DISQUS

DavidMedsker · 1 month ago

Holy Bobby Brown, Batman. I'm listening to "Remote Control," and all I hear is "My Prerogative".

Don Karnage · 1 month ago

I probably should let someone with more musical savvy really school you on the Replacements, so I'll try to keep my lesson low-key. :) They're similar to REM in that they didn't really "sell out" to reach the Hot 100. They simply kept doing their thing until musical tastes shifted in their direction. It's true their earlier stuff can be pretty punky - it's hard to picture "Run It" charting in any dimension, although it's kind of a fun song anyway. (Name another song about running red lights.) But they've got plenty of catchy post-punk songs in their catalog. I'll let others debate Tim vs Pleased to Meet Me, and I'll just suggest a couple singles for you to try: "Bastards of Young", "Alex Chilton", and "Can't Hardly Wait".

steed · 1 month ago

That's certainly what I need - a good starting point. I'll start with those three today and see what I think.

Thanks

Jeff · 1 month ago

For a nice overview of the 'Mats work, check out All for Nothing/Nothing for All. The second CD is mostly B-Sides and unreleased tracks, and includes an absolute horrible version of "Cruella De Ville" (yes, the Disney song), but the first CD is culled from their Sire Records years, and is full of awesome.

Also, if you can ever find a copy of the interview where they have all shaved off their eyebrows, it's pretty funny.

SteveC · 1 month ago

For their sensitive side, you can't go wrong with "Skyway", "Achin To Be", "Here Comes A Regular".

As Don alludes to, of their albums, "Tim" and "Pleased To Meet Me" are probably their best.

steed · 1 month ago

Okay, I've got Tim, Pleased To Meet Me and Let It Be sitting on my desk right now. I'll let you know what I think in the intro next week.

drxl · 1 month ago

Oh, come on, their version of "Cruela DeVille" is way cool! The whole "Stay Awake" collection of Disney songs it comes from is pretty great.

David_E · 1 month ago

If I'm not mistaken, Lord Jefito did an Idiot's Guide to the 'Mats a few years back; perhaps he might repost it?

For my money, as I sense you are more a pop than rock guy ... start at the end, and move backwards. "All Shook Down," while considered by many to be a low-key flame-out (and Westerberg solo), has some absolutely perfect upbeat pop numbers on it: "When It Began," "Attitude," "One Wink At A Time," "Merry Go Round" ... Ahhh, perfection ...

Moving back along the timeline from there, you can hear Westerberg pull a Benjamin Button as he retreats further and further into sloppy, freewheeling punk.

jefito · 1 month ago

I did do a 'Mats guide. I wonder if it's still in the system...

bama · 1 month ago

I miss those jefito guides somethin' fierce!
I never failed to learn something new. And, it was always great to get someone else's opinion on the music that I knew very well.

For my money, the Replacements are a gem. I think the comments above set you on the right track for exploration, but add "Within Your Reach" and "Left of the Dial." Also "I Will Dare" for a great ragged pop song.

Agreed, tThe Cruella de Ville track is awful! But, for goofs, there is "date to church."

steed · 1 month ago

I'm all over the map with my '80s music - pop, rock - doesn't matter. I am a rock guy at heart - but seeing everything posted so far, I would guess that for this purpose that you'd be right - that the pop side would interest me more than the rock side.

David_E · 1 month ago

One more nugget – you said "if they’d had more songs this pop oriented, I would’ve expected them to be more than a cult favorite."

Ah, but that's half of the mystique of their brilliant/dead-end career. My favorite Westerberg quote is "Talk about biting the hand that feeds you – we f**king tore the arm off." The 'Mats were infamous for showing up drunk; playing sloppy; dripping sarcasm, abuse and disgust on everything industry related.

At some point, you have to wonder if that hurt their promotion efforts ... :)

Russ · 1 month ago

The pop side would interest you more because that's where Westerberg's heart is.

The best thing is the world was a half-drunk Replacements show. When they were sloppy drunk, the alcoholics in the crowd got too rowdy, when they were barely drinking the alcoholics in the crowd got pissed off. But when they were half drunk, they were magical blending originals and covers with spirit and you never even noticed the alcoholics.

thefxc · 1 month ago

The correct starting point for The Replacements is Let it Be. Their first two Sire albums (Tim and Pleased To Meet Me) are OK, but they were transitioning into Paul Westerberg and his Anonymous Backing band at that point. It is wrong to say they "sold out," but Westerberg's singer/songwriter ambitions took the group in a direction away from what made the band memorable. (All For Nothing/Nothing for All focuses too much on the Adult Alternative 'mats; I would not recommend it as a starting point.)

Actually, "I'll Be You" was something of a sellout--not the song per se, but the video. The 'mats had long refused to make videos, and when they did they were intentionally half-assed ("Bastards of Young" is simply a pullout shot of a speaker; "The Ledge" is just shots of the band sitting on a couch). "I'll Be You" is a generic late-80s "alternative" video. Disappointing!

On a completely different note, yes Re-flex killed themselves because of their ill-timed choise of band name. They're not lyrical geniuses--who is?--but damn they could write a hook and a chorus. Their second album, Humanication, was never released but it's a lost new wave gem and worth hunting down a quasi-legal copy.

I'm one of those who lost REM after Monster, but my deity their 80s albums and Out of Time are unassailable. Except for "Stand," of course, which I believe was co-written with Max Martin at the behest of Warner Brothers?

Next week: are you implying that Robey's version of "One Night in Bangkok" was a bottom feeder? I hope so!

steed · 1 month ago

You can certainly take that from my comment.

Thanks for the Replacements info.

anniezaleski · 1 month ago

i've never heard that Max Martin co-wrote "Stand"...source? i've never read that in any REM history book... curious.

Matt · 1 month ago

Dave - I had tuned out with R.E.M. as well, but I have to say that their latest album Accelerate is a winner. I would suggest that you might want to check it out. Keep in mind, I disowned 'em after Around The Sun, so it took a really good record to bring me back around.

steed · 1 month ago

One of these days I will listen to it. I've heard good things, but I just don't want to waste my time and be disappointed again. But it and I will cross paths at some point, I'm sure.

Russ · 1 month ago

Accelerate is only about 32 minutes long, most of the tracks are up or mid tempo. But honestly, I think the few strong tracks on Up and Reveal are better than the strong tracks on Accelerate.

I think almost everybody gave up on REM with Around The Sun, once of the most forgettable albums of all time. Even while it's playing you forget you're playing it.

DwDunphy · 1 month ago

Even Accelerate didn't do it for me. Monster has it's moments, but overall reeks of the band being terrified that the Seattle feedback battalion was leaving them behind. Honestly, so long as I get Life's Rich Pageant, the rest of their discography is strictly mix and match.

eddie_w · 1 month ago

I'm another completist - I have most everything R.E.M. has done, but I didn't pick up a copy of Around the Sun until four years later at a used CD store for $1.99. "Leaving New York" isn't a bad track, but the others all seem to ooze into each other and drown in the murk. I actually really love "Up" (I know I'm in the minority on that one), and Reveal was just OK. Accelerate was definitely a welcome change of tempo from those previous three.

My absolute favorite R.E.M. album (and actually, my favorite album period) is Automatic for the People. There are so many beautiful things happening there - it blows me away every time I listen to it.

EightE1 · 1 month ago

I'm the only person I know who actually likes Around the Sun. The fucking band even disowns it. I still listen to it a few times a year, usually in its entirety. Reveal, though, is a turd. Not many redeeming qualities.

anniezaleski · 1 month ago

i actually like Around the Sun, too. "Electron Blue" is a great song. so is "Aftermath" and the title track. I also love Up and will defend it to my dying day as a brilliant record.

and I'm not just saying this because I have a missouri license plate that's DRVER8. true story.

My hmphs · 1 month ago

Accelerate was definitely a step in the right direction, and there are several songs that remind me of Document-era R.E.M. But about halfway through it gets a little boring again.

skipisley · 1 month ago

Tom Cochrane had a great solo record , self-titled in 1986 which spawned the singles Boy Inside The man and The Untouchable Ones. You should check those out as well.

Woody · 1 month ago

Agreed. Also, check out the wonderful acoustic versions of those and some others (Paper Tigers, Human Race) on Songs Of A Circling Spirit. One of my favorite artists. Would have been a great candidate for an Idiot's Guide.

kingofgrief · 1 month ago

ACK! Server issues strike again! I'll be good and patient; in the meantime, there's much to discuss this week.

"Seduced": I can't hear it in Top 40 rotation, either, but I'm sure a few AC stations gave it a few whirls. I've picked up both Double Time and the first season of Saturday Night Live (in which Mr. Redbone appears in two episodes) in the past year, and I doubt it'll stop there. (Here's a little something I'd inevitably see in one of the last commercial breaks each week on Friday Night Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTdqig7qx7c

I won't try and defend Helen Reddy to you (though I could), but I'll give you this much: the followup to her final chart single was the theme for the John Belishi film Continental Divide...entitled "Never Say Goodbye". Clearly our Helen suffered separation anxiety.

Both Red Rider cuts are mine when the site's back up to snuff. I used to have a 12" remix of "Young Thing Wild Dreams"; it was another favorite of our big album-rock station at the time (followed inevitably by "Lunatic Fringe" on 2-fer Tuesdays).

If "She Got the Goldmine" floats your boat that much, you need a comprehensive Jerry Reed best-of if you haven't made the purchase already. "Amos Moses", "When You're Hot, You're Hot", "Lord Mr. Ford"...funny and funky at once. The boy could pick a mean git-fiddle, too. (I recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/RCA-Country-Legends-Jerry-Reed/dp/B000058DW6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1255539492&sr=8-1)

My best friend (who's flying down for a few days tomorrow...yay me!) has a cassette single for "Hurt". It was one of the first attempts to market the format here in the States...as was the Duran Duran single that helped cause the confusion you speak of. (I'll bet someone at a Capitol meeting said "Let's try that Re-Flex single as a cassette", leading to a communication breakdown somewhere along the chain of command.) "The Politics of Dancing" has always been a King of Grief jam.

The boys from Athens also won me back to a degree with Accelerate, but it's also the weakest R.E.M. album I own. Buy it cheap for less regret. I'm also a Monster fan, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi marks the end of the "essential" run for me. (I guess "End of the World" should take Meltie honors this week.)

I'm finally warming up to the 'Mats myself, so I have no concrete opinions to offer (apart from Don't Tell a Soul being rather blah). The new remaster of Tim was added to my collection this past weekend.

Good luck with the technical difficulties. I'll check back later.

Nasty G · 1 month ago

Wow, I have to confess to not really liking anything in this week's list except for Rene & Angela, and really only I'll Be Good", though they had tons of other hot funk songs before that. (And as a Canadian, anything by Tom Cochrane was overplayed and therefore horrible.) Of course, as a matter of interest, "I'll Be Good" did reach the top 10 in 1997, but in the song which heavily sampled it: Foxy Brown's "I'll Be", her only top ten hit.

LHS · 1 month ago

Monster is one of the most underrated albums ever - we forget what a hubbub there was when R.E.M. "plugged in." It's a fantastic record, the one that led to the $80 million deal with Warner, which paid for the introspective but decent (if poorly performing) late '90s R.E.M. records. Yeah, I just can't get into "New Adventures in Hi-Fi." Why would you ever release "E-Bow the Letter" as your first single, or a single at all?

steed · 1 month ago

I'm glad some people agree about Monster. I too don't get why many people really like Hi-Fi. It's not unlistenable at all, but every album before that is much better.

Chris X · 1 month ago

dude, Monster is great. The intro riff to "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" as an album opener is genius. Blows you right out of your chair. Great record all around.

EightE1 · 1 month ago

Monster's awesome. Wasn't even aware that I'm not supposed to love it. "Crush with Eyeliner?" Are you kidding me? I saw them live on the Monster tour, and it was a fantastic show (a pre-OK Computer Radiohead opened).

Love Monster.

kingofgrief · 1 month ago

You know the live rendition of "Wichita Lineman" on the "Bittersweet Me" CD single? Recorded September 15, 1995 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, Texas...that's me in the audience!

anniezaleski · 1 month ago

that's one of R.E.M.'s best covers/b-sides ever, by far. just gorgeous.

i also dig Monster. they did "let me in" quasi-acoustic on the '08 tour, and it was fantastic.

Chris X · 1 month ago

Hey guys, I'm on time this week!

Red Rockers' "China" is simply brilliant, and a somewhat frequent spin at my gigs. I very often mix it with Real Life's "Catch Me I'm Falling"

This Re-Flex song is indeed excellent. And of course "Politics..." is a gem.

Red Rider... "Lunatic Fringe" is one I like, but I never really bothered with them otherwise, and I swear, if I hear "Life Is a Highway" one more time, I'll throw myself off bridge.

The Replacements are simply great. Pure Poer-pop perfection. Puhhh!

R.E.M.'s entire offering here is one big melty. Seriously, "End of the World.." didn't chart higher? Really?!? Was it re-released maybe? I'm with you on their recent output being less than awesome. I listened to all of them and was like "ok cool, whatever." It wasn't awful, but it wasn't something I felt the need to keep in my collection, something I'd go back to for many repeated listens, like their older stuff warrants. God, their early material is sooo goddamn good. Perfect pop songs. Uh..89. No pun intended? "Radio Free Europe" will get me bouncing and put me in a good mood no matter what I'm doing. In fact, I'm dancing in my bed with a laptop on my legs right now. "South Central Rain" is such a good goddamn song too. MAAAAN. "I'm soooooooryyyyyyyyy" So good. "Fall On Me" - also great. "Pop Song 89" - underrated, one of my favorite tunes. "End of the World.." does anyone out there actually know all the words and not just scream "LEONARD BERNSTEIN!" at the end?

Also, my girlfriend HATES...I mean vehemently DESPISES R.E.M. I can't listen to them when she's around, or she very likely might kill me. Seriously, one note, and she yells "TURN IT THE FUCK OFF" I can never get one by her. Dammit.

next week...wait, Bangkok? Murray Head does not start with R! haha. Do we get...Romantics? Run DMC? Roxy Music?

RIP Captain Lou Albano. I've got a rubberband in my beard today in tribute :(

kingofgrief · 1 month ago

"End of the World.." does anyone out there actually know all the words and not just scream "LEONARD BERNSTEIN!" at the end?

Hell, I still can't get through "Subterranean Homesick Blues" without a lyric sheet (or cue cards).

Concerning the "End of the World" lyric everyone knows: at a club in the early 90s, the DJ killed the volume at that line. One lone voice on the dancefloor could be heard shouting "Leonard Bernstein!"

Everyone kinda looked at me funny for the rest of the night.

DwDunphy · 1 month ago

Why is it that I thought they were singing, "Me and Eric Bernstein" which always caused me to ask, "Who the hell is Eric Bernstein?"

steed · 1 month ago

That's a good time KoG. I've got that picture in my mind now.
.
I always try to sing the lyrics to "End of the World" and then I have to turn my head and mumble "eh eh eh eh" to mask the lines I don't know, before someone inevitably turns the radio up to drown me out. No, no one knows those lyrics. That would be a great drunken bar contest. Whoever gets closest wins.

I'm surprised I can still listen to "Life is a Highway" but I can. And I spin that album often.

drxl · 1 month ago

Dave will probably talk about Robey's version of "One Night in Bangkok". I used to have that 12" single and I prefer it a million times over Murray Head's.

Chris X · 1 month ago

For some reason, I've never heard this. If it's coming next week, I will wait patiently. If it is not, someone make do with the mp3!

Chris X · 1 month ago

also, regarding my girlfriend's despisal of R.E.M., after reading this week's column and leaving my comments as usual, I looked, and lo and behold, she has indeed deleted every last trace of R.E.M. off the itunes. Ouch.

BKDO · 1 month ago

I completely agree with your REM sentiments. I was a devout follower- from "Chronic Town" to "Monster"- yet never got into any of their follow ups.

That said, "Accelerate" is now one of my favorite REM albums, even ranking up there next to "Lifes Rich Pageant." I highly recommend giving it a spin.

Joel Jambon · 1 month ago

I despise REO Speedwagon too, let's make that clear...

But I recall LOVING "Variety Tonight" in 1987, precisely because it sounded nothing like REO Speedwagon. I actually saw them live on that tour, and was gently rocked. Turns out it would be the last tour with great guitarist Gary Richrath, so I'm glad I saw it.

"Time For Me To Fly" was my ninth-grade prom theme. Hated it.

Eric S. · 1 month ago

I can't defend REO's Top 40 output, but I will defend "Time For Me To Fly". This song was prior to Kevin Cronin's "let's see if we can clone another sappy hit ballad" phase. REO had some rock and roll credibility from their live album, and "Ridin' The Storm Out" was still their best known song at this point. "...Tuna Fish" and it's follow up "Nine Lives" remain my two favorite albums since they sound like a band trying to build a following rather than a band coasting on past glory.

I have fond memories of playing "Time For Me To Fly" in my college dorm room and having the girl from down the hall always wander down when she heard the song. Originally, I though the song was just that good. It was only later that she admitted it was just an excuse to come down and see me. Either way, I think this song holds up, and it still brings a smile to my face when I hear it.

Elaine · 1 month ago

'It's time for me to finally dump your sorry ass and not look back' as a tween prom theme? that ain't right.

HafaRamon · 1 month ago

I'm amazed that R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe" never made it to the Top 40. In fact, I vaguely recalled that it even ranked on Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (which as it turns out, it did: at #379).

EricL · 1 month ago

Has there ever been a band where the drummer turned out to be so unexpectedly important than REM?

Russ · 1 month ago

Peter Buck said the same thing in interviews. Something along the lines of 2-2 votes don't alienate anyone and 3-1 votes are easier to stomach for the loser, but 2-1 votes create animosity.

stephenbierce · 1 month ago

When Jerry Reed died, I embedded the YouTube video of "She Got the Gold Mine..." in my blog. I play it every so often and wonder if a rap artist has covered yet, and if not--why not?

R.E.M. is one of my favorite bands--but what good is a band with whom you like EVERYTHING they've done? "Fall On Me" is a personal anthem, and "Driver 8" is fantastic too in my opinion...but I can't stand "Losing My Religion" or "Shiny Happy People" or "The One I Love". *shrug*

EightE1 · 1 month ago

Steed, you warned me back in March that you were going to diss REO, so I was ready for that. What I was surprised about was the fact that they only had two sub-Top 40 songs. I'da thought at least "Roll with the Changes" or "Back on the Road Again" or one or two other late-70s tracks woulda been on the list.

Great job, as always.

steed · 1 month ago

yeah, I was surprised too. If they had had 5 or 6 - I would have really ripped into them, but with only two that weren't necessarily as bad as the big hits, I didn't bother getting too into it.

dikinko · 1 month ago

The caveat, "Here’s another artist you clearly are going to school me on, and I’m going to let you", gives you at least some credibility in that you indicate that you know that there's something that you've been missing. So, now I would recommend that you listen to what the many comments below are suggesting. The two songs that I haven't seen mentioned yet are the relatively early "Color Me Impressed" and later, "Never Mind", please be sure to check them out along with the dozens already noted.

"Monster" was a great album.

wags · 1 month ago

I'm going to join in the chorus of voices that tells you to give Accelerate a chance. Great R.E.M. album. But I kinda liked "Up" too...

steed · 1 month ago

Well okay then. Overwhelming response tells me I should listen to this - maybe after the replacements records...

Elaine · 1 month ago

All of the Mats advice is great, and really, you can't go wrong, but I invite you to give special attention to "Valentine." It's one of my favorite songs by anybody. Tonight makes love to all your kind, tomorrow's pickin valentines. poetry.

You know Jerry Reed's theme from Smokey & the Bandit? It isn't a half-bad song on its own. The banjo & guitar is pretty kickass. I don't know what he played on the track. The vocals are perfect for the song. Honestly I've seen worse acting, too, now that I think about it. He was kind of a jack of all trades.

I don't mind "Time for me to Fly." It has a good acoustic guitar throughout and it makes me nostalgic for 7th grade.

anniezaleski · 1 month ago

The Replacements: Yes, start with Let it Be. Peter Buck's playing guitar on "I Will Dare," which is one of the greatest opening songs of an '80s album. That album -- the longing and angst and confusion and joy and adolescent insanity within it, is totally unparalleled. Plus, a KISS cover! And an anachronistic song about always reaching a crush's answering machine. A must-have '80s LP.

Before that, though, Hootenanny -- or the record where Let It Be's seeds were awkwardly sown. But there are gems: "Color Me Impressed" and "Take Me to the Hospital" are fantastic.

The post-Be years -- including Tim, Pleased to Meet Me and Don't Tell a Soul -- are hit or miss, with Tim and Me being mostly hits. Tim is a must-own, really. Soul, however, is vastly underrated; "We'll Inherit the Earth" is a monster, overproduced, shoulda-been-a-hit. Seriously, nobody likes that record, but I'll defend it to the death.

The 'Mats were big on alt-radio, but nowhere else, which is criminal, judging from how many catchy, accessible tunes they had. Seriously, the greatest hits CD rhino put out in '07 or so is great.

I'm done. I love the 'Mats.

anniezaleski · 1 month ago

oh, and this article about the 'Mats recording in Memphis with Jim Dickinson is a must-read:

http://arisurdoval.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/tor...