some absolute gems that deserve as much attention as "Everybody Hurts." The gorgeous, heartfelt pop ballad "We All Go Back to Where We Belong", surely the greatest song Burt Bacharach has never written, and, headache inducing title aside, "Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter" is a pure rock blast with more life and energy than most bands have in their 20's. Quite from going out with an apologetic whimper, R.E.M were making some of the best music of their careers when they called it a day. Whatever split them up, a lack of creativity sure wasn't it.
It was easy to take a band like R.E.M for granted. They've been around forever, right? They'll always be plugging away, touring the world, releasing a new album every few years. It's perhaps only now, when they really have called it a day with this farewell release, you realise not just how unique and brilliant they were, but how desperately we need a band of their caliber now. When you see the charts clogged up with witless, pointless dross that all sounds the same from no-talent chancers like Flo Ride and Niki Minaj, when we live in an age where Nickleback are considered rock stars, 30 years really was not enough time for R.E.M to shine.
"Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage" may be a mouthful, but there's surprisingly little filler here. Casual fans who only know the big hits can discover truly great songs they'd never heard before , but it also serves as a fitting last hurrah for the fans, who will finally have all of these tracks on one collection. It marks the work of a band who never compromised, never sold out and who will go down in history as true American alternative rock icons. Bands of the future - take lengthy notes.
And that's it for part one of five. Want to find out what else makes The Curmudgeon tick? We're just getting started...
The Curmudgeon is a fan of tradition. Whether it's pretending to not be home for trick or treater's at Halloween, or watching people suddenly become massive fans of bands and artists hours after hearing that they'd died, or seeing the latest "next Michael Jackson" from the X Factor be dropped from their record label, the old philosophy rings true; for there to truly be chaos, we must also have order. Or something.
And so, here's the tradition I speak of; for every 50 of my one star name and shame reviews, I always pull back the curtain a little into my own personal tastes and preferences, and give you lucky people FIVE glowing, gushing reviews of the great and the good that makes my black heart beat. This is the first.
What's surprising when you scan through the track-listing for this comprehensive Greatest Hits album of R.E.M is not just how many genuine hit records the band have had, but how surprising it is that these songs have become the radio standards that they are now.
The almost incoherent babble of Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite somehow turns into a singalong anthem, even if barely anyone knows quite what the Hell Stipe is going on about. A pop record dedicated to Andy Kaufman? A top ten single called "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" actually exists. Then there's the bloody weird "Orange Crush", and the whip-smart lyrics of "It's the End of the World As We Know it"? contain an irresistible chorus you could stack books on.
R.E.M are as acceptable on drive-time radio as the likes of Bon Jovi, yet the music could not BE any more different. Intelligent, wry, witty, often dark songs and a commercial sound can be a hard trick to pull off, but this two disc set shows that it's a feat R.E.M were more than capable of.
So, it's been 30 years. Let's be honest, any band or artist with that longevity are never going to have their most recent material that can sit comfortably alongside their biggest hits. As great as the likes of the Rolling Stones or Lou Reed are, their new songs aren't a patch on the music that got them noticed in the first place. Well, R.E.M have never been a "typical" band, and it seems fitting that again they defy expectations of what to expect from a group with a three decade career span. The newer material contained here has some absolute gems that deserve as much attention as "Everybody Hurts." The gorgeous, heartfelt pop ballad "We All Go Back to Where We Belong", surely the greatest song Burt Bacharach has never written, and, headache inducing title aside, "Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter" is a pure rock blast with more life and energy than most bands have in their 20's. Quite from going out with an apologetic whimper, R.E.M were making some of the best music of their careers when they called it a day. Whatever split them up, a lack of creativity sure wasn't it.
It was easy to take a band like R.E.M for granted. They've been around forever, right? They'll always be plugging away, touring the world, releasing a new album every few years. It's perhaps only now, when they really have called it a day with this farewell release, you realise not just how unique and brilliant they were, but how desperately we need a band of their caliber now. When you see the charts clogged up with witless, pointless dross that all sounds the same from no-talent chancers like Flo Ride and Niki Minaj, when we live in an age where Nickleback are considered rock stars, 30 years really was not enough time for R.E.M to shine.
"Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage" may be a mouthful, but there's surprisingly little filler here. Casual fans who only know the big hits can discover truly great songs they'd never heard before , but it also serves as a fitting last hurrah for the fans, who will finally have all of these tracks on one collection. It marks the work of a band who never compromised, never sold out and who will go down in history as true American alternative rock icons. Bands of the future - take lengthy notes.
And that's it for part one of five. Want to find out what else makes The Curmudgeon tick? We're just getting started...
