Timeless, haunting, beautiful music brings mist to the eyes as we remember a great bygone era for this music and reach for the nostalgia in our own lives.
damn, i love their old stuff best. fables, chronic town, murmur, reckoning, dead letter office and green - some of the best music done in the last 30 years by any group.
My favourite song off of "Fables". The Byrds' influence on R.E.M. is particularly apparent here. Sounds like they're channeling McGuinn's jingle-jangly Rickenbacher 12-string. Love it!
This is truly one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, and an incredible performance of it too. Yes, I'm a bit obsessed with R.E.M. lately. What I love about their early music especially is that, on the surface it's very catchy (though in a unique way), but if you listen more closely and try to understand the lyrics, you realize there's some deeper mystery underneath. It works on two seperate levels; the immediate, as well as whatever lies in Plato's cave. At least that's what I *think* makes it so appealing to me. ;) No, Michael Stipe wasn't always the most technically impressive singer. But if you look into their catalog, you'll realize what an original, talented, and diverse group they were. They just happened to be marketable at times too! I'd say they had the best of both worlds. Members of R.E.M., I do believe you're some of the luckiest bastards alive. That's what success looks like to me, as a musician. To be respected, *and* (hopefully) financially secure. And to have done what made you happy. That's the pinnacle.
Many of the same thoughts here. If you hunt up the footage from the 1984-5 MTV show The Cutting Edge, that right there is the pinnacle of success to me, four guys in a room playing songs they made up and making it look easy. It made me think I could do it too. Got there a few times but not like they did, and man it's hard.
a ritual of mine is that the first time it rains during the fall months, i have to play this album... imo...the best r.e.m album... thoughtful, mysterious, provocative, somewhat psychedelic...it's a gem... unfortunately, they would never sound this beautiful ever again...
Mine too. A lot of fans didn't like it, and I recall reading that it was one of Stipe's least favourite R.E.M. albums, which I never understood. This song, "Driver 8" and "Maps & Legends" are among the best songs they've ever done, IMO.
Oh wow, I always wanted to see this one from this show. Thanks for putting this on! This is probably my favorite on Fables, along with kohoutek. Nice and easy to play on the Bass, too.
This is definitely my fave. A story tellers album. A lot of the stories are about people who live in my county in georgia, chattooga county. Maps and legends and old man kensey are about reverend howard finister and his associate. I used to wander around his bible garden when I was a child, it would amaze you. A lot of the imagery of early REM sinc up to that garden. You would have to have been there, and REM have.
My favorite R.E.M. song and TV concert program combined. Thanks! Stipe's gayness is more toned down than it is in the Driver 8 video from the same show.
Ah yeah, back when shorts were, well, short. That's the way we wore them kiddies. I had a pair of cut-offs which my mom would throw away every time I went home from UGA. I had to drag them out of the trash to take them back to Athens. By the end you could read a newspaper through the seat, they were so worn out.
My buddy had all the REM albums and I got to see them in 1986 with 10,000 maniacs when no one knew who REM even was. I had them all on cassette and would play this one song over and over. I never heard if they were influenced by Roger McGuinn or not but is seems possible? I can’t believe this was over 30 years ago……..
The correct lyric is: The amber waves of gain. This song is one of the thought provoking ode to foreign policies that a band could create. I think "green grows the rushes" brought R.E.M. into the political band phase of their careers. They definately continue this trend with "Docuement" Great stuff!!!
its a richenbaker 6 string semi accoustic the jangly sound it what its well know for ie listen to the byrds, early beatles, the who,credence clearwater revival, tom petty they used them as well
I once read where Micheal said this song was the most radical song ever put on vinyl (remember records my friends..) All I know is, "green Grows the Rushes" is the most intense song about foreign policy I ever heard! The amber waves of gain, indeed........
Awesome live version of my favourite song off of FABLES. (Well, "Driver 8" was pretty cool too.) Sounds like they're channeling McGuinn and the Byrds through the Rickenbacher 12-string...which certainly ain't a bad thing!
blah blah blah more cynicism on youtube lol.....i loved life's rich pageant as much as this one...and 'reveal' is quite a beautiful record, though it came out many years later.....and to get on the positve side here, i saw them in 1985 in kalamazoo, michigan, at a 1200 seat theater....
I saw R.E.M. in 1986, and it is still to this date the most disappointing show I've ever been to. I had grown up on Murmur and Reckoning, and loved LRP. The show lasted about 61 minutes. They played every song from their new album Document, and a total of only 3 songs from all their previous records.
