R.E.M. "Around the Sun Redux - Album Sampler" (Free iTunes Exclusive)

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― AaronHz (AaronHz), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 05:34 (twenty-one years ago)

None of these songs sound very exciting to me from the clips...

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 05:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Wouldn't it be great if none of these were really on the album and they just threw a bunch of 30 sec clips together of the most boring sounding songs imaginable as a joke and the new record sounded just like Murmur?

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 23:51 (twenty-one years ago)

It would be ever greater if the new record actually was Mumur and they went "What? What??" when everyone looked puzzled.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 9 September 2004 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Steely Dan wanted to do that with their newest reissues.
Just change the titles and artwork and shit.
"THIS IS OUR NEW RECORD, FUCK Y'ALL HOES" - Michael Stipe would be heard to say.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 9 September 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry - Murmur, not Mumur. Mumur would be a different record.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 9 September 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Mummer - XTC
Even that would be great.
You buy "Around the Sun" and put it on and it's XTC's "Mummer".

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 9 September 2004 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

People are far too precious about which bunch of people recorded the albums they buy.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 9 September 2004 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Jesus, that sucked.

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Thursday, 9 September 2004 01:39 (twenty-one years ago)

At least I don't have to download the entire album now. Thanks, REM!

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Thursday, 9 September 2004 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

There was a time when just reading this thread would have sent me into a frenzy. "OMG! New R.E.M!! I gotta change my pants!" Now, I don't even want to go through the bother of downloading a free song by them. So sad.

― frankE (frankE), Thursday, 9 September 2004 02:25 (twenty-one years ago)

It's actually 30 sec clips of 5 songs strung together, and it sounds pretty dire for the most part.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 9 September 2004 03:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Itunes not allowing me to hear it well on dialup, BUT! R.E.M.'s first twelve albums: generally speaking, very good. Odds on number thirteen?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Eh, I'd say the first eight were very good. The last four have been pretty spotty for me. Some good singles maybe, but "In Time" takes care of that for me.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Just listened to it. Underwhelming. Only one song sounds halfway promising (the one with a drum machine and a shameless delay on the vocal). B-b-but "Bad Day" and "Animal" were so good! What the hell happened over the last 6 months?!

Aaron Hz: Monster and the "trio" albums are very spotty indeed, but New Adventures In Hi-Fi is pretty undeniable. If it were their last record -- if they broke up when Berry quit -- it would have hovered near the top of every "best of the '90s" list.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm. I find that to be the weakest of them, actually. Songwriting seemed to get a little more substantial on Up.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Dunno. If developing a sudden Brian Wilson fetish qualifies as an improvement in songwriting, perhaps you're right. NAIHF is too big for its own good and easy to get impatient with - 14 tracks, almost 70 minutes, some weird filler - but "E-Bow the Letter," "Bittersweet Me," "So Fast So Numb" are as good as anything on Lifes Rich Pageant.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Where are you hearing the Brian Wilson influence other than on "At My Most Beautiful?"

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hope," "You're in the Air," "Walk Unafraid," "Daysleeper," "Parakeet" - great songs. "The Apologist" is good, too.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)

x-post
Sorry, Up and Reveal blend together for me (although the former is much, much better). I'd say "At My Most Beautiful," "Why Not Smile," "Suspicion," "Summer Turns to High," "Beat A Drum" and partly "I've Been High" all bear a Beach Boys imprint.

Tim - sure, I agree and would even add "Lotus"; I''ve also heard amazing live versions of "The Apologist" and "Walk Unafraid" from the Up tour that wiped the floor with the album versions.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Exactly. Live shows definitely affected my impressions of both of those songs.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 9 September 2004 04:51 (twenty-one years ago)

You could make a really great 12 song album from combining the best bits of Up and Reveal - I'd include:

Airportman
Suspicion
At My Most Beautiful
You're in the Air
Why Not Smile
Daysleeper
I've Been High
Disappear
Beat a Drum
Imitation of Life
Chorus and the Ring
I'll Take the Rain

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Thursday, 9 September 2004 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

ok maybe not really great, but pretty damn good!

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Thursday, 9 September 2004 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I would want Lotus on there. I like the snakey guitar licks.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Thursday, 9 September 2004 07:42 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah josh's list is pretty much bang on.

frankE's comments are
bang on the £££ too, i feel the same.

― piscesboy, Thursday, 9 September 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that "I'll Take The Rain" is probably the single most annoying song to ever make it to an R.E.M. album. But then again, I haven't heard the new record.

I have heard "Leaving NY" and it depresses me how boring it is. They can do better.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 9 September 2004 10:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Yup. Exactly. Great mix except for "I'll Take the Rain."

Also, a friend has RUINED "I've Been High" for me (and now I can do the same for all of you) by noting "it sounds like 'Lady in Red.'"

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 9 September 2004 12:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Up and Reveal distilled to one really solid album:

01 Airportman
02 Lotus
03 Suspicion
04 Hope
05 Daysleeper
06 Sad Professor (but a better recording, please?)
07 Imitation Of Life
08 All The Way To Reno
09 The Lifting
10 Parakeet
11 Walk Unafraid
12 I've Been High

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 9 September 2004 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Some of the melodies on those clips remind me of Fables of the Reconstruction, as does the instrumentation. The production sounds very nice following the last two. By that I mean not so cluttered.

― danh (danh), Thursday, 9 September 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

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