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

[LemonMelon]

Last round, Disturbance At The Heron House was eliminated, and Finest Worksong, Welcome to the Occupation, It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine), and The One I Love made it to the finals.

Votes:

Disturbance at the Heron House - 6
Welcome to the Occupation - 5
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - 3
The One I Love - 2
Finest Worksong - 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

Green placed 10th in the favorite R.E.M. albums poll, so three of its songs will proceed to the final draw.

 

[LemonMelon]

I've never cared much for this record, and consider it one of their weakest. Just listened again, and I stand by this. The album starts off really poorly, and the R.E.M. I love doesn't make an appearance until track 5, but it gets better from there.

Tracks that should proceed: World Leader Pretend, Orange Crush, I Remember California (Hairshirt and Untitled are also good)

Track that should GTFO right now: Get Up

 

[sunken_treasure]

I voted Stand. Fun song, but meh

 

[phanan]

The Wrong Child

 

[corianderstem]

Stand needs to go first.

 

[Salome]

love just about all of this record
voted off The Wrong Child

 

[MMP]

[untitled]
Boring as hell.

Tracks that deserve to proceed:
Turn You Inside-Out, best song here by a mile
Pop Song 89
Orange Crush

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't get the hate for Stand. It's as vacuous as Pop Song 89 and Get Up, but has a more memorable hook. I wouldn't listen to any of the first four tracks on a regular basis, but Stand isn't that bad.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Turn You Inside-Out

It is Finest Worksong except it sucks.

 

[corianderstem]

I greatly prefer both Pop Song 89 and Get Up to Stand.

I don't hate it, it's just so silly, and the band thought it was so silly they played it first on many of their shows to get it out of the way.

I have a bootleg somewhere with Stipe announcing the song with an introduction by proclaiming it one of the greatest musical works ever done by man, alongside Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings.

Ha!

I think Orange Crush, You Are the Everything and World Leader Pretend should go through. Although I do love I Remember California as well.

 

[bono_212]

Stand is uh...one of my favorite songs by R.E.M.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

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

Goddamn. Look at that list of songs. What an incredible early career run these guys had.

Anyways, I really like this album, too. It's not one of the band's best but there's a lot of good stuff here.

I think the three I want to see advance are Orange Crush, World Leader Pretend, and Pop Song 89. I also enjoy Get Up and You Are The Everything very much. Some of the tracks near the end of the album kinda blend together so I'll have to listen to it again.

Also, I think I remember reading something saying that the reason the lyrics to World Leader Pretend were the only ones printed in the liner notes is because it was the only song they recorded for this album that Stipe was proud of.

 

[corianderstem]

I like I Remember California because it's got a kind of menacing vibe, and I love the bit about "end of the continent."

 

[RedRocksU2]

Stand.........you're fired.

 

[corianderstem]

Double elim! Double elim!

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Just listened to this and I liked I Remember California and Untitled a lot more than I thought I would. Good album.

 

[intedomine]

Not voting in the round 'cause I've never been bothered to listen to the album....I do love Orange Crush and Stand....

 

[lazarus]

Stand is annoying, but The Wrong Child has got to be one of the lamest and insignificant songs the band has ever recorded. I say that as someone who hasn't listened to Reveal and Around the Sun in years and has successfully purged them from my memory, so can't compare to the songs on those albums.

I'd try to help the double elim but I honestly don't think it's going to happen anyway. Stand has its share of supporters, and I wouldn't be surprised if Hairshirt get the boot tomorrow.

 

[U2inUtah]

Easy choice - The Wrong Child

Stand isn't that bad, plus its the first R.E.M. song I ever remember hearing on the radio when I was young. I hope it lasts a couple more rounds.
I'd like to see Orange Crush, World Leader Pretend and Get Up or Pop Song go through to the next round

 

[Axver]

Hairshirt is fucking terrible.

This album starts really well, then everything after World Leader Pretend is complete rubbish. Orange Crush was my first favourite song ever and it's stuck with me. Stand and Pop Song 89 are good stuff too.

 

[LemonMelon]

Hairshirt is fucking terrible.

This album starts really well, then everything after World Leader Pretend is complete rubbish. Orange Crush was my first favourite song ever and it's stuck with me. Stand and Pop Song 89 are good stuff too.

Couldn't disagree more, except that World Leader Pretend and Orange Crush are quality. I pretty much hate those first four tracks. They feel like tracks by any dated pseudo-alternative jangle pop group, but with no personality and weak hooks. I don't feel like this is even an R.E.M. record until World Leader Pretend.

And Hairshirt would be great, if it actually built to something.

 

[lazarus]

I'll agree with Pop Song, Get Up, and Stand being crap (catchy, but crap), but I think You Are The Everything is a beautiful song. That vocal melody is fantastic, and I love the lyrics. I think it's the only truly great thing aside from World Leader.

The second half...meh. I like California, Crush, and Untitled but they're not outstanding.

 

[LemonMelon]

Yeah, I shouldn't bunch in You Are The Everything with the others...I'm not a huge fan of it at all, but it doesn't sound like those others. I don't know, it just doesn't do a lot for me. But I can see the appeal.

 

[intedomine]

It really sounds like a downright average and disappointing album. Maybe I should keep steering away from it.

 

[lazarus]

It's like they were trying to make fun of cliche major label debuts, and wound up making one just as empty.

It really is their worst, pre-2000's at least.