Buck and Mills had some of the coolest riffs and bass lines, Buck with his chiming cleans and Mills with his smooth warm yet bright enough to here bass lines. This is my favorite REM song i would have to say, wait did i mention Mills back up vocals!
I think the chords wash over everything in a more pleasing way in the Murmur version personally. This is really cool to hear, but I think they made the right call with which version ended up on the record.
Up to par in Katie bar the kitchen sign but not me in setting trap for the big kill we're wasting time sitting still. Whatever the lyrics are it's one of their best songs.
The guitar is mixed louder and is more forward. I think it's great, but I can see why they left this one of the album -- it wasn't low key enough. Thanks for the upload!
Generally, this feels messier than the album version, and not in a good way. I like some of the extra detail on this version, particularly the louder strums on the intro and Mike & Bill's background vocals, but the rest of it is definitely a step down from what we got. Now, add those strums and backing vocals into the album version and I think you'd have perfection.
As time goes on, it just seems like they have two completely different sets of fans and turned out being almost two completely different bands: Those of us who first heard them (mostly) through college radio starting in 1982 and staying with them up until their I.R.S. days were over, and then the fans that came in after the I.R.S. years were over and they got huge. A lot of their original college radio fans will tell you that they walked away from R.E.M., albeit reluctantly, at about the point of Document in 1987. They just really weren't the same band anymore after that save a good song here or there once in awhile.
I only saw them once, back on their Fables tour. I was 14 and they played Liverpool Royal court ( I think) and hadn't heard them but had seen a brief review in the NME saying how they were an American equivalent of The Smiths and bought a ticket with my paper-round money. That remains my favourite album.
I have to agree. I saw them on the Murmur tour and pretty much every one up through the Green tour. Then I lost my religion, so to speak -- what was unique about them is they were a rock band with a folk band, not a folk band with a rock edge, and the more they sounded like Natalie Merchant solo (not with the Maniacs) the more they sounded meh. I realize they never stopped releasing decent stuff and it was better than a lot of the shite pop on the radio, but yeah, they did lose something. All good bands do, at least REM knew when to quit.
Where did you get this outtake from?? Please reply, as I thought I had all of their early studio stuff on LP and CD...but, apparently not! Which bootleg is this from??? Thanks!
"Up to buy, Katie buys a kitchen size, but not Mae Ann. Setting trap for love, making a waste a time, sitting still." Dear God! Those boys were so fantastic in those days. Don't get me wrong, they're still talented men, but those IRS days are just gold!
Never got why they used the demo on the album. It's a great song but on Murmur the demo version sounds thin compared to everything else. This version fits way better with the Murmur aesthetic
