Label: Warner Bros.
Release Date: November 7, 1988
This is the 6th studio from R.E.M., and their first with a major label. with this clean slate, they wanted to approach the record making process a little differently. for instance, Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills learned each other's instruments and frequently switched roles during the recording, and Michael Stipe switched from adding lyrics to finished songs to working on his writing during or before song conception. This album also marks the introduction of the mandolin in the R.E.M universe, an instrument they would call on again in the future.
I see this effort as them growing "radio wings", as in, some songs on here seem to capture a sense of upbeat pop, but still pertains to R.E.M.'s natural sound. There's alot to love here, such as the structures of the songs and Stipes' yelping dog vocals, along with more hooks than a bait shop can offer.
in the end, i give this cd an 8.5/10, with catchy hooks and melodies hand in hand with well done instrumentation and structure, this is a great cd for getting into the band as well as anyone whole likes to rock, but not too much, hehe.
Pop Song 89-The first song hits hard(by R.E.M. standards, that is). the one part i love is the catchy guitar line delivered after each verse. ironically this song seems to be making fun of pop music.
Get Up-a bit like the last song, except slower and with better background singing. in the middle it sounds like the guitarist is plucking the strings ahead of the nut(fellow guitarists would know what i'm talking about). still, this is a pretty catchy song.
You Are the Everything-the mandolin makes its introduction here. this feels like a really outdoorsy song, even with outside sounds on the recording. when i listen to this i feel like i'm outside on a summer night, laying on the grass and watching the dragonflies light up.
Stand-an organ of all things whirls you into this undeniably catchy tune. this is pure pop in its finest form. in the middle is a slightly funky solo, right before bringing you back to pop.
World Leader Pretend-This sounds more like a standard song by them. Stipe singing in his usual talking bordering on rambling singing and the backing instruments playing their parts. listening to this song, i feel like i'm sitting alone at a table, assesing my life and all the mistakes i've made
The Wrong Child-i feel soooooo sad when i listen to this song. looking at the title and hearing the lyrics, this song is pretty self explanatory. this also has a mandolin appearance in it.
Orange Crush-my favorite R.E.M. song and the reason i bought this album. This song, as Stipe puts it, is about a football star who leaves his home and family for the war in Vietnam. The military feel is in this too, with the chantlike "Follow Me, Don't Follow Me" and the guitar, bass and drums giving a sense of marching
Turn You Inside-Out-
Quote:
I could turn you inside-out
But i choose, not to do
|
yep, pretty much saying "i
could f*ck you up(R.E.M. style), but i wont"
pure badassery, much like this song
Hairshirt-imo a very beautiful song for the mandolin. i also love how Michael sings this, especially the note he holds at 1:09. this is a very intimate and personal song
I Remember California-this kicks in a sort of "wandering through the desert" kind of song. the bass and drums make it ever the more hopeless and desperate
[Untitled, Hidden Track]-yeah, well since this is (supposed to be) hidden, i won't talk about it
