1001 Albums Summary

Lot of memories around this album. It's never been one of my R.E.M. All-Timers; that would be a Sophie's Choice between Chronic Town/Murmur/Reckoning. I'd been a pretty avid R.E.M. fan for 5 or 6 years by this point, but their signature janglepop so prevalent in their earliest releases had evolved into something a little harder, rockier in some ways, ("Orange Crush", "Get Up") or trippier and psychedelic ("Turn You Inside-Out", "Remember California"), or college-rock radio-friendly ("Pop Song '89", and "Stand", which was pretty much unavoidable if you were listening to alt-rock radio at the time). I'm not saying bands can't change their sound. Failing to grow and explore new sounds leads to boring and predictable art. But I will say I wasn't enjoying the more recent releases as much as the band's earliest work. Personal preference. With that in mind, maybe it's not too surprising that my favorite couple of tracks were the gentler, mandolin-infused minor tracks "Hairshirt" and the album closer, so much of an afterthought that they didn't bother to name it anything other than "Untitled". One thing I remember about "Untitled"is the funky and weird kick-snare drum pattern that guitarist and non-drummer Peter Buck wrote. Apparently, actual drummer Bill Berry hated this song so much he refused to play drums on it, ceding it over to Buck for that song. Supposedly he said it was impossible for him to play it, not because it's hard, it's just so bad. LOL