REM's greatest hits

I've just boght this CD I've played it for 3 minutes and I all ready I'm blown away. It seems to be a very high quality recording, it sounds as good as my Automatic for the people LP.

Its a great way to spend £12. It came out yesterday.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...58026/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_3_4/202-8630805-3908662

^ This is one collection of their earlier stuff. Here's another >

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...58026/sr=1-8/ref=sr_1_3_8/202-8630805-3908662

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...496/sr=1-16/ref=sr_1_2_16/202-8630805-3908662

Might as well get the albums though, once you know that you like something.

Did you get the 2 disc limited edition?

 

Which one is this? There's a couple of greatest hits/single collections/odds and ends albums about now I think.

What's on it?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...58026/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_3_1/202-8630805-3908662

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...58026/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_3_2/202-8630805-3908662

 

Just wait till you've listened to it a few times...

Then make sure you have the Samaritans tel no somewhere to hand.

 

A very limited view of REM is it not? And one I don't really get. People have this view of REM after that song (Everybody hurts), but if you actualy listen to it. It's quite an uplifting song.

All IMO of course

 

I agree with MO - at least they don't need to supply razor blades with their albums, unlike Radiohead.

Everybody hurts has a really uplifting last minute or so, and the rest of the album's pretty sorted too.

But here's a shock - there's other REM songs other than Everybody hurts, and Losing my religion. Wish the dickheads at Glastonbury realised that instead of moaning every time REM wanted to showcase a new tune. Twats.

The best of REM is an IRS release, so doesn't have anything from Green or later albums on it - but it's pretty sorted nonetheless.

 

I've just watched donnie darko (again) - class film, especially that track by REM - 'sad world', is it called..? anyway, that an amazing song...

 

REM were originally gonna be called 'Cans of Piss'. However, REM, whilst maintaining an equal abstractedness, appeared to be more in keeping with political correctness and profitability, in the cold light sober morning.

 

Why did they call themselves REM then? Surely Buddweiser would have done - since that really IS cans of piss...

 

It does look like a pretty reasonable compilation of their post IRS catalogue, but I'm not sure I'll be buying it. Think I'd rather pick up the albums gradually second hand rather than just buy a compilation, you miss some of their best stuff with the best ofs. What I really would like to see is them do a proper B sides compilation along the lines of that done by the Manics, there's some good stuff they could put out.

 

^^^

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...551/sr=1-22/ref=sr_1_2_22/202-8630805-3908662

 

Complete with King of the Road


Trailor for sale or rent...................

 

There's nothing depressing about Everybody Hurts - just the opposite in fact. I find Sweetness Follows (from the same album) to be quite a bit more depressing...

And a compilation of their post-IRS releases is probably worthwhile if you don't intend to get the albums, but if you like the music, I would DEFINITELY recommend buying the albums. There's a lot of good stuff that isn't well-known or popular (I'd like to nominate Monster as the Most Underrated and Misunderstood Album Ever).

There's also an AWFUL lot of good stuff from their IRS days. Certainly Murmur and Reckoning are two of their best albums IMO. They weren't nearly as "mainstream" back then, but then I think even their modern stuff isn't very mainstream, with a few obvious exceptions (the only reason they're as big as they are is because of Everybody Hurts, Losing My Religion, and maybe Man On The Moon - if the average mainstream pop-listening punter actually *listened* to the rest of their stuff I expect he'd be put off pretty quick, as it's not very palatable to mainstream pop audiences, IMO, and all the better for it.)

Dunc, a certified R.E.M. nut

 

I don't mind "everybody hurts" too much.

Frankly it's "shiny happy people" that really kills me. The whole song is mean to be a "nice boppy mindless thing". Just strikes me that it's more of a statement about how people really aren't shiny and happy, just put on the pretence of it to appease their friends, familly and others around them.
If I hear it on the radio, I have to turn it off. If it's on my CD player (i.e. someone else has put it on), makes me want to melt the CD using a soldering iron...

 

It's for good reason that Spitting Image parody'd (sp??) this with "Whiney crappy people" when that shodawful track came out - they even aped the video - pure class. Why it wasn't released as a single was beyond me - after all, the Radio 1 crew managed to release "I'll be back" - a pee take of Arnie!!!!

 

Was the MTV Unplugged show ever released on video, dvd, cd.... ? I videoed it then first aired but would be nice to own on cd or such.

 

MO, far as I know it was never released in its entirety, but you can get odd songs from it on the various MTV Unplugged compliation CDs. God knows why it was never released as its own CD/DVD/etc...?

Dunc

 

personally I thought REM got pretty dull after AFTP, actually in hindsight make that Reckoning

 

I've been listening to 'New Adventures in Hifi' in the car the last few days. Highly unfashionable, but actually pretty good. 'Leave' in particular is a stonking track, and should be heard by those only accustomed to 'Shiny Happy People'.