Chasing the long tail of new media
Television Performance, 1983
. . .
File Under Sorry
On October 3, 1983, my two most favorite things of the 1980s collided . . . before I knew they were going to be my two favorite things of the 1980s.
In face, I don’t think I’d watched Late Night With David Letterman when R.E.M. made their U.S. television debut on his show. While I had probably read that Letterman was subverting the entire form, I still associated the entire form with Johnny Carson, who, was, you know, for my parents, not me.
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
File Under Opportune
Did you know about the joke that R.E.M. had running through their credits for their entire recording career? It had to do with their music publishing, which is why it’s super trainspottingy and utterly nerdy for me to know this. With Murmur, they decided to call their music publishing company “Night Garden Music,” which was “Administered throughout the Universe by Unichappel Music.” For nearly 30 years, on all of their studio albums absent one, exactly which world their Night Garden Music was administered would change.
I don’t remember when I discovered this, or if I read it in one of the many R.E.M. books I devoured in the late 80s / early 90s, but one of my goals as I write about them is to let you know what the variation is for each of their albums, as well as the one album where they — let’s face it, it was probably Michael Stipe who instigated this running joke — didn’t vary from the previous album.
This is just one of many public services of Certain Songs. You’re welcome!!
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1697: R.E.M. – “Shaking Through”
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
File Under Conversation
“9-9” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song . . .
I’ve always felt that the dissonant, offjointed “9-9” was the secret key to just how great Murmur was. Sticking it in the middle of side two, after all of the beauty of the first side and the rumble that started the second was like a statement of purpose: “yeah, we can do the soaring jangly songs, and we can do the lushly melodic ballads, but we can also do this weird-ass tone poem of utter incoherence.”
Oh, and I found out recently that I’ve been mispronouncing the title this whole time.
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
File Under Par
Probably because it was one of their earliest songs, “Sitting Still” is perhaps the purest straight-forward rocker on Murmur, accomplishing two things at once: uptempo joy and wistful nostalgia, which is a pretty neat trick, actually.
“Sitting Still” was originally released as the b-side of the Hib-Tone “Radio Free Europe” single, and the take on Murmur is the same one they used for the single, absent a new Mike Mills bass part and some fixed vocals, which probably accounts for relative simplicity in terms of both the arrangement and the instrumentation.
Kicking off with a massive Bill Berry snare drum hit, followed by Peter Buck smashing ringing chords on his Rickenbacker and Mike Mills playing about 15 basslines at once, “Sitting Still” gets off to a rousing start which overcomes the fact that I still have no idea which Michael Stipe singing on the first verse.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1695: R.E.M. – “Sitting Still”
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
File Under Anything
First, a housekeeping note: The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that I skipped “Perfect Circle” as I turn my attention to side two of Murmur. That’s because there’s a live version that I’ll be writing about in a few weeks that I love even more than the studio version, with its dual piano parts, echoed drum beat and backwards guitars. So don’t worry, we’ll get there.
In the meantime, let’s talk about one of more infamous roads not taken: the Stephen Hague-produced version of Murmur. Apparently the story goes that I.R.S. was a bit dodgy about having Mitch Easter — who’d already produced Chronic Town — produce the full-length. So R.E.M. agreed to go into the studio and do a song with Hague.
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
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.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1693: R.E.M. – “Talk About The Passion”
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
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.
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.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1691: R.E.M. – “Pilgrimage”
Album: Murmur
Year: 1983
. . .
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.)
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1690: R.E.M. – “Radio Free Europe”
Album: Chronic Town EP
Year: 1982
. . .
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.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #1689: R.E.M. – “Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)”