(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Ghgc6y00L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
I feel like this album plays like a novel, which as an English Lit major I think appeals to me. There are themes (growing up, giving up, getting up, waking up, going up) there are characters (airport man, sad professor, day sleeper) there are moments of amazing poetry (where mean cats chew on licorice and can not climb the trees) and the whole experience just seems to flow together and make an interesting statement. This record becomes more rewarding as more time is spent with it (as most albums I really love tend to do). I continue to go back to this album again and again and it never ceases to blow me away, it seems like I also always seem to find little nuances to enjoy. The music is lush and intricate at the same time. I LOVE Peter Buck on this record his playing is really subtle and unique, he seems to find the perfect tones and little riffs to lift each song UP! Hope you guys enjoy this record as much as I have.
GO!!!!!!
So, the cover art reminds me of Ikea – Ikea reminds me of Fight Club – Fight Club reminds me of OK Computer – OK Computer reminds me of airport man.
The cover art and airport man on the surface are pretty stale but the rest of the album supplies the blood and guts which I think was an intentional contrast on the part of the band.
This album definitely makes me want to take qualudes and listen to more REM....I mean that in a good way....I really like the opening track!
I looked up track order on amazon, so i'll just have to go back to spotify after every song to play it in correct order.
I like Airportman, sounds like their response to OK Computer.
Quote from: wolof7 on Sep 28, 2011, 09:35 PM
This album definitely makes me want to take qualudes and listen to more REM....I mean that in a good way....I really like the opening track!
Ha, immerse yourself in the glory!!!
I always think that airport man is the guy that ate the lotus, it's just that the weekend has hit. Suspicion makes me think of the same character at an airport or hotel bar.
Lotus is really annoying, the "hey hey"'s are unbearable.
Quote from: ManNamedTruth on Sep 28, 2011, 09:36 PM
I looked up track order on amazon, so i'll just have to go back to spotify after every song to play it in correct order.
Dedication, I love it!!! Thanks!!
I think airport man is defiantly a nod to ok computer, without a doubt. Some say this record influenced Kid A. I think that's bunk. Ok Computer influenced this record BIG TIME!! In the themes alone.
Quote from: ManNamedTruth on Sep 28, 2011, 09:39 PM
Lotus is really annoying, the "hey hey"'s are unbearable.
the music isn't bad, but not feeling Stipe here.
I feel like Suspicion is one of those REM songs they've written a million of that I will never get tired of.
Quote from: ManNamedTruth on Sep 28, 2011, 09:39 PM
Lotus is really annoying, the "hey hey"'s are unbearable.
haha, I think it comes off like he's super arrogant, which is probably the point. Love Bucks Riff.
Quote from: wolof7 on Sep 28, 2011, 09:42 PM
I feel like Suspicion is one of those REM songs they've written a million of that I will never get tired of.
LOVE Bucks guitar tone and riff on this one. Love the lyrics and the keys.
Suspicion is a big upgrade from the last track.
Quote from: wolof7 on Sep 28, 2011, 09:42 PM
I feel like Suspicion is one of those REM songs they've written a million of that I will never get tired of.
Suspicion is one of the songs on this record that really gets better and better every time. It goes from a sleeper to one of the reasons I listen to this record as much as I do.
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
Hope is a lyrical masterpiece. might be the centerpiece of the record.
Hog-tied
The term may also apply figuratively to an instance where a person has said or done something which has unpleasant consequences, and from which they are unable to escape
Alligators
Alligators are raised commercially for their meat and skin, which is used for bags and shoes.
Allegory
Allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying meaning other than the verbal. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation. Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language: briefly, an allegory is a device used to present an idea, principle or meaning, which can be presented in literary form, such as a poem or novel, or in visual form, such as in painting or drawing.
As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor. As an artistic device, an allegory is a visual symbolic representation. An example of a simple visual allegory is the image of the grim reaper. Viewers understand that the image of the grim reaper is a symbolic representation of death.
Not every fiction with general application is an allegory.
Rhetoric
Rhetoric includes the study and the use of language with persuasive effect
Schism
Schism (religion), a division or a split, usually between people belonging to an organization or movement, most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body
Salvation
In Christianity, salvation is the belief that, as part of divine providence, God saves people from some or all of the following:
1. from biological death, by providing for them an eternal life or long-lasting afterlife (cf. afterlife).[1]
2. from spiritual death, by providing divine law, illumination, and judgment.[1]
3. from divine punishment, particularly from Hell, by granting them acceptance into Heaven.[citation needed]
4. from having sinful character and conduct, through a process of positive moral change.[2]
5.
Hope
One psychologist argues that hope "...comes into play when our circumstances are dire", when "things are not going well or at least there's considerable uncertainty about how things will turn out". She states that "[h]ope literally opens us up...[and] removes the blinders of fear and despair and allows us to see the big picture [, thus allowing us to] become creative" and have "elief in [a] better future". [5]
Deliverance
The act of delivering someone or something : the state of being delivered; especially : LIBERATION, RESCUE
Go Out Friday
On one hand it's the day Jesus died and on another it's the last day of the work week.
Ladder
Jacob's Ladder or Corporate Ladder
Always found At My Most Beautiful to be quite boring but I'm liking it now
sounds like an omnichord on Airportman ;D
Hope is such a slow burn killer track! it's the rock slut in me that wants an all out fuzz, drum, bass explosion for at the end more than it gives.
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:54 PM
Hope is such a slow burn killer track! it's the rock slut in me that wants an all out fuzz, drum, bass explosion for at the end more than it gives.
I was not a fan of that song until the last 45 seconds
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:46 PM
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
When I first heard the lyrics on HOPE about being hogtied I thought of what they do to animals. I learned it's also a torture technique where they tie a rope around a human's neck, lay them on their stomach and then tie the other end around the person's ankles. Eventually the person strangles themselves because of the pressure. I would suggest a glass of bourbon dimmed lights and the lyric sheet with this record. It's really not a car or a background party record.
I think the production and use of instruments on this record are just off the charts. They pull out some amazing sounds and then Nigel Goodrich just puts it over the top. SAD PROFFESOR – just a heartbreaking song with guitar, bass/piano and Michael. AMAZING !!!!!!!!!
this album is so much like watching a movie in your brain.
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 09:56 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:46 PM
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
When I first heard the lyrics on HOPE about being hogtied I thought of what they do to animals. I learned it's also a torture technique where they tie a rope around a human's neck, lay them on their stomach and then tie the other end around the person's ankles. Eventually the person strangles themselves because of the pressure. I would suggest a glass of bourbon dimmed lights and the lyric sheet with this record. It's really not a car or a background party record.
Oh I definitely got that alright ;D Please disregard my cynicism. As with the Cure last week, I'm finding much more in this album 2nd time around right now.
Could you give me emo lessons Sweatboard?
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:02 PM
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 09:56 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:46 PM
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
When I first heard the lyrics on HOPE about being hogtied I thought of what they do to animals. I learned it's also a torture technique where they tie a rope around a human's neck, lay them on their stomach and then tie the other end around the person's ankles. Eventually the person strangles themselves because of the pressure. I would suggest a glass of bourbon dimmed lights and the lyric sheet with this record. It's really not a car or a background party record.
Oh I definitely got that alright ;D Please disregard my cynicism. As with the Cure last week, I'm finding much more in this album 2nd time around right now.
Could you give me emo lessons Sweatboard?
Ha, a good start is to hate yourself and major in english lit
Where's Tracy and ILB? I thought they were REM experts?
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:02 PM
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 09:56 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:46 PM
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
When I first heard the lyrics on HOPE about being hogtied I thought of what they do to animals. I learned it's also a torture technique where they tie a rope around a human's neck, lay them on their stomach and then tie the other end around the person's ankles. Eventually the person strangles themselves because of the pressure. I would suggest a glass of bourbon dimmed lights and the lyric sheet with this record. It's really not a car or a background party record.
Oh I definitely got that alright ;D Please disregard my cynicism. As with the Cure last week, I'm finding much more in this album 2nd time around right now.
Could you give me emo lessons Sweatboard?
get your heart broken a few times and start taking comfort in music. It's pretty much taken care of from there probably. I actually think this album is really UPlifting as is The Cure for me. So I might be a little sick.
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 10:04 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:02 PM
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 09:56 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:46 PM
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
When I first heard the lyrics on HOPE about being hogtied I thought of what they do to animals. I learned it's also a torture technique where they tie a rope around a human's neck, lay them on their stomach and then tie the other end around the person's ankles. Eventually the person strangles themselves because of the pressure. I would suggest a glass of bourbon dimmed lights and the lyric sheet with this record. It's really not a car or a background party record.
Oh I definitely got that alright ;D Please disregard my cynicism. As with the Cure last week, I'm finding much more in this album 2nd time around right now.
Could you give me emo lessons Sweatboard?
Ha, a good start is to hate yourself and major in english lit
I wish I could do it all over again.
Walk Unafraid - they claim to walk unafraid....I'll be clumsy instead. Contradiction only makes it harder.
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:06 PM
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 10:04 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:02 PM
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 09:56 PM
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 09:46 PM
Oi, Robert Smith and now Stipe. Must overcome my disdain for Stipe. I listened to this album in the car once today. Admittedly, I am not a lyrics guy at all so maybe much of this album is lost on me.
That said, I enjoy Airportman and Suspicion.
When I first heard the lyrics on HOPE about being hogtied I thought of what they do to animals. I learned it's also a torture technique where they tie a rope around a human's neck, lay them on their stomach and then tie the other end around the person's ankles. Eventually the person strangles themselves because of the pressure. I would suggest a glass of bourbon dimmed lights and the lyric sheet with this record. It's really not a car or a background party record.
Oh I definitely got that alright ;D Please disregard my cynicism. As with the Cure last week, I'm finding much more in this album 2nd time around right now.
Could you give me emo lessons Sweatboard?
Ha, a good start is to hate yourself and major in english lit
I wish I could do it all over again.
Exactly....... See, you're on your way. ;D
You're in the Air is my least favorite REM song I think I've ever heard....
...Walk Unafraid redeems it a bit...great track
To reiterate a theme mentioned earlier, there's a lot of Thom Yorke vocals going on in YOu're in the Air no?
maybe so Ruckus, Pablo honey style Yorke tho
Quote from: wolof7 on Sep 28, 2011, 10:10 PM
You're in the Air is my least favorite REM song I think I've ever heard....
...Walk Unafraid redeems it a bit...great track
I have to talk myself into believing this one belongs on the record at times. So I'll probably listen to it 3 times straight after we get done.
Quote from: wolof7 on Sep 28, 2011, 10:14 PM
maybe so Ruckus, Pablo honey style Yorke tho
Don't know my Radiohead much other than Bends and OK so...wait, we tried to cover Creep waaaaayyyy back when. I'm glad we stopped.
Not listening now, but "at my most beautiful" is one of my favorite r.e.m. songs. Always really loved the line "I save your messages, just to hear your voice."
Day Sleeper is interesting because on one hand Michael is referring to people that work at night and sleep during the day. On the other hand he seems to refer to the people that both work AND sleep during the day.
The Ocean Machine is set till 9< I'll ....
Amazing
Quote from: Ghosts_on_TV on Sep 28, 2011, 10:17 PM
Not listening now, but "at my most beautiful" is one of my favorite r.e.m. songs. Always really loved the line "I save your messages, just to hear your voice."
Michael talked about how he loved the music for this track so much that he really spent a bunch of time trying to come up with some lyrics about love that weren't clichés that we've heard a thousand times before. Also, love that line.
Why Not Smile>Daysleeper = Classic
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 10:18 PM
Day Sleeper is interesting because on one hand Michael is referring to people that work at night and sleep during the day. On the other hand he seems to refer to the people that both work AND sleep during the day.
I thought it was about Vampires ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
You wake up in the morning
And fall out of your bed
Mean cats eat parakeets
And this one's nearly dead
You dearly wish the wind would shift
And greasy windows slide
Open for the parakket
Who's colored bitter lime
Open the window
To lift into a dream
Baby, baby
You can barely breathe
A broken wrist
An accident
You know that something's wrong
You fold the leavings of your past
No one knows you've gone
The sunspot flares of the early
Nineties light up your wings
And scan the shortwave radio
It's tracking outer rings
(chorus)
Open the window
To lift into a dream
Baby, baby
You can start to breathe
The tectonic dispatcher shifts
To smooth the ocean floor
And flattens out to warmer winde
Of brisbane's sunny shore
Where buddhas tend to mending wrists
A tea made from the leaves
Of eucalyptus fragances
And coriander seeds
(repeat chorus 2x)
You wake up in the morning
To warm pacific breeze
Where mean cats chew on licorice
And cannot climb the trees
alright I'm signing off, check the forum album club thread to see the current situation :thumbsup:
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:23 PM
Quote from: sweatboard on Sep 28, 2011, 10:18 PM
Day Sleeper is interesting because on one hand Michael is referring to people that work at night and sleep during the day. On the other hand he seems to refer to the people that both work AND sleep during the day.
I thought it was about Vampires ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
It is, they just have more "important" jobs than you do.
Falls To Climb : REM cover (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX2L8jRv6iM#)
R.E.M. - Falls To Climb [COVER] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxp9h1GFRs#)
Falls To Climb (REM cover) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGv2Ud21ix4#)
Falls To Climb Acoustic REM Cover (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkntNSD7Bps#)
Italian R.E.M. Fans singing Falls To Climb (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XvWp8UaZIU#)
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
:thumbsup: Really good 2nd listen. Must learn to hate myself and embrace loneliness
This album is making me sleepy. Not feeling inspired for much input tonight on this one.
Quote from: Ruckus on Sep 28, 2011, 10:32 PM
:thumbsup: Really good 2nd listen. Must learn to hate myself and embrace loneliness
No, I really do think this album is uplifting in the end. The character in "Lotus" and the character in "Sad Proffesor" aren't really that different. To me the album is at least in part, about coming to terms with your ego and overcoming it.
Quote from: wolof7 on Sep 28, 2011, 10:22 PM
Why Not Smile>Daysleeper = Classic
I read an interview where Michael said a Japanese media member told him once that he was glad that "At My Most Beautiful" was in this world because the man from "Airport Man" might hear it and hum it from time to time. Michael loved the sentiment.
I can't really get into this album. I have a few old REM albums, but this is the most recent thing of REM I'm familar with. My favorite of the songs is Lotus. I really like the first couple of lines of the song.
I was hell
Sarcastic silver swell
Hope was such a great song, this album was vastly underrated.
Great call on Up. I'm not a big REM fan but bought this album when it came up and loved it. Thanks for reminding me of it. Walk Unafraid is my favorite all time R.E.M. song. Such a good variety of songs/sounds on this album. The Apologist with the "so sorry" lines are so good..... and Daysleeper to Diminished so great and mellow especially when falling asleep. I agree CTdeadhead, this album was underrated. So was Reveal, which I'm going to revisit next.
I still think UP was the best post Berry album, so many great songs. I have a great version of REM unplugged from this era, and the songs were just magical. If there's interest I can upload it.
Yes please!! Thanks
Quote from: sweatboard on Oct 03, 2011, 12:25 AM
Yes please!! Thanks
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BI3WMV8L (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BI3WMV8L)
OK Here it is the Unplugged info is
Recorded: MTV's studio, NYC 2001-05-21
Set List:
01. All the Way to Reno
02. Electrolite
03. At My Most Beautiful
04. Sad Professor
05. Daysleeper
06. Beat a Drum
07. I'll Take the Rain
08. I've Been High
09. So. Central Rain
10. The One I Love
11. Losing My Religion
12. Country Feedback
13. Cuyahoga
14. Imitation of Life
15. Disappear
16. Find the River
17. The Great Beyond
SWEET, Downloading now. Thanks Brother!!
The Ocean machine is set to 9
I'll squeeze into heaven and valentine
My bed is pulling me,
Gravity
P.S.
Love the "like a rolling stone" tag on Country Feedback.
Quote from: ophidiophobia on Sep 29, 2011, 01:40 PM
I can't really get into this album. I have a few old REM albums, but this is the most recent thing of REM I'm familar with. My favorite of the songs is Lotus. I really like the first couple of lines of the song.
I was hell
Sarcastic silver swell
Interesting, why do you like those lines?
I think the record is 3 songs to long. Get rid of The Apologist, You're In The Air, and Why Not Smile and it's a pure masterpiece. ....I love those songs but I think they slow down the momentum of the record a bit.
Quote from: sweatboard on Oct 25, 2011, 03:22 AM
I think the record is 3 songs to long. Get rid of The Apologist, You're In The Air, and Why Not Smile and it's a pure masterpiece. ....I love those songs but I think they slow down the momentum of the record a bit.
Listened to this yesterday and just gave it another listen now. Interesting you say this, because before reading it, something I was going to post was with this album, just as I felt I was getting into it, I get hit with a song that I didnt like, and that happened with all 3 of those songs as well as with At My Most Beautiful.
That said, I actually did like how Why Not Smile picked up towards the end, and my favorite stretch of the album was the end of that song thru the end of the record.
As someone who has only liked a few singles from REM that Ive heard, generally their more rock oriented songs, this album wasnt what I expected and I liked it more than I thought I would. I was expecting more songs similar to Lotus than what the rest of the album put on the table. Is this album similar to most of their albums? I would have guessed most of their albums in general would be more upbeat and straightforward pop-rock, but Im not familiar enough with them to know. Up isnt a concept album in the classic sense perse, but it kind of felt like that to me so thats why Im wondering.
Favorite songs: Suspicion, Walk Unafraid, Falls to Climb, Sad Professor
I don't really think any other REM albums are as close to a concept record as this one. I'm no REM expert though.
this is one of my least fav REM albums (and im a huge fan)... never gotten into it... in saying this airportman and sad professor are amazing... obviously at my most beautlful is one of their best songs ever.