R.E.M. - Country Feedback

     About seven years ago, I made a mixtape of my favorite R.E.M. songs and I entitled it Country Feedback. Not only is that the title of my second favorite R.E.M. song, but, I feel it also perfectly summarizes their sound. In the beginning, it was an intoxicating mixture of rock, country, Faulknerian Southern Gothicism, guitar jangle and mumbly, indecipherable lyrics. I would argue that their first five albums are all nearly perfect. I would also contend that no other band has ever started their career with five straight albums of that quality. When Murmur came out, I was a nerdy teenager growing up in rural Michigan and R.E.M. were right in my wheelhouse. I loved their sound. I loved their look.  I loved Peter Buck's Rickenbacker. I loved mumbly Stipe. I loved Mike Mills fragile harmonies. I loved Bill Berry's eyebrows. I loved Sitting Still and Shaking Through. I have the 7" of Radio Free Europe.
     Reckoning will always be my favorite R.E.M. album, but their defining song is Driver 8 from Fables of the Reconstruction. That was everything great about R.E.M. rolled into one song. There was a great guitar riff, great vocals and evocative railroad imagery. They followed that up with Life's Rich Pageant which had stellar tracks like These Days and I Believe. Then they delivered the album Document which for me was a double-edged sword. They finally broke big with The One I Love, Finest Worksong and It's the End of the World As We Know It and I was thrilled. But the success of Document landed them a deal with Warner Brothers and old R.E.M. died.

     I hate to be that guy, but I really didn't like their major label albums. Don't get me wrong, I've bought them all and there are many great songs, but I didn't like them as well as their IRS catalog. I also didn't like it when Michael Stipe gave up the mystery of his lyrics for explicit songs about politics and relationships. I missed the mumble. They recorded two songs that most people currently identify them with that I can't even listen to anymore: Losing My Religion and Everybody Hurts. In fact, here's my list of songs I can't listen to anymore, because I've heard them too many times.

1) Losing My Religion
2) Everybody Hurts
3) One- U2
4) Stairway to Heaven
5) Free Bird
6) Come As You Are- Nirvana
7) Another Brick in the Wall
8) Pinball Wizard
9) Space Oddity
10) Wonderwall- Oasis
Nothing against these bands (except Skynyrd), but enough already.

     Anyhow, when Bill Berry left the band due to health reasons, I felt they lost their edge musically and wish they had retired then. I regret never seeing them play in the 80's. I saw them in 2003 on their greatest hits tour and they were great. I was surprised how much fun Stipe seemed to have during the show. And when Peter Buck stepped on stage with the black Rickenbacker my life was complete. The opening band that night was Sparklehorse who I was unfamiliar with at the time. I soon corrected that and I will talk about them in a post very soon. Let me just say I have a list of three "goosebump" albums and here it is.

1) Sparklehorse- Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
2) Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
3) Flaming Lips- Soft Bulletin

     As far as recommendations, I have everything by R.E.M., including concert DVD's, and my kids should try all of it. I hope when they are teenagers that a band can still come along like R.E.M. and touch them the same way. Peace.