Night Garden: Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe [R.E.M.]1981-1996 Song-by-song*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, May 23, 2021.

  1. William Gladstone

    William Gladstone I was a teenage daydreamer.

    Location:
    Panama City, FL
    Yes, die-hard fans can definitely get defensive of all their band's output, and as much as I enjoy much of DLO, I've not listened to it much in recent years because it's mostly not essential to me, and a lot of it is nostalgia because in high school when this collection was just one of the 3-4 REM releases I had (my friends and I would each buy different albums so we could trade), it was better listening to that than Blame It On the Rain. U2 is another great album band of the same era that, to me, had mostly lackluster b-sides. Meanwhile, the Cure had many, many strong b-sides, especially for Wish...and I think that could have been a better album with less of the long, meandering album cuts and more of the to the point b-sides. Blah, blah, blah. But as mentioned, I do like the fun throw offs showcasing another side of the band...no better way to shed your hip, 120 Minutes image than releasing a drunken King of the Road. Anyway...I'm definitely getting a new appreciation for these songs on DLO, etc because it's nice to hear why other people think White Tornado or Burning Hell are great...personal preference makes the world go round. I have a friend who says DLO is absolutely the best REM album...so what do I know? :)
     
  2. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    There She Goes Again - 4/5 - I'm one of the 80s kids who was largely introduced to the VU via the covers on Dead Letter Office, so I have great affection for this version. Smartly, the VU albums also got rereleased in the mid-80s, so we could all go pick up a copy.
     
  3. ghoulsurgery

    ghoulsurgery House Ghost

    Location:
    New Jersey
    REM’s VU covers were my introduction to VU, like a lot of other people. Nirvana’s cover of “Here She Comes Now” helped too. This one isn’t my favorite VU cover on DLO (that goes to “Femme fatale”) but it’s fun. It works well.
     
  4. MEMark

    MEMark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    Yep--and those mid-80s VU reissues were pretty sweet, with some good liner notes. But I digress...
     
  5. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Dead Letter Office is the most fun album, the most rock and roll album in a traditional sense , but not the best album. It’s a big reason I like this band so much though.
     
  6. William Gladstone

    William Gladstone I was a teenage daydreamer.

    Location:
    Panama City, FL
    And the name of the album says it all...these were songs that didn't really have anywhere to go in a grand/official sense or as a proper "representation" of the band, so it's relegation to b-sides, etc and then a nice, messy catch all. Although I'd argue that it's no more jumbled stylistically, etc than Out of Time. But we're like 37 months away from discussing that one. :)
     
  7. Desbug

    Desbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I'd much rather listen to Dead Letter Office (with the Chronic Town EP tacked on the back) than Murmur or Reckoning... (this is the main reason I haven't joined in on this thread so far as it's full of people discussing how much they enjoy songs that I never got and I didn't want to be a bore - but I may have more to contribute later on) - I think there are some great songs on the first two albums but I never really got into them as standalone records the way I could with the rest of the IRS years. Also Dead Letter Office was the 3rd REM album I obtained after Out Of Time and the IRS Best Of compilation, so there's an element of nostalgia playing into this I suspect... Same goes for All The Right Friends & Permanent Vacation, fun rocking early songs that for me eclipse most of the early albums!
     
  8. prymel

    prymel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston
    Speaking for myself, I'd love for you to chime in with your thoughts on the earlier songs. I enjoy hearing different perspectives on songs I love, not to start arguments or debates, but simply because the it's interesting to see how others experience those songs.

    Also, I expect my ratings on a beloved album like Automatic For The People to be significantly lower than others who post because I honestly don't like the album much. But I'll post anyway and am eager to see how others feel about songs that have never resonated with me.
     
  9. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Three months, I reckon! It’ll just seem like 37 months.
     
  10. redmedicine

    redmedicine Pop Punk Psych Prog

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    While I can understand how the rough and ramshackle recording of this can put someone off, it's completely the opposite for me. This has the lo-fi magic that a lot of people try to capture, but few succeed (another successful example is The Basement Tapes). And it was my first exposure to the VU! 4.5/5
     
  11. MEMark

    MEMark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    Spoiler alert: I may look to you for backup, moral support and validation when we get to Reckoning.
     
  12. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    Lotta good music to discuss in those next months, though.
     
  13. William Gladstone

    William Gladstone I was a teenage daydreamer.

    Location:
    Panama City, FL
    Oh yeah, it's gonna be super machete time on that one... :agree:
     
  14. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    "There She Goes Again" is fine. It's just not the sort of thing I look to REM for, so it doesn't hit the mark for me in a "there's nothing wrong with it, I'm just not invested" kind of way.

    3/5
    You will not be alone.
     
  15. VinchVolt123

    VinchVolt123 I took a look at those hands.

    Location:
    California
    Ah, "There She Goes Again", the lost closer to Murmur. On its own, it's a fun little experiment in leaning into the band's influences and refitting them within the context of their own musical style. Despite the song's subject matter, it's surprisingly sweet-sounding, and feels closer to a love song than a humorously leery observation about the oldest profession.

    Had it been included on Murmur, it would've acted as a tender (if lyrically ironic) ending to its noir-like setting, and as mentioned before it probably would've slotted well alongside "Laughing" in regards to its mood. Plus when put into this context it acts as a great way of foreshadowing the approach on Reckoning. Alas, it was relegated to a B-side, ultimately going down as a one-off experiment rather than the proper album closer it was reportedly envisioned as.

    I'd give this cover version a comfortable 4/5; while I feel that Murmur is already a fantastic, 5/5 album as it is, having this at the end would've bumped it up a notch further.
     
  16. SeeDubs

    SeeDubs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    R.E.M. was my gateway to the Velvet Underground, but not because of their covers (which I didn't hear until DLO in 1987). Instead, its because R.E.M. (mainly Peter Buck) was so full of praise for the Velvets in interviews that when their albums were reissued in 1984 along with VU I picked them up.

    R.E.M. interviews (in the short-lived Record magazine, among other places) were also where I first heard of Husker Du, the Replacements, the Minutemen, Jason & the Scorchers, and other bands that I grew to love even more than R.E.M.

    Buck once said that early R.E.M. was, for the mainstream, the "acceptable end of the unacceptable stuff," and it's for introducing me to that "unacceptable stuff" at age 14 that I will always be grateful to them.
     
  17. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    I heartily agree with what you wrote here, and this is yet another way R.E.M. changed my life. They opened my ears to completely new music and changed what I was looking for in music forever!

    I was almost 10 years older than you at the time, but they had the same effect on me!
     
  18. John Fever M.D.

    John Fever M.D. Forum Resident

    There She Goes Again
    Count me as another kid who was turned onto the VU by REM when Dead Letter Office was released. I had likely only heard Sweet Jane and possibly Rock n Roll. With the tracks on DLO my interest was immediately piqued and when I did eventually hear 'Velvet Underground & Nico' well that was a pretty heavy moment but, not surprisingly, I was so used to the REM versions that I preferred them. But man, with All Tomorrow's Parties, Venus In Furs, etc my mind was blown and so much of what I had heard in the past few years gained perspective. THIS is where it all came from, oh, I get it now!

    I still love this version. I love the harmony vocals and I love Peter's solo which is just different enough from the VUs to be distinct and has a bit of a common vibe with the one in Talk About the Passion. I wonder if Mike helped with this too or if Peter had it handled by then. Or if that is all mythmaking by Peter which others have suggested.
    I distinctly remember wishing I could write a song as simple and satisfying as this. I didn't really catch on to how dark the lyrics were until I listened to the Velvets. Oof.
    Still and all, 4/5
     
  19. Remurmur

    Remurmur Music is THE BEST! -FZ

    Location:
    Ohio
    I wanna read page 63 , now ...
     
  20. ARK

    ARK Forum Miscreant

    Location:
    Charlton, MA, USA
    There She Goes Again
    Weak cover
    2/5
     
    Remurmur likes this.
  21. Remurmur

    Remurmur Music is THE BEST! -FZ

    Location:
    Ohio
    Very much agree. Often it was the way Michael used his unique wordplay to enhance the melody of the song , even if it was barely comprehensible, or involved non sequiturs, that made them so compelling. And trying to sort out a personal interpretation of what lyrics could be heard definitely was part of the fun of listening and did tend to hold my interest over many, many listenings.
     
  22. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    I have reassessed Murmur through this thread and glad I did.
     
  23. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Addendum to that though I do find much of it tentative, and still rank it below everything else until Green its clear the boys were onto something. Something truly original.
     
    CaptainFeedback1, Remurmur and gjp163 like this.
  24. Mr. D

    Mr. D Forum Resident

    There She Goes Again

    Not sure when I got VU & Nico but it was probably a bit before Murmur. I know I had Lou's Rock N Roll Dairy comp, which includes almost two full sides of the Velvets, so I was familiar with all of the songs that R.E.M. covered by VU and was suitably jazzed when they did Pale Blue Eyes, the first time I saw them.

    I think this is a great cover. Putting it in more of an acoustic setting makes it unique and I think Michael's delivery is a nice contrast to NYC-wise, Lou Reed.

    Finally, I tend to rank b-sides, covers, one-offs within their context. So, the 4/5 I'm giving TSGA is not necessarily the same as the 4 I gave to Laughing or 9-9, if you know what I mean?
     
  25. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    The largely acoustic There She Goes Again is a fine tribute to the VU original. It sounds a bit outside the band’s comfort zone, and they don’t quite nail the rhythm, but it’s an enjoyable listen.

    I gave Reckoning a good listen last weekend so I'd have my notes ready. And anybody who doesn't like it will have to reckon with me! :D (Just kidding...)
     

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