Archives for November 2019

Certain Songs #1693: R.E.M. – “Talk About The Passion”

November 30, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Murmur
Year: 1983

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File Under Passion

“Talk About The Passion” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song …

I mean, c’mon! We’re only four songs into Murmur, and the first three were “Radio Free Europe,” “Pilgrimage” and “Laughing,” for fuck’s sake. Any normal person would have to assume that it’s all downhill from there, but no, here comes Peter Buck, playing a circular, ringing guitar riff that instantly burrows directly into your soul.

Certain Songs #1692: R.E.M. – “Laughing”

November 29, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Murmur
Year: 1983

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File Under Laocoön

Of course, one of the most famous things about Murmur has always been Michael Stipe’s slurry, hazy vocals, which often it nearly impossible to determine what he was singing. Obviously — most certainly in retrospect — this was an affectation, but it was also a brilliant affectation.

Of course in some cases, it was to obscure lyrics that were either underwritten or — in the case of “Radio Free Europe” — hardly existed at all. And then when you added in Mike Mills and Bill Berry singing countermelodies or harmonies, it would get even tougher. But, of course, those of us who had fallen very deeply in love with Murmur over the summer of 1983 wanted to know exactly what he was singing — not because we thought there were deep meanings, but because we wanted to be able to properly sing along in our cars and in our rooms.

Certain Songs #1691: R.E.M. – “Pilgrimage”

November 27, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Murmur
Year: 1983

. . .

File Under Momentum

“Pilgrimage” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song.

One of my sillier rules is that the second song on an album is the one that tells you exactly how great that album is going to be. Anybody can do a killer lead-off track, but if the second track is as good or even better, then you know that it’s time to dig in and enjoy the record. And I defy you to come up with a second song on an any album that’s any better than “Pilgrimage.” I guess maybe “Bargain,” or “Sway.” Maybe.

Though ironically, it was probably one of the weird, slower songs that initially put me off that first time I listened to Murmur, which is, of course totally and completely insane in hindsight, because “Pilgrimage” is clearly an absolute fucking masterpiece, an object lesson in both dynamics and vocal arrangements.

Certain Songs #1690: R.E.M. – “Radio Free Europe”

November 26, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Murmur
Year: 1983

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File Under Transit

A lot of records, I don’t remember when I first heard them. The vast majority, actually. Murmur, however, is an exception. I heard it at the KFSR production studios in April, 1983. It had just shown up, and so we had to hear it this second. And upon first blush of hearing an album that is in my all-time top 5 — if not my all-time top 1 — I was . . . disappointed.

Gone was the rollicking electric tumble of Chronic Town, and instead, the songs were somewhat slower and more sophisticated. Hell, they had acoustic guitars and pianos and cellos! (Though no synths, thank the gods.)

Certain Songs #1689: R.E.M. – “Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)”

November 25, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Chronic Town EP
Year: 1982

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File Under Gentlemen

Chronic Town has always kind of been the red-headed stepchild of the R.E.M. catalog. While sonically, it’s one of the most unified of all of their records, and for me at least, has the sentimental value of being my introduction to the band, it’s kinda been consigned to the dustbin of history.

I mean, comparatively speaking, of course.

Certain Songs #1688: R.E.M. – “Gardening at Night”

November 24, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Chronic Town EP
Year: 1982

File Under Penitence

“Gardening at Night” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song . . .

It was early 1985, and I wanted to try singing in a band again. I’d done so in 1980-1981, and while it didn’t end well — I got tossed out for a guy who could, you know, actually sing — I was eager to try again.

After all, it was the mid-1980s, and if you loved music, you tried to be in a band. Because that’s what R.E.M. and The Replacements did. In this case, that band was called The Exploding Neon Kittens, because of course it was. I don’t really recall how the Exploding Neon Kittens got together, but Joe played guitar, Damian played drums and Rocky, who was a few years younger, played bass. We practiced in Damian’s basement, because that’s where the drums were.

Certain Songs #1687: R.E.M. – “Wolves, Lower”

November 23, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Chronic Town EP
Year: 1982

File Under Suspicion

So let’s begin the begin.

I may have read about R.E.M. prior to opening up the issue of Trouser Press that contained a flexi-disc that had “Wolves, Lower” on one side and the Lords of The New Church “Russian Roulette” — after all, the original Hib-Tone “Radio Free Europe” single came out in 1981 to some critical acclaim — but I sure hadn’t heard them.

Certain Songs #1686: Quicksilver Messenger Service – “Fresh Air”

November 22, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Just For Love
Year: 1970

Quicksilver Messenger Service came out of the late-60s San Francisco psychedelic scene that also produced The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape.

At least partially because founding member Dino Valenti — who early on, made a name for himself by writing the major hippie anthem, “Get Together” — spent nearly two years in prison on various drug busts, Quicksilver never gained the traction that peers like the Dead and the Airplane did, though they did have at least one near-hit single, and FM staple in 1970’s “Fresh Air,” which tripled as a weed metaphor, environmental anthem and a reaction to getting out of prison.

Certain Songs #1685: ? and the Mysterians – “96 Tears”

November 21, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: 96 Tears
Year: 1966

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Has there ever been more garage-rock thing than a band named “? and the Mysterians” doing a #1 single called “96 Tears?”

I’m pretty sure that it could only have happened in 1966, when rock ‘n’ roll was king and groups of kids from all over the country could suddenly have their weird little song on the radio, no matter how unpolished it was, just as long as it was fun and intense.

Certain Songs #1684: Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”

November 20, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: A Night at The Opera
Year: 1975

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I will stipulate the “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of the most popular songs of all time, getting over not just in spite of its total and utter ridiculousness, but because of it. It’s totally and completely over-the-top, and all the better for that. You can hate “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but I’m not even sure what the point of that is.

It’s had three separate runs of popularity: at first, back in 1975, where it became Queen’s first top ten single, and most recently, just a couple of years ago after the film that bears its name came out. But it’s the second time that really matters to me, as it led me to a great pop culture revelation.