Here is is something I posted on my myspace blog on the occasion of R.E.M.'s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
I post this blog a little earlier than normal and with good reason. Monday night was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Among the inductees of The Ronettes, Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Patti Smith was a band that truly deserved this recognition. A group of four guys from the small college town of Athens, GA that were alternative before alternative was alternative. That band is R.E.M. It's a little strange when something you know will happen some day actually does and this was the particular "something." R.E.M. and their music mean alot to me being a fan for over 12 years. I find that it speaks to me. I never liked it when I told someone that I liked them and I get a quizzical look like "R.E.M? Why them?" These days, people are too fickle and look for the next big thing to come and go mainstream. A band like R.E.M. doesn't fit in today's music world. Its because they stick to their guns. Its about integrity and doing what you want to do not what someone else wants you to do. R.E.M.'s stubborn stance may have lost them a bigger audience but that doesn't matter. What matters is putting out good music that they like and what they want to do. It's giving a collective fuck you to the establishment. I've always admired them for that. I read a quote from Mike Mills about the many inductees who mostly are not active in the biz. "There's often a perception that you are no longer relevant and your career is over. I think that's a horrible misconception. I guess the fear is that...you're being honored for your post work and won't be able to measure up again. But what to do is keep going and try to do good work." That's what they are all about. Doing good work and they will continue to do that for however long they want to. To R.E.M. I say thank you for your 27 years of doing your thing. Your toil and hard work and dedication have finally been paid off. You are Hall of Famers now. From your biggest fan, you've earned it.
R.E.M. with Eddie Vedder perform Man On The Moon at the HOF induction
from Mat Snow of NME in 1984:
"...when I get to heaven the angels will be playing not harps but Rickenbackers, and they will be playing songs by R.E.M."
Collapse Into Now Review
01. Discoverer- It took a few listens to get into this song. It's a good rocking song and I like the guitar riff.
02. All The Best- A true to form balls to wall rocker that comes right out of the gate.
03. Uberlin- I compare this song to Drive from Automatic. Hey kids is Hey now
04. Oh My Heart An Ok song. A response to Houston from Accelerate
05. It Happened Today- I think this is a great song. The only negative is that there is only vocals for half the song. Eddie Vedder's in particular were under used. When listening with headphones it seems a bit busy with a lot going on. The remixes I have heard are awesome.
06. Every Day Is Yours To Win- This song reminds me a lot of Pale Blue Eyes from the Velvet Underground and from Band of Horses. I like the echo-like vocals.
07. Mine Smell Like Honey- A good rocker. A good fit for lead single
08. Walk It Back- a nice slow song
09. Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter- Good backing vocals by Peaches and backing guitar from Lenny Kaye
10. That Someone Is You- A catchy, rhyming song.
11. Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I- Ok song
12. Blue- the spoken vocals reminds me of Belong from Out of Time. A little Country Feedback in there. Patti Smith contributed solidly.
I like the Discoverer reprise at the end to tie everything up.
I saw this album much like Accelerate; it was a treat. I can see some comparisions to previous work in a few songs as noted. Despite some bumps here and there, I do like this album a lot. Another solid effort from the guys.
R.E.M Calls It a Daya
It has almost been a month now since R.E.M. announced to the world that they were disbanding. Personally for me it felt like someone I knew died or breaking up with your girlfriend. It was like a punch in the gut. I was devastated. This band was a part of my life and my growing up. I will never see them together again. I feared one of them dying before a breakup happening. As the days and weeks have passed, I have grown to accept it. Sometimes I do catch myself reading about it and suddenly that feeling hits me all over again. I have enjoyed, however, the release of the Greatest Hits cd along with the three new songs (We All Go Back to Where We Belong is excellent by the way). Lately my search of Youtube videos or playing of various songs is like a trip down memory lane. A celebration you might say. A celebration of a long and storied career. While the band may not exist anymore, one must not forget that the music still exists and that is something that will never go away. It will be with us forever. Now down the road we may see this alleged box set come out or some unreleased material. For the time being though, we have the music and we have the memories. Now with all this happening, the thought of the fate oy my site was in question. I thought about it and immediately decided that it will still continue. Most of what I have on here is a reflection and a look back at the past anyways with the front page serving as a news of sorts posting. I'm not sure what I will do with the front page but the rest of the site will remain and if anything newsworthy comes up, I will post it.
Finally I will say thank you to R.E.M. Thank you for 31 years of doing your thing. Thank you for bringing joy and passion to my life. I was privileged to see you guys four times in concert. Every new album was like a treat and I will continue to collect more memorabilia in the future (when I have enough money). Hopefully I will see you again sometime in the future (reunion?). Thank you for being you because you ARE R.E.M. and that is what you do!
