Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Stipe sort of hinted at this in the latest Mojo. Still, nothing concrete beyond producing Fischerspooner but it will be interesting to see what he does. His solo performances opening for Patti Smith post-R.E.M. have largely been comprised of covers with a few R.E.M. tunes sprinkled in.

After a Trip Back in Time, Michael Stipe Is Ready to Return to Music

Image
Michael Stipe, who was the lead singer of R.E.M. “I’m not ready
to go completely into pop stardom again, as a 56-year-old,” he
said, but “I want to work in music again.”

Credit Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

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Rocky
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Rocky »

Kudzu I was just coming in here to tell you REM made the cover of Mojo but I see you already know that. :mrgreen:
By the time you drop them I'll be gone
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Rocky wrote:Kudzu I was just coming in here to tell you REM made the cover of Mojo but I see you already know that. :mrgreen:
I appreciate that. A friend that lives in the UK was kind enough to send me a copy since Mojo doesn't arrive on newsstands here until about a month after they're published over there.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Today marks the 30th anniversary of my first R.E.M. concert which was at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University in Durham, NC. Let's Active opened on what just so happened to be Mitch Easter's birthday. To celebrate, Mike Mills and Peter Buck came out at the end of Let's Active's set to sit in on a cover of "Hush" (the version made famous by Deep Purple). The show ended with two encores and Stipe diving into the crowd twice. To this day, this is still my favorite concert. To listen, click on the image of my ticket stub below. I also have a review of the show that appeared in The Daily Tar Heel but the image is too large to post here.
Image

These Days
Harborcoat
Hyena
Time After Time (Annelise)
Maps And Legends
The One I Love
Feeling Gravitys Pull
The Flowers Of Guatemala
White Tornado
Driver 8
Tired Of Singing Trouble
I Believe
Swan Swan H
7 Chinese Bros.
Superman
Can't Get There From Here
Pretty Persuasion
Auctioneer (Another Engine)
Little America

1st ENCORE
Fall On Me
Cuyahoga
Begin The Begin

2nd ENCORE
Finest Worksong
King of Birds
Oddfellows Local 151
Born To Run
We Walk
Toys In The Attic

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Last night at the 40 Watt, Mike Mills and Bill Berry joined the Minus Five (who were opening for and backing Alejandro Escovedo) for a couple R.E.M. songs. This is "Superman". The other tune was "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville". To my knowledge there's no video of that online yet aside from on Alejandro's Facebook page. Reportedly, Stipe was in the audience. Five years after disbanding R.E.M. continues to hold true to their refusal to reunite. I can only imagine the urge Stipe must overcome to join them. Or maybe there's no urge at all but if there is, I'm guessing that some day when one of these partial reunions occur, he's going to give into it. It seems as though just about anytime Buck or Mills play Athens, they're joined by Berry.


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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

1987’s Document feels especially applicable to America in 2017
If you're hearing R.E.M. on the radio for the first time today you could be forgiven for thinking they lack politics

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

From last night in Kyoto, Japan as part of the Ice Station Japan concert, the Baseball Project with special guests Kurt Bloch and Chloe Johnson-Buck.


worrierking
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by worrierking »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Folks I'm sorry for the tardiness of this AotW. Also this one is a little different, it's the story of my short yet meaningful obsession with R.E.M.

January 1983, it was the beginning of spring semester at Eastern Illinois University. I was out with friends at a bar who's name escapes me when I heard R.E.M. for the first time. It was Radio Free Europe (Hib Tone version) and my mind was blown. What the hell was this I was hearing? Who the hell sang like THAT? I had already discovered some new music from the UK, like the Clash, The Jam and others but this was new and distinctly American. I struck up a conversation with the DJ who decided he was going to educate me on all things R.E.M. By the next morning I had a copy of the debut EP, Chronic Town, and I was hooked.
I am really enjoying plowing through all these old threads. TC, I too first heard REM at EIU. I was a year later than you (Spring '84) and I first heard REM at a bar called Mother's. I bet it was the same DJ. Eddie.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

I don't know that I've ever seen this particular clip before but I believe I have seen some video from this show. Newly uploaded to YouTube back at the beginning of the month. There's also an interview with Michael Stipe and Bill Berry as well as a snippet of "Pretty Persuasion" from this same appearance that you can watch here. Apparently, the YouTube clip below is mislabeled, this performance is actually from 1984.



*Edited to add: Someone has uploaded the entire segment to YouTube


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Tequila Cowboy
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

This is fucking incredible. I had run across it once before but had forgotten about it. Earliest known pro footage.

We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Maybe not technically "pro-shot" but this footage shot by Dan Wall of Wuxtry Records in Athens is the earliest known live footage of R.E.M. It's from a show at the 688 Club in Atlanta on February 20, 1981 from when they were opening for Joe "King" Carrasco and The Crowns. It was originally uploaded to YouTube in November of 2012 and was first shown to the public at large by the Athens Historical Society in 2007 along with some silent footage of R.E.M. performing at Wuxtry. For whatever reason, the 688 Club footage was removed from YouTube shortly after it was uploaded. You can watch it here.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Despite being one of R.E.M.'s finest works, Chronic Town never seems to get the love it deserves. When CD's were all the rage, it was tacked onto the end of the Dead Letter Office CD release like an afterthought. When "best of" album lists are compiled, it is left off because it's an EP. When R.E.M. started their 25th anniversary album release campaign in the late 00's, it skipped straight to Murmur, leaving Chronic Town in the dust like some forgotten relic. On the plus, it was reissued as a limited edition on blue vinyl for Record Store Day in 2010. To this day, it has not received the deluxe edition treatment. Several years ago, the folks at the dB's Repercussion blog put together this reimagined version of Chronic Town as an expanded release. Also in the plus column is this nicely detailed piece on Chronic Town from Diffuser.

35 Years Ago: R.E.M. Make A Mysterious Statement with Debut EP 'Chronic Town'


Cole Younger
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Cole Younger »

Jeez Michael Stipelooks like Brad Morgan in that picture up there.
A single shot rifle and a one eyed dog.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Document turned 30 yesterday. In addition to this feature, Diffuser has also done a song-by-song write up on all the tracks from the record.

30 Years Ago: R.E.M.’s ‘Document’ Drags College Rock Into the Mainstream

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

The 25th anniversary edition of Automatic For the People drops on Friday, November 10th. Tracklist can be found at the link below. The first one of the demos to be posted is a Mike Mills song which strikes me as being very much in the Big Star vein.

Image
Automatic For The People 25th Anniversary Edition Due Out November 10th



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Beaverdam
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Beaverdam »

I have probably shared previously that when I received my first stereo complete with a record player (so I could listen to my mom’s albums that I liked), am/fm radio, two tape decks, and a SINGLE CD player, I’m pretty sure that the first two cds I purchased were REM Auotomatic for the People and Charlie Daniel’s Greatest Hits.

I posted here because I saw the album although this thread is REM till ‘85. I turned 7 in ‘85 and was not into REM at that point.

This morning I read an article about REM and Automatic for the People and it sparked my interest and I listened to the album all the way through for the first time in years. I always find it intriguing to relisten to something that was put aside but was much a part of my life years ago. The context changes the manner in which my ears hear and my brain processes.

When I was in the eighth grade, I had no idea that Athens, GA (REM’s “hometown”) would become such a part of my life. The way this word turns is quite interesting.

Saturday morning deep thoughts by Beaverdam and Jack Handy
Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
Thu Sep 14, 2017 1:47 pm
The 25th anniversary edition of Automatic For the People drops on Friday, November 10th. Tracklist can be found at the link below. The first one of the demos to be posted is a Mike Mills song which strikes me as being very much in the Big Star vein.

Image
Automatic For The People 25th Anniversary Edition Due Out November 10th



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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

"So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" was released as the first single from Reckoning on this day in 1984. The video, directed by Howard Libov, was filmed at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, N.C. during the recording of the album.

https://youtu.be/msWi0c4tHV8


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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

On this day in 1982 R.E.M. were signed by I.R.S. Records.

https://sonicmoremusic.wordpress.com/20 ... m-in-1982/

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

On this day in 1984, R.E.M. performed "Sitting Still," "Radio Free Europe" and "Little America" at the Palace Theater in Hollywood, California for Showtime’s Rock of the 80s. Jason and the Scorchers, Nona Hendryx and Simple Minds also performed. It aired on August 24th of that year.


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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Due August 19th and long overdue since it's the only I.R.S. era release not to receive the anniversary treatment. Unlike the other anniversary releases, Chronic Town will be the first to not include any bonus material. Despite what the press release says, it has been released as a standalone CD before but in all fairness it was only available via import as part of a box set called The Originals in 1995 that also included Murmur and Reckoning. That said, I'll be buying the CD but mainly for Mitch Easter's liner notes.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-release ... 76408.html

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

From this day in 1983 when R.E.M. made their UK television debut on the program, The Tube. Songs performed included "Radio Free Europe," "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry), and "Talk About the Passion."
https://youtu.be/AinyLYhEpOM

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

...when it got really big, I don’t know if anyone really enjoys that. When the non-musical stuff became so intense, it took away some of the pleasure for me. It’s just the stuff where you kind of wake up and go: 'God, I don’t really want to have my picture taken today. And I don’t really want to pretend to be an actor in some video where I can’t act.' I loved playing Glastonbury and playing in front of lots of people and selling multiple millions of records, but it was never the reason I did it.
https://www.loudersound.com/features/pe ... cW3zsMTSyM

chuckrh
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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by chuckrh »

I miss REM. I saw them a real lot starting with the Reckoning tour. There's a famous boot of my first REM show recorded at the Music Hall (now a parking garage) in Seattle. Toward the end they did a Sessions @ AOL at a studio in Vancouver. My friend produced it, so I got to go. Hung out all day with the band & sat literally 3 feet from Michael Stipe for the show. I've seen 1 video from the session & you can see my feet in it, haha. I wish I could find the whole thing. I'm kind of glad they haven't gone the reunion route. Pretty sure they're going to stick to their guns about that.

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Re: Artist of the Week 5/3/2011- R.E.M. 1982-1985

Post by beantownbubba »

Excellent profile of Michael Stipe in this week's NYT Magazine. Highly recommended.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/maga ... 029039208a
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

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