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

"Leave (Alternate Version)" - I'm glad the siren is gone, but this arrangement takes all the drama out of the song. I guess that was the purpose, but without the urgency, it's "nice", but forgettable. Did R.E.M. actually provide the instrumental backing for this? It sounds like a kind of generic '90s electronica track. 2.5/5.

 

Leave (Alt.) - I like when bands do (and release) alternate takes or versions of their songs, especially ones that are substantially different. Interesting approach on this version but the soaring chorus on the Hi-Fi version is its strongest asset.

A 3/5 for effort.

 

This is fine for what it is. It says a lot about my take on the original version (and, really, NAIHF in general) that I already can't remember anything about it to compare today's track to.

2.8/5

 

Leave (Alt Version). Easily my favourite version of this song, and one of my favourites from the NWIHF era. 5/5

 

Stipe is the only member of the band that appears on this. I sold my A Life Less Ordinary CD once In Time came out, but the liner notes to the soundtrack provide the performance credits.

 

Leave (alternate version)
Well this doesn't have the annoying siren and it doesn't go on forever. Instead it is just boring. Four minutes of this seems longer than 7 minutes of the version used on the album.
1/5

 

Leave (Alternate Version) — If I saw an R.E.M. gig or a chill R.E.M. tribute act and they did Leave and it went like this, I'd be cool with it but let down if it were R.E.M. and not the chill tribute act, though either way I'd be like — this guy sure sounds like Michael — and I'd guess the rest of the show'd be alright too. But if the occasion ever arises that I actually wanna hear this song, the originally released version is pretty darn great and this is just pleasant and acceptable.
2.9/5

 

Wow, I never knew this. Is this the only REM song released to feature just one member of the band?

 

There's that unlisted "I'm Not Over You", song from Up which is just Michael on vocal and acoustic guitar. I think several of those demos, too, feature just one member, as well.

 

Our votes for "Leave [Alternate Version]"

1-2
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3-7
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Average: 2.8206

 

good call on the demos! That makes sense. and “I’m Not Over You” is definitely just Stipe. I love that little song so much

 

Today's song is "Revolution", written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, MIke Mills and Michael Stipe. Produced by Scott Litt & R.E.M. Remixed by Scott Wallace.


Background:
Originally demo'd during the Monster sessions, this was recorded for New Adventures In Hi-Fi, but was appropriate by film Batman And Robin, whose soundtrack it was released on in 1997. It was also released on In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, Complete Rarities: Warner Bros. 1988-2011.

Line Up:
Michael Stipe: vocals
Peter Buck: guitars
Mike Mills: bass guitar, vocals
Bill Berry: drums
Nathan December: guitar

A demo of "Revolution" was released on Monster Deluxe in 2019.

Live versions:

• Road Movie (1995, released 1996)
• R.E.M. at the BBC (1995, released 2018)

 

1994 Monster demo:

 

"Revolution" - Wow, it's surprising to hear an R.E.M. song from the late-Berry period with a catchy riff and a decent vocal melody. The verses have a sort of a Fugazi feel to them with the way the guitar and bass interplay over a heavy backbeat. The lyrics aren't too deep, but who cares when R.E.M. is letting a catchy tune out instead of trashing it. (The Monster demo sounds like it was taken from a third-generation cassette dub, but it's not bad either.) 4/5.

 

Revolution - 4/5 - Better than most of the tunes from this period, maybe because it's a bit older. My main beef with it is that if you're going to write a song called "Revolution" it should have better lyrics than this.

 

Yeah, Revolution is a silly idea… but it works. 4/5

Not a Departure for the band but quite close

 

It's enjoyable, but not brilliant. 3.5/5 .

Michael's weird pronunciation bothers me more than usual "everybody knows you're a bad act-rayus." But a good riff, a driving beat some good Mills backing vocals/bassline. I find myself approving.

 

This is great, which begs the question of how it was left off both of Monster or NAIHF.

4

 

Better than almost any thing on Monster, it's a little slight, but very catchy. It has real drive, I called it propulsive the other day. The version I am familar is the Road Movie live / official bootleg style take. Thats what I grew up listening to. This 421 demo version blows.

I think it's a mini treasure of riffs, intrigiung lyrics, I had a concept that the outright bare faced, blunt Oliver North / abortion clinic meant theyd tucked this away as an extra, not an LP so not to alienate righty fans? With the coded protest politics of their earlier lyrical style. Like an Ignoreland (I feel it may come from that period) which some band members had issues with, and we know Michael changed the lyric of Welcome to the Occupation after some objections.

To the invigorating live versions I bestow an easy 5/5. I'd put this in the upper eschelon of their b sides, and novelty covers. There aren't many great ones IMO, but this one's essential, "a must!", if you will.

 

Revolution
Dissenting voice here. This is nothing special and if it had been on the album it would have got lost among all the second and third tier tracks. Good move to leave it off.
Michael's vocal and lyrics are irritating, and as AlienRendel says, the title makes us expect better. Sounds like the awkward growing pains of a band in transition.
2/5

 

Revolution

This is a rather boring generic rocker, with Michael “singing” in his least interesting monotonous voice.

2.5/5

 

This Revolution is a good idea
all the other songs are so sad
its like you need a reason to be rad
You sport guitars when you're good and mad
I don't know why I'm so angry
Buck's spinning the distortion pedals
Stipe's lyrics still confuse me
Bomb the WEA meetings
Critics defence was snobbery
The hype was created
The album over-rated
and the advance was generously accounted
the future never happened
the sales never happened
45 revolutions per minute

This Revolution is a good idea
we tried to look like a punk rock tour
with extra musicians and mirrorballs
private jets and cell phone calls
everybody's tired of Monster's theatrics
all those songs about famous actresses
the rock is coming
in a weird new form
la la la revolution
45 revolutions per minute

3.5/5

 

“Revolution” is one of those songs that works great live. It’s energetic and bouncy and even if the crowd doesn’t know it yet, it gets them moving. The basic chorus is real easy to sing along to. It loses some of its appeal when I’m listening to a recording and can hear clearly that the lyrics are clunky and the song itself probably could’ve used some revisions. I get why it didn’t make either record. It’s perfect for live shows and/or compilations. One line, though, hit me real hard over the past few years - “The future never happened.” It makes me think about how easy it is to assume that the future will be more prosperous and tolerant and advanced. The 21st century I pictured in 1996 is not the hellscape of 2020-2022. It’s a brutally sad and and harsh lyric wrapped in a catchy chorus. That never really hit me until the last few years.

 

"Bubblegum punk" comes to mind as a description- it's okay but not great, though I can hear what ghoulsurgery is getting at about it being better live.

 

Revolution

The vocal portion of the song is useless, but the music has a kinetic energy and pulse that hasn’t really been seen since “Radio Free Europe”. I enjoy this one a lot. 4/5