R.E.M. Survivor - Monster - Round 1

[LemonMelon]

Last round, Sweetness Follows was eliminated, and Try Not To Breathe, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming, and Find The River were sent through to the final draw.

Votes:

Sweetness Follows - 13
Nightswimming - 9
Man On The Moon - 2
Find The River - 1

Final Draw:

Gardening At Night
Radio Free Europe
Pilgrimage
Perfect Circle
Sitting Still
Harborcoat
So. Central Rain
Pretty Persuasion
Feeling Gravitys Pull
Driver 8
Life And How To Live It
Begin The Begin
These Days
Fall On Me
Cuyahoga
Finest Worksong
Welcome to the Occupation
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
The One I Love
You Are The Everything
World Leader Pretend
Orange Crush
Losing My Religion
Texarkana
Country Feedback
Try Not To Breathe
Man On The Moon
Nightswimming
Find The River

Monster placed 9th in the favorite R.E.M. albums poll, so three of its songs will proceed to the final draw.

 

[LemonMelon]

Top 3:

What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
I Don't Sleep, I Dream
Strange Currencies

My vote:

I Took Your Name. Tongue is bad, but ITYN is Crush With Eyeliner with Stipe inexplicably channeling Mick Jagger. Completely unnecessary.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

She's a sad tomato

 

[lazarus]

King of Comedy's music sucks. And Bang & Blame is generic. Either one of those can go.

My choices to proceed:

Tongue
Kenneth
Let Me In

 

[phanan]

I Took Your Name works for me. Perhaps we can have a quick mercy ruling and get to Round 2 today.

 

[Irishteen]

King of Comedy, although anything that's not Kenneth can go, this isn't a good album at all

 

[phanan]

Kenneth really does stand above most of this album. Such a powerful song.

I'd probably have Strange Currencies and Let Me In as my other two choices to advance.

 

[corianderstem]

So I'm the only one who really likes I Took Your Name?

My three picks to move on:

Let Me In
Kenneth
I Took Your Name ... which obviously isn't going to happen. I don't know what I'd have go on in its place.

I just don't like this album as much as I used to. And in a very telling moment, this morning I thought "I can't wait to start voting on New Adventures in Hi-Fi!" and totally forgot about Monster.

I'm not even sure what I want to vote for first, here. Maybe You because of the shrill falsetto yelling at the end. YOOOOOOOOOU! YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU! YOOOOOOOOOU!

: stabs self in ear :

 

[LemonMelon]

I just don't like this album as much as I used to. And in a very telling moment, this morning I thought "I can't wait to start voting on New Adventures in Hi-Fi!" and totally forgot about Monster.

Ha, I'm just the opposite. I've never really liked New Adventures (the feverish praise doesn't help), but Monster always puts a smile on my face, even if it's not anywhere near their best. Plus, it's not completely obvious what's going to go through since no one ever talks about this album.

 

[lazarus]

I'm surprised at all the hate for ITYN. I was never one of my favorites, but it opened up a good number of shows on the Monster tour, has some very good lyrics, and just isn't as boring as Bang & Blame.

Cori, if you're not remembering Monster well, I'd suggest listening to it back-to-back with Accelerate, and you'll see what R.E.M. can do when they rock out AND spend some time writing songs.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

What The Fuck, Kenneth?, I Don't Sleep I Dream, Star 69, Strange Currencies, Tongue, Let Me In. I won't be voting for any of those songs for a while. They're my favorites here. I don't really give a shit about any of the others. So someone tell me what to vote for. Perhaps we could get a double elimination or something.

EDIT - I'll just hold onto my vote for now and use it tomorrow morning or somethin.

 

[corianderstem]

I'm surprised at all the hate for ITYN. I was never one of my favorites, but it opened up a good number of shows on the Monster tour,

Yeah! The live versions are why it grew on me so much. It was a great opener.

Cori, if you're not remembering Monster well, I'd suggest listening to it back-to-back with Accelerate, and you'll see what R.E.M. can do when they rock out AND spend some time writing songs.

Oh, I don't need to. Even though my mind bleeped right over it and it's not a favorite, I'm still very familiar with the songs and could probably sing most of the words to them. I spent a LOT of time with the album in 1995-1996.

But yeah, it's definitely better than Accelerate.

 

[Salome]

King of Comedy's music sucks. And Bang & Blame is generic. Either one of those can go.

My choices to proceed:

Tongue
Kenneth
Let Me In

that sbout sums it up for me too

 

[CTU2fan]

Kenneth really does stand above most of this album. Such a powerful song.

I'd probably have Strange Currencies and Let Me In as my other two choices to advance.

Yeah, I'm pretty much right here when it comes to Monster. I don't love Kenneth the way most of you probably do, but these are the 3 I'd put through.

I know I'm late to the party on this but I'm surprised there isn't more love for Out of Time...at least enough to get a 4th song into the next round. Other than that the marginal phails (booting Wendell Gee and Swan Swan H) I endorse the results so far.

 

[MMP]

I Don't Sleep, I Dream

 

[corianderstem]

Okay, no one else vote - triple elimination!

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Okay, no one else vote - triple elimination!

Oooooh wow. And you know there's a good chance that at least one person will vote for one of those songs before 11:48 tomorrow...and I've got my vote still sitting in my pocket...so at the very worst it will be a double elimination!

 

[LemonMelon]

I Don't Sleep, I Dream

I panicked when I saw it had a vote, until I saw you were the one responsible.

 

[Irishteen]

It's funny but of the six REM albums I've heard I only really liked two, Green was decent enough too but Monster, Around the Sun and Accelerate are all pretty meh for me. I really don't think I can get into post Automatic REM save for the few songs

 

[LemonMelon]

It's funny but of the six REM albums I've heard I only really liked two, Green was decent enough too but Monster, Around the Sun and Accelerate are all pretty meh for me. I really don't think I can get into post Automatic REM save for the few songs

So you've heard...

Green
Automatic
Monster
Around The Sun
Accelerate

Which was the other one?

 

[Irishteen]

So you've heard...

Green
Automatic
Monster
Around The Sun
Accelerate

Which was the other one?

Fables, I also have the two disc best of the of their IRS years

I'd rank them

Automatic
Fables
Green
Monster
Accelerate
Around the Sun

And before you ask yes all of their IRS albums are on my to listen to list whenever I get the chance

 

[Axver]

What the hell, how is You in line for elimination? This is just the icing on the epic fail cake after Drive got kicked out before the finals.

The only two songs from Monster I usually even bother playing are Kenneth and You.

 

[lazarus]

I really don't think I can get into post Automatic REM save for the few songs

But you haven't heard New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which most fans rank as the BEST post-Automatic album, some even liking it better?

What the hell, how is You in line for elimination? This is just the icing on the epic fail cake after Drive got kicked out before the finals.

The only two songs from Monster I usually even bother playing are Kenneth and You.

You isn't one of my favs, but I like it. Stipe conveys the "stalker" persona very well in that song.

Another one I love is Circus Envy. The sizzling bass on that song is something FIERCE.

Make way for monster jealousy...

 

[corianderstem]

I like Circus Envy, if only for the line about climbing a tree and "dropping a load" on your head. And the line about "spelled your name with Oatie-Os."

Goofy REM ftw.

 

[lazarus]

Don't forget to bark on command, Cori.

 

[intedomine]

Decidedly average album, rarely listen to it, cause it's just not that fun to listen to, though just lsitening through the songs now and they're not as terrible as I susually imagine.

The grungesque approach to some of these songs is a delight, something particular to it's time. REM were only ever gonna write an album like this in '94.

Bang And Blame has to go. It's just way too long.

 

[corianderstem]

Don't forget to bark on command, Cori.

Meow

Moo

Arf.

 

[lazarus]

Good! Now,

beg

roll over

play dead.

 

[corianderstem]

*lifts leg, pees on laz*

 

[lazarus]

Pooché.