R.E.M. – Zonker.net

October 2, 2016

“New Adventures in Hi-Fi” by R.E.M. (No. 9)

I had low expectations for New Adventures in Hi-Fi after Monster, but R.E.M. blew it out of the water with this one.

From 1983 to 1992, R.E.M. had an unbroken string of fantastic albums, at least by my reckoning. (No pun intended.) To that point, Document was the high-water mark for me, but I had zero disappointment in Green, Out of Time, or Automatic for the People. (I even like “Shiny Happy People” non-ironically. At least I think I like it non-ironically. Who can tell, these days?)

And then Monster. I slogged through a few listens to Monster and then put it aside, disappointed. It seemed R.E.M. and I had gone separate ways. And then New Adventures came out, and all was well with the world.

Continue reading ““New Adventures in Hi-Fi” by R.E.M. (No. 9)”

September 22, 2016

“Document” by R.E.M. (No. 19)

For Document R.E.M. picked up a much harder edge than previous albums. Sure, Life’s Rich Pageant dabbled a bit with more aggressive guitar, but Document has a much harsher sound throughout. And it sounds so, so good.

Document practically kicks you in the face with the opening track, “Finest Worksong.” A whip-crack snare and then Peter Buck is off to the races with an almost metal guitar intro that sets the rhythm.

There’s more than a little The Who influence here. And Michael Stipe’s voice, once again, is crisp and clear at the forefront. This is, by the way, true to its title. If “Finest Worksong” doesn’t motivate you to get shit done, seek medical care.

Continue reading ““Document” by R.E.M. (No. 19)”

September 1, 2016

“Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon (No. 40)

If it weren’t for Warren Zevon, I’d have almost nothing to sing at the Karaoke bar. Whether this is laudable or something he should be ashamed of is left as an exercise to the reader. But give me a drink or three, and a mic, and I’ll be happy to belt out most of the songs on Excitable Boy.

Sad to say, I didn’t really follow Zevon’s career until it was late in the game. I knew several tunes, but I didn’t dig into Zevon’s catalog until his collaboration with R.E.M. on the Hindu Love Gods in 1990. You just haven’t lived until you’ve heard Zevon belting out a bluesy take on Prince‘s “Raspberry Beret.” Come to think of it, I also owe Zevon and the Love Gods (in part) for actually paying closer attention to blues music. Continue reading ““Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon (No. 40)”

August 30, 2016

“Life’s Rich Pageant” by R.E.M. (No. 42)

It’s almost by accident that I wound up being a big fan of R.E.M. A happy accident, I might add.

Earlier in this series I talked about my early obsession with Robyn Hitchcock. Not long after I became a big fan of Robyn Hitchcock, a friend of mine turned up with tickets to R.E.M.’s Green tour. Was I interested? “Dunno,” I responded, “I’m not really a big R.E.M. fan” – and threw out an unlikely scenario “unless Robyn Hitchcock is opening or something…” Turns out, yes, he was. So… I decided to brush up on my R.E.M. Continue reading ““Life’s Rich Pageant” by R.E.M. (No. 42)”

August 14, 2016

“Black Snake Diamond Röle” by Robyn Hitchcock (No. 59)

The first solo Robyn Hitchcock album, Black Snake Diamond Röle, literally opened a new world of music for me. A friend in high school declared that I’d like it, and handed me a cassette recorded from the LP. She was wrong, though. I didn’t like it, I loved it.

This was around 1986, and at the time I was mostly into classic rock – The Beatles in particular. I dabbled a bit in popular 80s music, but I hadn’t really gotten into alternative yet. Robyn Hitchcock was my gateway drug. Continue reading ““Black Snake Diamond Röle” by Robyn Hitchcock (No. 59)”

July 18, 2016

“The Minus 5” by The Minus 5 (No. 85)

The Minus 5 may be one of the best bar bands ever assembled. Made up of a rotating cast of alt-rock heroes like former R.E.M.’er Peter Buck and drummer Bill Rieflin, and headed by Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows, the self-titled The Minus 5 is a loose, rollicking set of songs that practically beg to be performed live.

I can thank Robyn Hitchcock for my introduction to The Minus 5. Several members of The Minus 5 (Buck, McCaughey, and Rieflin) backed Hitchcock on his 2006 album Olé! Tarantula as “The Venus 3,” and I had the chance to catch the bands in Seattle, playing the Crocodile Cafe in November 2006. So I nabbed The Minus 5 too, to see what they had to offer. Quite a lot, as it turns out. (Spoiler alert, this isn’t the only time Hitchcock or Buck will appear in the top 100.)

Continue reading ““The Minus 5” by The Minus 5 (No. 85)”