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The best album of the 90's - Automatic for the People vs Rage Against the Machine
- Thread starter milo
- Start date
milo
Jack L. Jones
I linked to this last time around but I like it, so I'm going to post it again.
The story of R.E.M. according to the RAM Album Club
1) Buck meets Stipe
The young Peter Buck was the sort of fella who listened to so much music that, had we existed at the time, he would have thought that even Ruth and Martin’s Album Club couldn’t find a blind spot.
“I’ve heard everything”, he’d say. “I got heavily, and I mean HEAVILY, into Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones when I was 15. After that I bought as many albums as I could. At last count, I had 25,000.”
“That’s what they all say”, I’d reply. “But I always find something.”
“Not with me you won’t. I’m dedicated. I once found a Velvet Underground record in a garage sale and spent about a year trying to solve The Murder Mystery.”
“Sounds a bit Steve Hoffman Music Forum that mate.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind, look here’s Achtung Bono by Half Man Half Biscuit. I need your review by next Friday and, remember, you need to listen to it three times.”
“Half Man Half Biscuit? Ok, you’ve got me there.”
Back in 1979, Peter Buck does the two most obvious things that all fellas like him end up doing - he learns how to play guitar and gets a job in a record shop so he can listen to even more music.
One of the regular customers catches his eye - another teenager that was always surrounded by beautiful girls and buying EXACTLY the same records as him. They get talking and discover they both bought Horses by Patti Smith on the day it came out.
For this reason, as much as any other, Peter Buck and Michael Stipe decide to form a band and move into a disused church in Athens, Georgia.
2) Berry meets Mills
Bill Berry was a juvenile delinquent and a bully.
Mike Mills was a smart bespectacled kid who all the grown-ups liked. He looked a bit like Richie Cunningham in Happy Days.
“We hated each other”, Berry would later say. “He was the class nerd, straight A’s, and I was just getting into drugs and stuff.”
Alright Bill, calm down mate.
“He was everything I despised: great student, got along with teachers, didn’t smoke cigarettes or smoke pot”
Alright Bill, you’ve made your point.
During 10th grade, one of Bill Berry’s mates asked if he would like to play drums on a “Boogie Woogie” jamming session. Berry agrees and drives across town to the house where the rehearsal is due to take place. Once he arrives, he carries his kit down a load of stairs to the basement.
Shortly after, the bass player arrives - Mike Mills.
Berry has since said that if he was playing any other instrument, I.e. something more portable, he would have stormed off there and then. However, because he couldn’t be bothered to move his drums again, he decided to stay put and make peace with his nemesis.
“This is ridiculous” Berry said to Mills.
“Yeah”, Mills replied.
With that, they shook hands.
The mad part of this story isn’t that they’ve been best friends ever since, or even that they became the rhythm section in one of the biggest bands in the world.
No, the mad part is that anyone other than Jools Holland would agree to take part in a “Boogie Woogie” jamming session.
3) Everyone Meets Everyone
At the start of 1980, the two halves of R.E.M were still unknown to each other - Peter Buck and Michael Stipe were trying to get something going in a disused church, whereas Bill Berry and Mike Mills were in a series of bands that went nowhere.
A mutual friend was needed and she came in the shape of Kathleen O'Brian. Kathleen lived in the church, and also had a huge crush on Bill Berry. So, knowing that her two churchmates needed a rhythm section, she brought everyone together.
This is it.
It’s THE pivotal moment in alternative American music and Bill Berry sums up the meeting perfectly with the only thing he can remember about it -
“It was cold out and we are all wearing coats.”
Thanks Bill.
Stipe, on the other hand, remembers meeting a really drunk Mike Mills who could barely stand up.
“No way! NO WAY!” said Stipe. “I’m not going to be in a band with this guy, there’s no way on earth!”
Berry eventually talked him round and the four of them set a date to rehearse at the church. When the day arrived, though, somebody didn’t turn up so they decided to knock the whole thing on the head.
A couple of weeks later Peter Buck bumped into Berry, purely by chance, and said“Let’s give it one more try.”
4) Kathleen’s Birthday
Having brought the band together, Kathleen now decides that their first gig should be at her birthday party, held in the church.
I have to say that I’m a big fan of this Kathleen. We’ve done over 70 of these now and I think she’s the first person I’ve come across that has formed a band and then made them play their first gig in her honour.
I mean she’s pushy, but I like her.
Exactly 125 people were invited to the party but something like 600 turned up - ready to witness the first performance of a band that, at this stage, were called The Twisted Kites.
Despite the fact they were playing a gig in their own house they were, in Bill Berry’s words, “scared brickless.” They proceeded to get drunk and staggered through as many covers as they could remember - including GHod Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols and a 15 minute version of Roadrunner by Jonathan Richman.
However, towards the end of the gig, members of the audience had to take over on vocals as Michael Stipe had badly burned himself with a cigarette.
And that was supposed to be that. A one off gig for a friend’s birthday.
5) A Second Gig
An unexpected downside of the debut gig was that the brilliant Kathleen was now in debt - largely because everyone drunk a load of booze that she only paid a $200 deposit for. In order to help her out, the band decided to put on a fundraising gig at the 11:11 Koffee Klub.
“I really didn’t want to play there,” says Bill, “but we had to get some money for Kathleen."
This story really would be awful without Kathleen you know.
The band also decided they didn’t want to be called Twisted Kites anymore so they held a meeting at the church where everyone got drunk and wrote a load of names on the wall.
They awoke the next morning and whittled it down to the following choices -
Negro Eyes
Slut Bank
Cans of tinkle
R.E.M.
I know, they picked the worst one.
To make matters worse, the gig at the Koffee Klub was a disaster. The police were called and shut it down after a couple of songs because the club didn't have a license for alcohol. Everyone had their names taken and the establishment was subsequently closed for good.
It’s probably worth a quick recap of where we are.
A woman called Kathleen formed a band from two kids that met in a record store and another two kids who used to hate each other. During their first gig the singer nearly set fire to himself and their second gig resulted in a local venue going out of business.
What a great start.
The story of R.E.M. according to the RAM Album Club
1) Buck meets Stipe
The young Peter Buck was the sort of fella who listened to so much music that, had we existed at the time, he would have thought that even Ruth and Martin’s Album Club couldn’t find a blind spot.
“I’ve heard everything”, he’d say. “I got heavily, and I mean HEAVILY, into Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones when I was 15. After that I bought as many albums as I could. At last count, I had 25,000.”
“That’s what they all say”, I’d reply. “But I always find something.”
“Not with me you won’t. I’m dedicated. I once found a Velvet Underground record in a garage sale and spent about a year trying to solve The Murder Mystery.”
“Sounds a bit Steve Hoffman Music Forum that mate.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind, look here’s Achtung Bono by Half Man Half Biscuit. I need your review by next Friday and, remember, you need to listen to it three times.”
“Half Man Half Biscuit? Ok, you’ve got me there.”
Back in 1979, Peter Buck does the two most obvious things that all fellas like him end up doing - he learns how to play guitar and gets a job in a record shop so he can listen to even more music.
One of the regular customers catches his eye - another teenager that was always surrounded by beautiful girls and buying EXACTLY the same records as him. They get talking and discover they both bought Horses by Patti Smith on the day it came out.
For this reason, as much as any other, Peter Buck and Michael Stipe decide to form a band and move into a disused church in Athens, Georgia.
2) Berry meets Mills
Bill Berry was a juvenile delinquent and a bully.
Mike Mills was a smart bespectacled kid who all the grown-ups liked. He looked a bit like Richie Cunningham in Happy Days.
“We hated each other”, Berry would later say. “He was the class nerd, straight A’s, and I was just getting into drugs and stuff.”
Alright Bill, calm down mate.
“He was everything I despised: great student, got along with teachers, didn’t smoke cigarettes or smoke pot”
Alright Bill, you’ve made your point.
During 10th grade, one of Bill Berry’s mates asked if he would like to play drums on a “Boogie Woogie” jamming session. Berry agrees and drives across town to the house where the rehearsal is due to take place. Once he arrives, he carries his kit down a load of stairs to the basement.
Shortly after, the bass player arrives - Mike Mills.
Berry has since said that if he was playing any other instrument, I.e. something more portable, he would have stormed off there and then. However, because he couldn’t be bothered to move his drums again, he decided to stay put and make peace with his nemesis.
“This is ridiculous” Berry said to Mills.
“Yeah”, Mills replied.
With that, they shook hands.
The mad part of this story isn’t that they’ve been best friends ever since, or even that they became the rhythm section in one of the biggest bands in the world.
No, the mad part is that anyone other than Jools Holland would agree to take part in a “Boogie Woogie” jamming session.
3) Everyone Meets Everyone
At the start of 1980, the two halves of R.E.M were still unknown to each other - Peter Buck and Michael Stipe were trying to get something going in a disused church, whereas Bill Berry and Mike Mills were in a series of bands that went nowhere.
A mutual friend was needed and she came in the shape of Kathleen O'Brian. Kathleen lived in the church, and also had a huge crush on Bill Berry. So, knowing that her two churchmates needed a rhythm section, she brought everyone together.
This is it.
It’s THE pivotal moment in alternative American music and Bill Berry sums up the meeting perfectly with the only thing he can remember about it -
“It was cold out and we are all wearing coats.”
Thanks Bill.
Stipe, on the other hand, remembers meeting a really drunk Mike Mills who could barely stand up.
“No way! NO WAY!” said Stipe. “I’m not going to be in a band with this guy, there’s no way on earth!”
Berry eventually talked him round and the four of them set a date to rehearse at the church. When the day arrived, though, somebody didn’t turn up so they decided to knock the whole thing on the head.
A couple of weeks later Peter Buck bumped into Berry, purely by chance, and said“Let’s give it one more try.”
4) Kathleen’s Birthday
Having brought the band together, Kathleen now decides that their first gig should be at her birthday party, held in the church.
I have to say that I’m a big fan of this Kathleen. We’ve done over 70 of these now and I think she’s the first person I’ve come across that has formed a band and then made them play their first gig in her honour.
I mean she’s pushy, but I like her.
Exactly 125 people were invited to the party but something like 600 turned up - ready to witness the first performance of a band that, at this stage, were called The Twisted Kites.
Despite the fact they were playing a gig in their own house they were, in Bill Berry’s words, “scared brickless.” They proceeded to get drunk and staggered through as many covers as they could remember - including GHod Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols and a 15 minute version of Roadrunner by Jonathan Richman.
However, towards the end of the gig, members of the audience had to take over on vocals as Michael Stipe had badly burned himself with a cigarette.
And that was supposed to be that. A one off gig for a friend’s birthday.
5) A Second Gig
An unexpected downside of the debut gig was that the brilliant Kathleen was now in debt - largely because everyone drunk a load of booze that she only paid a $200 deposit for. In order to help her out, the band decided to put on a fundraising gig at the 11:11 Koffee Klub.
“I really didn’t want to play there,” says Bill, “but we had to get some money for Kathleen."
This story really would be awful without Kathleen you know.
The band also decided they didn’t want to be called Twisted Kites anymore so they held a meeting at the church where everyone got drunk and wrote a load of names on the wall.
They awoke the next morning and whittled it down to the following choices -
Negro Eyes
Slut Bank
Cans of tinkle
R.E.M.
I know, they picked the worst one.
To make matters worse, the gig at the Koffee Klub was a disaster. The police were called and shut it down after a couple of songs because the club didn't have a license for alcohol. Everyone had their names taken and the establishment was subsequently closed for good.
It’s probably worth a quick recap of where we are.
A woman called Kathleen formed a band from two kids that met in a record store and another two kids who used to hate each other. During their first gig the singer nearly set fire to himself and their second gig resulted in a local venue going out of business.
What a great start.
milo
Jack L. Jones
Pt 2
6) Their First EP
In 1983, R.E.M. start work on their first EP - Chronic Town.
Michael Stipe was so nervous about his voice that it was mixed as low as possible. Then, just to make sure, he sang all 5 songs with a rubbish bin on his head.
You could barely hear him, and you had no idea what he was singing. Still, the EP was so good that when a record label called IRS heard it they offered them a deal.
”But our singer sings with a rubbish bin on his head"
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine”
7) Murmur
They start the sessions by putting two dinosaur mascots on the speakers for good luck.
Despite these, Stipe is still so nervous that he records his vocals lying down in the dark - on top of a staircase outside the main studio. Bill Berry has to play alongside a click-track in order to keep in time, and Peter Buck plays an acoustic guitar for the first time in his life.
When they record Talk about the Passion it’s the first time they’ve ever played it the whole way through - it was supposed to be a rehearsal take. It was brilliant though and the producer told them they needn’t bother playing it again.
That’s the final version you hear on the album.
It’s not only one of the best debuts ever, it’s one of the best albums ever. For all the jokes, the haphazard approach, they came out of the blocks as the most assured band in America.
They kept the dinosaurs and brought them along for all future albums.
8) Their First TV Performance
In 1983, R.E.M appeared on Letterman and performed Radio Free Europe.
Whilst the rest of the band throw themselves at the occasion in the spirit of a dream come true, Stipe looks absolutely terrified. He spends the whole performance motionless, hiding behind his long hair and clinging to the microphone for dear life.
After the performance, Letterman walks over and Stipe exits the stage so he can watch the host interview the rest of the band. Stipe then comes back on and sings So. Central Rain - again nervously attached to the microphone the whole time.
Stipe was so absent from the “performance” that the Musicians Union assumed Peter Buck was the band leader and paid him twice as much money as everyone else.
9) The Tube in 1985
It’s now two years later and R.E.M appear on The Tube to perform Can’t Get There From Here from Fables of the Reconstruction.
The band are still as energetic as before, they look virtually identical, but Stipe is a changed man. He’s dyed his hair with mustard, he’s found his feet, and proceeds to show us his moves.
For the next 3 minutes and 29 seconds he doesn’t touch the microphone once.
To this day, it’s my favourite TV performance from any band ever.
10) Stipe, Buck, Mills, Berry, Me
Stipe would go on to become one of the great frontmen. By 1989 he was topless on Top of the Pops and signing Orange Crush through a loud speaker.
Peter Buck started out as the weakest musician in R.E.M - a guitar band where the guitarist wasn’t that good - but he got much better. He also got so drunk on a plane once that he tried to insert a CD into the drinks trolley because he thought it was a CD player. What a great bloke.
Mike Mills sang the best backing vocals of all time on It’s the End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) and is the member of R.E.M. I’d most trust to look after a cat.
Bill Berry was so good, so important to the band, that they were never quite the same when he left in 1996. He also wrote Perfect Circle, which may be the best song ever written by a drummer.
Being a fan in the ‘80s was the nearest thing I’ve ever had to being a member of a secret society. It warranted its own handshake - a sign that you could give to others that you were also into this band with unintelligible lyrics that once lived in a church in the Deep South.
And it never wore off. Even when the lyrics made sense and the mystique had faded, they were always capable of being brilliant.
Put simply, the 10 albums from Murmur to New Adventures in Hi-Fi are probably the best run of 10 albums that anyone has ever produced.
Kathleen should be really proud.
http://ramalbumclub.com/post/144032836919/week-67-murmur-by-rem
6) Their First EP
In 1983, R.E.M. start work on their first EP - Chronic Town.
Michael Stipe was so nervous about his voice that it was mixed as low as possible. Then, just to make sure, he sang all 5 songs with a rubbish bin on his head.
You could barely hear him, and you had no idea what he was singing. Still, the EP was so good that when a record label called IRS heard it they offered them a deal.
”But our singer sings with a rubbish bin on his head"
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine”
7) Murmur
They start the sessions by putting two dinosaur mascots on the speakers for good luck.
Despite these, Stipe is still so nervous that he records his vocals lying down in the dark - on top of a staircase outside the main studio. Bill Berry has to play alongside a click-track in order to keep in time, and Peter Buck plays an acoustic guitar for the first time in his life.
When they record Talk about the Passion it’s the first time they’ve ever played it the whole way through - it was supposed to be a rehearsal take. It was brilliant though and the producer told them they needn’t bother playing it again.
That’s the final version you hear on the album.
It’s not only one of the best debuts ever, it’s one of the best albums ever. For all the jokes, the haphazard approach, they came out of the blocks as the most assured band in America.
They kept the dinosaurs and brought them along for all future albums.
8) Their First TV Performance
In 1983, R.E.M appeared on Letterman and performed Radio Free Europe.
Whilst the rest of the band throw themselves at the occasion in the spirit of a dream come true, Stipe looks absolutely terrified. He spends the whole performance motionless, hiding behind his long hair and clinging to the microphone for dear life.
After the performance, Letterman walks over and Stipe exits the stage so he can watch the host interview the rest of the band. Stipe then comes back on and sings So. Central Rain - again nervously attached to the microphone the whole time.
Stipe was so absent from the “performance” that the Musicians Union assumed Peter Buck was the band leader and paid him twice as much money as everyone else.
9) The Tube in 1985
It’s now two years later and R.E.M appear on The Tube to perform Can’t Get There From Here from Fables of the Reconstruction.
The band are still as energetic as before, they look virtually identical, but Stipe is a changed man. He’s dyed his hair with mustard, he’s found his feet, and proceeds to show us his moves.
For the next 3 minutes and 29 seconds he doesn’t touch the microphone once.
To this day, it’s my favourite TV performance from any band ever.
10) Stipe, Buck, Mills, Berry, Me
Stipe would go on to become one of the great frontmen. By 1989 he was topless on Top of the Pops and signing Orange Crush through a loud speaker.
Peter Buck started out as the weakest musician in R.E.M - a guitar band where the guitarist wasn’t that good - but he got much better. He also got so drunk on a plane once that he tried to insert a CD into the drinks trolley because he thought it was a CD player. What a great bloke.
Mike Mills sang the best backing vocals of all time on It’s the End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) and is the member of R.E.M. I’d most trust to look after a cat.
Bill Berry was so good, so important to the band, that they were never quite the same when he left in 1996. He also wrote Perfect Circle, which may be the best song ever written by a drummer.
Being a fan in the ‘80s was the nearest thing I’ve ever had to being a member of a secret society. It warranted its own handshake - a sign that you could give to others that you were also into this band with unintelligible lyrics that once lived in a church in the Deep South.
And it never wore off. Even when the lyrics made sense and the mystique had faded, they were always capable of being brilliant.
Put simply, the 10 albums from Murmur to New Adventures in Hi-Fi are probably the best run of 10 albums that anyone has ever produced.
Kathleen should be really proud.
http://ramalbumclub.com/post/144032836919/week-67-murmur-by-rem
Bullet
Colin Calderwood
He turned a guitar into a keyboard mix turntable helicopter. What more do you want, sprinkles? That is like saying Bob Dylan is not a great singer because his Nessun Dorma lacks bass.
milo
Jack L. Jones
It's a neat trick the first time you hear it but it gets a bit dull when he does it on every track on the album
Bullet
Colin Calderwood
Well that's a bit naughty Miles. Most band members play most instruments in a similar fashion throughout an album. The drummer drums, the guitarist plays... that is normal. You are naughty. Peter Buck strums away throughout his album. I listened to Automatic for the People just now and found it to be pretty bland.
What is "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" about by the way? Apparently Stipe was a huge Crystal Meth addict, according to the Internets.
dawaxman
Gheorge Popescu
I know that we don't agree on a few things musically Mr Bullet - but you do realise that Bob Dylan is NOT a great singer right? An incredible songwriter yes, but a great singer, definitely not
Rorschach
Ricky Villa
Bah. I'd like some cake with my sprinkles. I'm not too impressed. I did brick like that when I was a kid with my first guitar and a few pedals when I couldn't play it properly.
Listen the guy has a sound and energy that perfectly suit the music but he's not that good a player. No need for everyone to get their knickers in a bunch. I'm sure he won't be too upset that I said that.
monkeybarry
Tom Huddlestone
I vote for Use Your Illusion
Farcical poll
You could say that about most of the votes in this contest, but it's just twenty votes from a not so diverse group of people.
milo
Jack L. Jones
It cuts both ways. With a wider selectorate it is unlikely that there would have been so many hard rock albums on the short list.
