Amazon.com

How do you condense 15 years of music down to 76 minutes? In the case of this survey of the second phase of R.E.M.'s career, the answer is: Exceptionally well. The dangling carrot for diehards is two new songs; the rapid fire "Bad Day" hurtles along like the kissing cousin of "It's the End of the World as We Know It," while "Animal" is anchored by a majestic drone reminiscent of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." In a surprising, but gratifying move, the rest of the program shortchanges the band's breakthrough, Out of Time (no "Shiny Happy People"), to better accommodate movie soundtrack contributions, and spotlight gems from the less commercial, post-Bill Berry albums Reveal and Up; with its baroque piano and multi-tracked vocal harmonies, the Beach Boys homage "At My Most Beautiful" is particularly gorgeous, while the burbling keyboards and slightly dazed singing of "All the Way to Reno" will appeal to Flaming Lips fans. --Kurt B. Reighley ... Read more

Reviews (122)

Not a true "Greatest Hits" package...
I will still say this collection is indeed a great collection, but I feel it falls short of what a true "greatest" collection consists of...which is usually all their hits. Perhaps they didn't have 18 hits...so they added a few unreleased tracks and few soundtrack songs instead. I know this is a collection taken from a certain period of time...I still would have rather had seen a complete "greatest hits" collection. If I had done it, it would look something like this...
1. Pop Song '89
2. Crush With Eyeliner
3. Radio Free Europe
4. Bang and Blame
5. So. Central Rain
6. Stand
7. Everybody Hurts
8. Man on the Moon
9. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
10. The One I love
11. Nightswimming
12. Orange Crush
13. Its the End of the World as We Know It.
14. Shiny Happy People
15. Drive
16. Radio Song
17. Whats The Frequency, Kenneth?
18. Losing My Religion
In my opinion my playlist is more accurate as a "greatest" collection...but again..this collection is still damn good.

If R.E.M Can Lighten Up, So Can You...
Unless you're talking about a band that's clearly singles-based rather than album-oriented, almost any best-of album is bound to disappoint someone. When it's for a band like R.E.M., who have released seven albums and numerous non-album songs in 15 year period covered, it's almost inevitable that some fans would be disappointed. For my own part, I'm surprised at some of what's here and what's not. I wonder why "Automatic For the People" is represented by four songs, when "Out of Time" and "Monster" are limited to one each.

That said, a review should turn on what's there more so than what's not, and what's here is really quite good. Kicking off with their twin Andy Kaufman tributes ("Man on the Moon" and "Great Beyond"), "In Time" maintains a high-level of quality all the way through, making a strong case for R.E.M.'s already secured place in the rock pantheon.

Is it a perfect collection? This reviewer would say, no. This is not just because of missing personal favorites ("Half a World Away" and "World Leader Pretend") but also for the aforementioned lack of balance between how albums are represented here. It's hard to argue that "Up" or even "Automatic for the People" are really that much better than "Monster" or "Out of Time."

Then again, any compilation reflects the bias of its makers, just as a listener's reaction to it reflects theirs. By any objective standard, though, "In Time" is a good attempt to give a feel of what post-IRS Records R.E.M. is about. Plus, it sounds really good with the volume up.

REM's unimaginative best
REM is one of the greatest bands ever, OK? I will never deny that. I have all of their albums and have seen them many times in concert. However, there are two kinds of REM fans. There are the ones that have been with them all along and still like listening to "Murmur" and "Lifes Rich Pagent." Then there are those fans that love "Out of Time" and "Automatic For the People." Now, i will give you that Austomatic was a great album, Out of Time was not. However, the differences between the two groups are demonstrated by a love of the early, non-commercial stuff and the mid '90s commercial stuff. The compilation is all about the mindless singles that gave REM mainstream success. Excluding "Electrolite," none of these songs really needed to be included for a "best of" album. It was an attempt by REM to pick up a paycheck because their most recent albums were not selling well. Sad but true.

Yawn
I like R.E.M. I liked them in the late 80's and in the 90's. This is a good collection of hits. No more exciting than that.

This is a really excellent collection!
I've been an off and on fan of R.E.M. for a very long time but was really interested in this CD after it came out and I have to say that it does not dissapoint and really compiles a lot of the best stuff of their's from 1988 through 2003 from their "Green" album to two subpar tracks that were solely for this CD. All of my favorite songs are from this time period with songs like "Everybody Hurts", "Orange Crush", "Losing My Religion" and even "What's the Frequency Kenneth". This CD would've been a little better if it included "It's The End of the World As We Know it And I Feel Fine" but that track came out in 1987 and thus isn't included on here. Oh Well. For what it is though "In Time" is a wonderful collection and is certainly a CD worth buying. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Having delivered their last great album with 1992's haunting Automatic For the People, R.E.M. spent more than decade attempting all kinds of reinvention, from the pointlessly noisy Monsterto the painfully dull Up. But with Around the Sun it feels like the band is getting its bearings back. Not only is it the Georgia trio's most consistent album since the 1997 departure of drummer Bill Berry, but it also sees the return of the lush imagery and intricate playing of the band's vintage years. There are trains, mandolins, Man Ray skies. More importantly, it seems heartfelt. Witness the gorgeous disquietingly dark opener "Leaving New York," the rapturous folk of "I Wanted to Be Wrong" and the solidly intense "Boy In the Well." At 13 generous tracks, it's far from perfect but--just when everyone thought R.E.M. was down for the count--Around the Sun is an unexpected bruiser of a comeback. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

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Electrifying performers and pure-pop songwriters of the highest order, Toronto's Barenaked Ladies have emerged over a decade as that strangest of beasts. They'll never land a dishy cover story in Mojo Magazine, but as they reflect on those ribald years between 1991 and 2001, the five can allow themselves wry smiles, knowing that sometimes, just sometimes, the cream rises to the top. In addition to familiar radio staples such as "Pinch Me," "The Old Apartment," "Jane," "Alternative Girlfriend," and the ubiquitous "One Week," there's a trump card on All Their Greatest Hits that will prove irresistible to completists: the Ladies' buttery, acoustic version of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." Recorded eons ago for a Cockburn tribute disc that almost immediately went out of print, the song has until now been a rare and highly coveted collector's item. Two news songs--"Thanks That Was Fun" and "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)"--were recorded specifically for this collection, while two others ("Brian Wilson" and "What a Good Boy") are captured live. But what really brings this album home is, ironically, "If I Had $1,000,000." One of their very first hits cut as the Ladies were learning to dovetail their so-called "acoustic hip-hop" into slicker pop sensibilities, "$1,000,000"--a simple knock-kneed love song with harmonies so tight they're practically braided--is a snapshot of a band with all the pieces in place just as the planets were about to align. --Kim Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (74)

BNL comes full circle...
...from fringe-dwellers mocking 'Greatest Hits' collections on their first album ('Disc One, it's where we've begun/It's all our greatest hits/And if you are a fan then you know that you've already got 'em' from 'Box Set') to Big Stars putting out a collection of their own. As the title indicates, they're well aware of the irony; what this traditional-style CD really celebrates is success for a band that has never sold out.
The lush (19-song!) selection is excellent, covering the obvious highlights ('Brian Wilson', 'If I Had $1 000 000', and, yep, 'One Week' - be prepared to be driven crazy all over again) as well as less successful or harder-to-find treats ('Call and Answer', 'Shoe Box', 'Lovers in a Dangerous Time'). The only track I'd disagree with is a live version of 'What a Good Boy', an essentially intimate ballad that isn't at it's best with several thousand people singing along.
The two new tracks are a toss-up; 'It's Only Me' is frenetic New Wave stuff, funny but maybe a bit too busy, and 'Thanks That Was Fun' is the gentle, nicely rueful story of a break-up that (in patented BNL fashion) isn't proving nearly as satisfying as the narrator had hoped.
The liner notes include two admiring (but thankfully not gushy) 'how-they-dunnit' essays and track-by-track annotations from Steven Page. In other words, everything you wanted to know and some stuff you maybe could have lived without but will enjoy anyway.
All told, a hugely satisfying Barenaked Ladies experience. (Although they'll hopefully drop the 'Box Set' references while they're ahead. Otherwise...'Disc Three/Well this is really me/In a grade school play' and 'Disc Six/A dance remix/to catch the latest trend...')

Disc one...it's where we've begun...
I am probably one of the biggest BNL fans out there. I've seen them live too many times to count and I have all of their earlier CDs, yet I still had to have this Greatest Hits compilation. For older fans, it's totally worth it for the amazing version of the previously rare cover of Lovers. *This* is the song that should have Steve Page writing Jim is a bass god on random walls. Wizard (or It's Only Me) is an excellent upbeat, fun song, particularly once you realize what it's all about. Great fun to sing along to. Thanks That Was Fun is quite possibly the greatest Ed song ever. This song owns me. The bridge is fantastic, and his voice on this song gives me chills every single time. I can't get enough. And if that's not enough to sell an older fan of the band, it's worth it just to have Steve's commentary in the liner notes.

For the rest of you, this is an excellent introduction to the wonder that is Barenaked Ladies. Be warned, however, because once you hear the gems What a Good Boy, Brian Wilson, and Too Little, Too Late, just to name a few, you will be hooked.

A Great Introduction/Compilation To A Great Group
When I heard this for the first time, I noticed there's something both modern and Beatlesque about the music. For me, it's refreshing to buy something I can listen to all the way through and enjoy every song. It's now one of a handful of albums I play regularly.

To all BNL fans who haven't bought this yet: You already know great these songs are. It's worth buying because Lovers In A Dangerous Time, It's Only Me, and Thanks That Was Fun don't appear on any of the other albums. This Old Apartment and Shoe Box sound remarkably better than the versions on Born On A Pirate Ship.

To everyone who doesn't listen to top40 radio: If there's one modern group to buy music from, it's BNL. Start with this album and then check out their studio albums. You will discover, as I did, that this album is a brilliant introduction and will have you wanting more.

Great Introduction to Barenaked Ladies for newcomers
If you do not own a Barenaked Ladies CD this is a good selection for you. I suspect those new to the Ladies will find tracks on thsi CD they are familiar with but did not know the artist.

My favorites on this disc include, "Jane", "Lovers in a dangerous Time", and a very nice live recording of "What a good boy".

vintage Barenaked Ladies
This is easy-listening rock that does not suck. Barenaked Ladies basically sound like the Beach Boys but better, more depth and talent. This is a great collection of their best songs, new and old. they also have the best name of any band

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes" ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Bangles' transformation from Merseybeat and garage-smart guitar band to near-definitive example of buffed-and-polished corporate popsters is one of the great rock mysteries of the '80s. What was up with that video for "Walk Like an Egyptian," anyway? Greatest Hits puts it all in perspective, tracing the curve from the post-Beatles group sneer of "Hero Takes a Fall" to the deadly earnest Susanna Hoffs showcase of "Eternal Flame." Shortly after that ballad hit No. 1, the group split. Now unfairly remembered as little more than space fillers on turn-of-the-decade airwaves, the Bangles here make a good case for their spirit, their own songwriting gifts, and, of course, those voices. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (54)

One of the 80's Greats
The Bangles are definitely a classic 80's group. They exploded in 1986 and were huge all the way up until their break-up in 1989. Inthat short time period they managed a handful of great pop singles that are still well known and recognized today thanks a lot to Susanna Hoffs distinguishable vocals and the girls' awesome harmonies. "Manic Monday" was the song that made them music superstars going to #2 in the US and becoming a pop classic. The hits kept coming with their huge #1 "Walk Like An Egyptian" and the #2 hit "Hazy Shade of Winter" *both included here of course.* They also had a top 5 hit with "In My Room" and had another massive #1 with my personal favorite, the beautiful ballad "Eternal Flame." "To Be With You," "Walking Down Your Street," and "I'll Set You Free" were also moderate hits all making the top 40. It's a shame that they broke up at the heighth of their popularity. I'm sure they could've been huge even into the 90's.

This "Greatest Hits" is an awesome collection of what made The Bangles so great. Sure, "Walk Like An Egyptian" may have 80's cheese written all over it, but it's so enjoyable, who really cares. Buy it and enjoy. Other 80's girl groups you might wanna check out are "The Go Go's" and "Expose."

IT'S A MANIC WALKING THROUGH ROCK MUSIC EXPERIENCE
The Bangles, set the hits that the Go-Go's couldn't deal with. Is no lie that the Go-Go's were pioneers in girl bands, but, the Bangles took the crown for chart success, all their singles from their first LP(excluding their first EP) and on became top 40's. Their styles infuse a taste of good time all through the 80's that will stand in time as a great rock-pop icon. It was extremely delightful to see all four members sharing vocals, and still sounded with the same great Bangles beat that made them stars. The well written lyrics, the amazing orchestrated instruments, reflected that this ladies weren't a stroke of luck, no wonder they are back together, give it up for The Bangles. Highlights in this collection are "Manic Monday"(those lyrics), "Walk Like An Egyptian"(stuck in your head), "In Your Room"(rock anthem), "Eternal Flame"(elevator music classic) and "Hazy Shade Of Winter"(great instrumentation).

Fine Collection
What can you say about the Bangles that hasn't been said a thousand times? I dunno. I do know that they certainly outdid themselves in the 80's. They say "They won't feel bad at all/When the hero takes a fall", and they're "Going down to Liverpool to do nothing all the days of their lives" which I don't think makes a whole lot of sense. I like "Manic Monday". It's a good song. "If She Knew What She Wants" is certainly nice. Both are rather mellow tunes.

Garage rock they may be, but that doesn't neccessarily mean hard rock. Not all their songs rock hard, thank God, because I'm not into hard rock.

Now from what I understand, "Eternal Flame" ruined the Bangles. I don't think the song's all that bad. It's just one of those rare torch songs (which hit #1), it's rather sad and it just makes you stop to think once in a while. Hearing "Eternal Flame" makes me want a girlfriend. I can't hear the song without it sticking in my head, in fact I can't hear most Bangles songs without them sticking in my head. "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants", they stick in my head for a long while. Even "Walk Like An Egyptian" is difficult to get out of my head.

I never heard of the Bangles until 2002, less than 3 weeks before Christmas. I saw the look Susanna Hoffs gave on "Walk Like An Egyptian". I was completely freaked out. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

In October 2003, I ended up buying their "Greatest Hits" collection. I just couldn't take it anymore, it was eating me up inside. I wanted to hear what those girls could do. And it's excellent. I just didn't think their songs would be so hard to get out of my head, but they were. Still could be. I haven't listened to them in a long while. Listening to my favorite singers (James Taylor, Paul Simon) didn't do any good. I still had Bangles tunes stuck in my head.

I like that rather downbeat song, "Following". It's my favorite Bangles song not lead by Susanna Hoffs. The song is just mostly Michael Steele (bassist) throughout the whole song. She just picks up a guitar and plays the song. That song has to be the mother of all downbeat songs. It is REALLY downbeat. Most Bangles tunes tend to be rather upbeat, but "Following" is very downbeat. "Why do you call me?/Why do you look for me?/Why do your eyes follow me the way they do?" Michael sings. In the song, it sounds like she's accusing her boyfriend of being obsessed. He follows her around all the time and he just can't concentrate on anything else.

Just like I said, it's a rather downbeat song. Probably the most downbeat song recorded in the history of music, even today it still is. Michael Steele really outdid herself with "Following". And yes, that too, is hard to get out of my head. Most Bangles tunes are.

Not enough hit records to justify a "Greatest Hits" package
It is true that the Bangles produced a couple of the best and brightest pop singles of the 1980's. In all they had a total of 7 or 8 songs that made Billboard's Hot 100. But to me it is a bit of a stretch to justify a "Greatest Hits" package for this group. There is simply too much filler on this disc for me to get excited about it. The bottom line in that I would never listen to the entire disc from start to finish. "Manic Monday" was clearly one of the great hit singles of the eighties. Aside from that there are only three other tunes on the disc I really liked. "Eternal Flame", "If She Knew What She Wants" and the remake of Simon and Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" are all very enjoyable pop tunes. But I never quite understood why "Walk Like An Egyptian" became the groups biggest hit. I cannot put my finger on it but the song does absolutely nothing for me. Beyond that I find the balance of the tracks on this compilation, whether they hit the charts or not, to be very ordinary. Now I have been a collector for just about 40 years now. I try to acquire the best available collection of each artist. In addition to my vast collection of CD's and vinyl albums I also maintain a very large collection of 45's. With some exceptions the 45's are usually by those artists who did not have enough hit records to justify a "Best of" or Greatest Hits" compilation or in some cases like this one have a collection available I am not particularly interested in owning.
In the case of the Bangles I think I'm gonna stick with my 45's.

Great "Greatest Hits"
Obviously, the girls didn't have anough hits to fill a Greatest Hits compilation. Maybe this CD should be called "Greatest Moments." However, even if you don't know all of the songs, they are worth listening to.

The songs are varied which makes this disc nice to listen to. It doesn't drag on like many other artists' discs that have songs that sound the same all the way through.

These gals are quite talented. I would recommend this disc to anyone who has enjoyed their songs in the past. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Mellow Maniacs.
Since we never got that "Best of" from them, I guess this will have to due. Of course, this is basically an unplugged greatest hits album. And as good as the studio albums are, this actually seems, and sounds, more natural for them. It includes the classics "Like the Weather", "Trouble Me", and "These are Days". Other wonderful songs are "What's the Matter Here?" and "Noah's Dove". The only songs that I really miss, are "Dust Bowl", and "Circle Dream". But you can't have it all. Though "In My Tribe", "Blind Man's Zoo", and "Our Time In Eden" are excellent studio albums, I would still suggest this to the person looking for just one "10,000 Maniacs" disc. It's 14 unplugged tracks that sound as good as "Natalie Merchant" looks.

A hauntingly exquisite live album
This album stands as one of the most impressive MTV Unplugged albums ever recorded. The unique style and sound of the 10,000 Maniacs was captured beautifully in this concert, preserving an unforgettable legacy by the group which was essentially breaking up at the time this was released. Anyone who listened to the radio back then has to know and remember Because the Night. While it is still hard for me to believe this song so wonderfully suited to Natalie Merchant's voice was written by Bruce Springsteen, it served as a most impressive means of introducing Natalie Merchant sans Maniacs to the larger listening audience. Like many fans, I am not that familiar with the 10,000 Maniacs albums predating In My Tribe, but all of the 14 songs on this album (including four from In My Tribe) are just hauntingly exquisite. Each song tells a story, often a serious one touching on important social issues, infusing this modernized folk music with a very human folk music consciousness that speaks to both the head and heart in a number of very effective ways. If the unique sound of 10,000 Maniacs doesn't move you at first, give it a second listen, and I'm sure the power of the music will begin to reveal itself to you. It is unfortunate that Natalie Merchant left the group, but the magic that was 10,000 Maniacs has been wonderfully preserved in this truly incredible live recording.

Love Merchant, Dislike the Maniacs
Natalie Merchant was truly the force behind this group. Luckily Merchant's voice raises this collection up from the formulaic collections of unplugged that have come before. (Think Eric Clapton etc) Trouble Me, and Because the Night are the two main reasons to buy this cd. If you don't have a love of the 10,000 Maniacs, you would be better to pay to download those two tracks. If you want to enjoy Natalie Merchants voice, please look at her solo debut Tigerlily.

A bit flat, but still a great collection
I remember watching the original shortened broadcast of MTV Unplugged on TV before the album was released, and my first thought was that Natalie Merchant sounded tired during this performance. It's understandable, as the Maniacs were playing many dates in late '92 and early '93, but her last album with the Maniacs is also probably the worst. However, worse doesn't always mean "bad." This is a nice reworking of some of their back catalog, as well as the surprise hit, a cover of "Because the Night," that was worn out by excessive radio play.

pleasant, incredibly good album
In my opinion - which of course may not agree with yours although it might- this is the best, and I mean the best light rock album with a female vocalist. If I were to pick the 5 best american female rock composers, Natalie would be among the three best with Tori and who else?... hmmmm that's a difficult one. But anyway, you know what I mean, her music is great, very melodic, inspires lots of different moods and adaptable for a wide variety of tastes. I wonder what is of Ten Thousand Maniacs nowadays now that they are without the marvelous Natalie. ... Read more

Reviews (68)

W.O.W.
It was just another boring day in music class. We had to bring in a song that we enjoyed and play it on the CD player. I was asleep for half the class when the teacher woke me up. Class was already half over. It was time for the next song. The kid brought an O.A.R. CD in. He gave a little shpeel for a minute then put the CD in and dialed in "That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker." After the little intro riff played, I knew this band would soon be my favorite. To describe this in a couple of words, I would describe it like this "O.A.R. is its own genre. Think Bob Marley meets Dave Matthews." I highly reccomend this album to any teenager or college student, because I think that that is OAR's target audience. Oh and by the way, I heard they play a ... good concert.

Have fun, PLAY SOME CRAZY POKER!!!

One Of The Greatest...
...Of A Revolution is one of the most underrated bands out there. Their music is original with twists that makes any fan of a good rock band happy.

This is O.A.R.'s live cd. They are one of the greatest live bands i've ever heard. i've been to many concerts in the past couple years but nothing can even come close to compare what O.A.R. can produce.

The tracks on this 2-disk set really show how creative O.A.R. is with their great arrangement of words in their lyrics. Some of the great songs are "That was a crazy game of poker" and "hey girl".

This is a must have for any fan of dave matthews, matchbox twenty, five for fighting, hootie and the blowfish, howie day, damien rice, guster....

Dont forget to pick up their other cds includeing, "in between now and then", "the wanderer", "risen", "souls aflame".

Quite possibly one of the worst bands ever
I am nauseated by all the five star reviews I have seen people giving this CD. It plays all the time on the jukebox where I work and every time I hear it I pull the plug and reset it. This is some of the most annoying "music" that I have ever heard in my life. The singer repeats the same lines over and over at some points while the guitarist seems to be doing his own thing (and it sucks). Jam bands like phish and these slobs are musical refuse. This is music that you listen to when you want to get pissed off at something. I cannot stress how much this CD blows. If you own this.....you suck.

Okay, It's Not THAT Great!
I honestly didn't think this album was that good. I'm usually a tough critic when starting with a new band, but I just didn't really like this album. Not much more I can say. I bought "In Between Then and Now," and THAT is a great CD. Stick with that one, especially if you're new to this band.

instant fan maker
I bought this for my first OAR cd two weeks ago and I am a fan already. I have listened to it constantly and anywhere I am. I love City on Down, Hey Girl, About an Hour Ago, etc....Just a great album. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

This 1987 collection of Smiths album tracks, B-sides, and singles (and roughly half of Hatful of Hollow) is a worthy essential Smiths due to its scope and size. Twenty-four tracks in all, it includes hits such as the irresistible and bouncy "Ask," the Smiths prototype "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," "William, It Was Really Nothing," "Panic," and "Hand in Glove." Lesser-known tracks like the lovely, piano-driven instrumental "Oscillate Wildly," the dark "Rubber Ring," and the weary "Half a Person" are strong enough to stand without the benefit of support from the hits. There are a few misses here, but they're hardly noticeable when surrounded by all the great tracks. Plus, a number of must-haves ("You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby," "Stretch Out and Wait," "Half a Person") are virtually unavailable elsewhere. --Lorry Fleming ... Read more

Reviews (61)

"Shoplifters of the World Unite and Take Over."
In the spring of 1987, one year following the group's masterpiece "The Queen Is Dead," the Smiths released two albums. In the UK, they unleashed "The World Won't Listen." But in the United States, they released "Louder Than Bombs," a double album of singles, b-sides, and rare tracks. A compilation of this nature shouldn't work, but, amazingly, it did. "Louder Than Bombs" shows why singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr weren't just simply leaders in mope rock--they were also among the most vital and influential British songwriters of the 1980s. Morrissey exposes his utter contempt for pop music in the semi-controversial "Panic," croons though the brilliant and self-loathing "Unlovable;" shines through the potent "Rubber Ring," and is even funny in the snide "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby." But the heart of the album, I think, is the still-marvelous "Hand In Glove," the band's debut single replete with Johnny Marr's stellar guitars. But the songs I just mentioned only hint at the many riches this album has to offer. At 24 tracks, "Louder Than Bombs" is a huge platter of material, but the songs here are brisk and range from very good to brilliant. I played this to death when I first bought it, and it still gets the occasional spin in my stereo. A great album that earns its five stars.

A great melting pot
An astonishing collection of just about every type of Smiths track you could name (singles, b-sides, album tracks, BBC Sessions - and more), Louder Than Bombs is essential both for fanatics (for all of its rare material, much of which is unavailable elswehere), and for neophytes (this collection is a nice overview of a good cross section of their work, and includes many of their best songs.) When discussing The Smiths, one doesn't need to go into the various merits of the individual tracks: The Smiths never recorded a bad song. Indeed, this album contains what are even occasionally considered to be the band's two "bad" tracks: a cover of Twinkle's Golden Lights, which, while certainly being a low point for the band, is listenable and does have its merits; and the instrumental Oscillate Wildly, which I think is a very great and beautiful song - I have no idea why it often gets a bad rap. On the other hand, of course, are the many excellent tracks - from essential tracks to wonderful b-sides. Whatever your particular wont, if you like The Smiths at all, this album belongs in your collection. If you are a casual fan, I reccommend getting this album over its British counterpart, The World Won't Listen, as this album contains all but four songs that that collection does, and its exclusive ones are all available on regular issue Smiths studio albums.

Essential
If you don't own this album you really ought to get with it - a majority of the songs on this singles collection are absolutely essential, and most all of the songs are entertaining, endearing, intelligent, and brilliant. The Smiths really were a great band - I wish I could have enjoyed them live back in the 80's but unfortunately I was just a young unaware boy then - I must mention, I love their album covers - I've been collecting the vinyl singles, to listen to of course, but also because of the beautiful potraits that Morrissey choose to put on the sleaves. Enjoy this great collection!

Very Original!!
What an original sound...great party music.
Looks like Morrisey started something!

And if you have five seconds to spare...
take a listen and you will be hooked on this great collection of singles and b-sides from one of the most influential bands of the 1980's: the Smiths. Of course, the Smiths aren't for everyone and of course they were never meant to be.
Of all the great great bands to come out of Manchester the Smiths are certainly one of the best, as tracks such as "panic", "half a person", "william it was really nothing", heaven knows i'm miserable now" and "ask" certainly attests.
In addition to the unforgettably smooth voice of Morrissey, the guitar accompaniment of Johnny Marr helped elevate the Smiths from a great band to, perhaps, one of the best ever. Listening to the tracks on this album one is struck by the seamless way that Morrissey's voice merges with and into the music of Marr, Rourke and Joyce, all complimenting each other beautifully as the music meanders through subtle and at times dramatic shifts in rhythm, melody and tone. Combine this mastery of harmony with lyrics that are often intense, provocative and always impassioned one can see why the music of the Smiths was so appealing to so many disaffected by the culture of alienation and isolation that has become one of most recognizable hallmarks of the 80's.
While many mainstrem bands and performers were mindlessly celebrating the escapist world of sex, drugs and rock n' roll, the Smiths were providing a voice for all those who could see that such excess was simply a symptom of a cultural milieu awash in greed and blind conformity. If you think Van Halen is "cool" or think that owning a porsche makes you a somehow "better" or more "complete," then this is probably not the music for you, however if you are one of those people who loves music with depth, passion and more than a tinge of melancholy, well this IS for you. "Yes, we may be hidden by rags, but we have something they'll never have, and if people stare, then, the people stare, I really don't know, and I really don't care" ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Though R.E.M. titled a later album Monster, this 1991 smash was the true monster, with the little Athens, Georgia, quartet graduating once and for all from its jangling independent-rock roots. The confusion Michael Stipe communicates in the catchy "Losing My Religion" and the dark-and-dreamy "Low" hit the mainstream-rock audience when it was most primed for uneasy angst. (Nirvana's Nevermind was released a few months later.) There are also odd but successful experiments, like ceding the opening "Radio Song" to rapper KRS-One (with Stipe playing the moaning straight man) and going peppy for the surprisingly nonsarcastic "Shiny Happy People." --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (135)

Out Of Time,Just in Time
Out Of Time is the double edge sword for REM.It brought them to superstar status yet it brought the wrath of longtime fans who thought they'd sold out.In retrospect it seems a little extreme since at the time,there was nothing like it.In the time that hairbands were soon to become an endangered species,and Nevermind was just around the corner,REM released an album that took chances when most acts at the time(heck even today)ran a formula into the ground. Losing My Religion led the way with its delicatly picked mandolin and understated string arrangement.But for those who played only the aformentioned track 2(and sometimes track 7)were missing out on a great album.Near Wild Heaven,Shiny Happy People,and Radio Song are bouncy pop songs that improve on the peppy tracks on Green.But songs like Low,Half a World Away & Texarkana have an air of melencholy about them.Country Feedback build in intensity as Michael Stipe sing the most personal pre-AFTP song,and Honey In Me brings both sad & happy together on the final track.Old fans could yell sell out all the want,but OOT came out at the right time which also helped pave the way for more daring music to be embraced by the mainstream and make the 90's a memorable decade in music

Blessed Sounds
This was the first REM album I listened to and , although I have listened to all their subsequent albums and Document, Life's Rich Pageant and Green before it, it still remains the most pleasurable. Like most REM albums, it has multiple meanings but it has generally come to be regarded as their 'love' album. This effect is partly achieved by Kate Pierson's warm and lively presence on tracks like Shiny Happy People and Me in Honey. To me, this album sounds like a lost summer with the mandolins and baroque instrumentation Automatic for the People would wallow more blatantly in nostalgia on Man on the Moon and politics in Drive and Ignoreland and twisted the tunes even more than Country Feedback was threatening on OOT. Their ultimate 'twisted' album was Monster, that picked up where Monster's Star Me Kitten left off. >So Out of Time is a lot of things- KRS-One's funny, ironic rap that makes you think (Radio Song) a sunny surf/road album (Near Wild Heaven, Texarkana), a baroque meditation (Losing my religion, Endgame, Half the World Away), and something inbetween (Shiny Happy People). The likes of Low and Belong sound ancient and tribal, a perfect counter-evolution of the Beach Boy style harmonies. But there is nothing simple about the thought processes behind this album- it takes a lot of intelligence, a lot of avant-garde thinking, to sound this upbeat yet this sombre. Michael Stipe's warm, resonant voice is recorded in digital while the instruments are recorded by analogue. The cover art and inside sleeves are, for once, not just afterthoughts. The sound is crystal clear and it resonates with that sense of being revolutionary yet innocent that fully emerged, blinking in the summer of the very early nineties, from the likes of The La's, The Stone Roses and, in their own way, Nirvana. To any ordinary band, this would be, undisputedly, their finest moment. To me, it still is.

REM sells Out!
This is by far my least favorite album by the boys. I thought then and still do today, that it was a wannabe commercial, sell-out recording. It lacked the soul of their earlier albums and the innovation of their later albums. This is a great band, but they dropped the ball on this one. Too sappy!

Shiny, Happy Music (albeit rather insubstantial)
OUT OF TIME stands as something of a paradox in R.E.M.'s discography. Even though it's R.E.M.'s most inconsistent album, OUT OF TIME ushered in a new, radical phase in the band's career, moving them far and away from such groundbreaking recordings as MURMER or RECKONING. Because of the massive hit "Losing My Religion," R.E.M. came out from the underground and began their mainstream career. While all the subsequent records (AUTOMATIC, MONSTER, NEW ADVENTURES, UP, and REVEAL) have moved them further along the lines of reinventing their sound, this transformation started here.

Ironically enough, this is R.E.M.'s worst album, although this is the very record that broke them into mainstream and enabled them to make some of the greatest music of their career. While many purists despise this album, I personally feel that without this record which brought R.E.M. such massive success, we wouldn't have those great later day records. It may have turned off a lot of fans, but OUT OF TIME brought R.E.M. to national attention. Still, it can be hard to swallow some of this record.

Filled with sonic grooves and textures, bright, shinny production, and lots of outside collaboration, OUT OF TIME finds R.E.M. moving away from the more jangly pop and underground sound of their IRS years to a more mainstream, streamlined sound. ("Radio Song," one of the more bizaare collaborations with rapper KRS-1, is a fun, jaunty little song, but still sounds, after all these years, as a rather misguided and a largely failed experiment.) The biggest problem with OUT OF TIME is, after the record finishes, there's not a lot to return too. It's a shiny, happy record, without much substance.

Any record where the production is more noteworthy than the songwriting is in deep trouble, and that is exactly where OUT OF TIME suffers. I do admire the band's ambition to broaden and deepen their sound, bringing in mandolins, keyboards, and even string sections. It's just the songs on OUT OF TIME are so breezy and insubstantial that is plays like a 1970s Wings album. It gets in a mellow, sunny groove, more concentrated on making a pleasant summer record than making lasting music. Like "Shiny Happy People," OUT OF TIME is a great catchy album overall but when it comes down too it, stripping away all the bright production and concentrating on the album itself, there's not really that much to it. Even the title has that tossed off feel. The band laterally ran out of time to come up with a title, hence the name.

However, when the band does get the songwriting right, then OUT OF TIME strikes gold. The aforementioned "Losing My Religion" deserves all the acclaim it gets. (Who'd think a mandolin driven song would be such a huge hit???) "Half a World Away," "Texarkana," and "Near Wild Heaven" are essential songs. Also, the two outtakes on the bonus disc from IN TIME, R.E.M.'s recently released greatest hits compilation, would have greatly aided this record. "Fretless" and "It's a Free World Baby" are both more substantial than most of the material here and Buck even said to send in a resequenced setlsit to the band because they were thinking about reissuing this album with these two songs incorporated into it.

The real masterpiece, however, is the phenomenal song "Country Feedback." Capturing a general psychic unrest and a searching for meaning, "Country Feedback" is easily my favorite song on the album and one of my top ten R.E.M. songs. The lyrics reminds me "E Bow the Letter." Both "E Bow" and "Country Feedback" have a very distinctive, haunting style that never fails to capture my ear, with wonderful, free association lyrics wedded with R.E.M.'s great instrumental sensibilities. One of R.E.M.'s best. Great live version on IN TIME on the B-Side disc.

In the end, OUT OF TIME never really offends; it just never really makes you think other than the two aforementioned masterpieces. It's a pretty fun record to listen too, but not something to return too time and time again. It's ironic that this is the album that catapulted them into mainstream radio, given OUT OF TIME's spotty nature. R.E.M. made great records before this, and they made wonderful records after this. We can thank OUT OF TIME for coming at that critical juncture, that linchpin record that secured R.E.M. a place in 1990s mainstream rock. Just wish it was a more substantial record than what it is.

An essential classic for R.E.M. fans.
This is the first R.E.M. cd I have owned. I bought it when it first came out, and I'm still listening to it since. It is a great cd, full of classic, memorable songs, with surprising cameo appearances. Only a few flaws prevent it from getting the perfect 5 star rating...

Losing My Religion is the main song off this album, and it's brilliant, of course. It's a fantastic, catchy song that will have you hooked... that is, if you aren't already!

The brilliant Low and Half A World Away occupy this album, both great pieces of music that deserved more recognition. Country Feedback is another great song, and keen R.E.M. fans may tell you that it's one of their best.

This cd also contains the single... um, Shiny Happy People. This song has a mixed opinion about it; some love it, some can't stand it. I suppose the same can apply for Radio Song (which I, personally, can't stand.) With "Automatic", generally everyone can relate to, and love, the songs on it, but with these...

As for the others, well, they're a mixed bag, really. Near Wild Heaven is catchy, though perhaps a bit poppy. Endgame is a great instrumental, and the remaining Belong and Me In Honey are certainly good songs, though they are dwarfed by the more popular songs on the cd.

So what's the verdict? Well, despite 2 or 3 poppy songs that some people are bound to oppose to, this is still a great album that I recommend to anyone! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Taken in one concentrated best-of dose, it becomes evident what a coup the B-52's pulled off when they turned their own concentrated craziness into genuine hits. This is some of the weirdest stuff ever to make the charts, much less be loved by the masses. It's all here though--the mad surf guitar of Ricky Wilson (and later Keith Strickland), the banshee wails of Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson, and, of course, the, um, well, let's say vocalizing of freaky Fred Schneider. "Party out of Bounds" with a "Rock Lobster" on "Planet Claire," or "Roam" over to the "Love Shack" in "Private Idaho." Whatever you do in the B-52's universe will at least be good, clean, perverse fun. Contains two new songs. --Michael Ruby ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Decent compilation, but...
...a DVD version of the TIME CAPSULE video collection should have been included...here's what should be:

CD - TIME CAPSULE: SONGS FOR A FUTURE GENERATION
1. Planet Claire
2. 52 Girls
3. Rock Lobster
4. Party Out Of Bounds
5. Strobelight
6. Private Idaho
7. Quiche Lorraine
8. Mesopotamia
9. Song For A Future Generation
10. Summer Of Love (original unreleased version)
11. Channel Z
12. Deadbeat Club
13. Love Shack
14. Roam
15. Good Stuff
16. Is That You Mo-Dean?
17. Debbie
18. Hallucinating Pluto
DVD - VIDEOS...(1979-1998)
1. Rock Lobster (live/New York City, 1979)
2. Legal Tender
3. Song For A Future Generation
4. Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland
5. Channel Z
6. Love Shack
7. Roam
8. Deadbeat Club
9. Cosmic Thing (live/Shoreline Amphitheater, 1990)
10. Good Stuff
11. Is That You Mo-Dean?
12. Debbie
13. Private Idaho (bonus video)
14. Meet The Flintstones (bonus video)

Rock Lobster
Seriously, I have loved the B-52s since I was three, when "Roam" was released. I had to have this CD, which is a compilation of all their best songs circa 1979 until 1992. My favorites are "Rock Lobster", "52 Girls", "Private Idaho", "Lorraine Quiche", "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Good Stuff". Although many people my age love pop and other mindless music, "Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation" isn't leaving my CD player anytime soon. Cindy and Kate's voices go very well together, harmonies and all...and of course, the two-foot wigs and outrageous femininity is also fantastic. Overall: 100/100 A+

Party Down & Roam
I sometimes wonder all the way about party bands, and the organic vibes they've conjured up. It all just seems to be exactly the same thing to me. Particualrly today, it all just seems to be so overmanufactured and overproduced, you can't seem to tell what is actually real and what isn't real. Still, there is no party band in my mind that seems to show it more than the B-52's. Although they've seen some highs and lows in their lives, they honestly can make the right kind of tunes to get up and dance to. Fred, Kate and company definitely are the party animals here.

Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Genertion, consists of 18 great songs from the B-52's lineup. The songs fit very well here, but at often times can party you down a little bit. Still, the formula of great dance songs fits well here for newcomers to their music, like myself, and die hard fanatics of the B-52's. There are just so many great dance classics here, including the #1 signature song, Love Shack, as well as Roam, Private Idaho, and the funky Rock Lobster. Arguably, the songs are great, and still beats what is hot on the dance floor today. Still, it is just a shame that people don't respect these songs, and think of them as a guilty pleasure. They're alright to me, but could've offered lyrics to all 18 of these crafted tunes.

Many people don't seem to play the B-52's anymore, and how wild and wacky those songs simply are. Still, it does beat manufactured artists Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez anyday. Get your jukebox money, and buy this album all the way down to the love shack baby!!!

This review is dedicated in loving memory of my relationship with my sister Anna

It's all "Good Stuff".
The second best band from Athens Georgia (after R.E.M.), the "B-52's" have a sound that you can't not like. It's retro happy weird sing-a-long music, and the two women have great voices to match it. The only thing that you could hate, or love, is Fred, who more or less talks his way through alot of the songs, kind of like that guy from "The Sugarcubes", but less annoying. This far-out and lengthy collection includes the big hits "Rock Lobster", "Private Idaho", and of course "Loveshack". My faves are "Mesopotamia" and "Song For A Future Generation", but they're all good. I wish this had another track from "Cosmic Thing", but no biggie. My suggestion would be to turn off "Channel Z", turn on your "Strobe Light", "Roam" where you want to, "Party Out Of Bounds", and join the "Deadbeat Club".

Excellent band, excellent compilation
The B-52's are arguably the greatest party rock band to emerge from the eighties. It's too bad the entire genre of New Wave pretty much disappeared overnight with the arrival of the nineties (don't worry, the band has since reformed.) In recent years, the band released this hits compilation. How does it measure up? Read on and find out.

PROS:
-More than likely, the only reason you want a B-52's hits compilation is so that you can get Love Shack, Rock Lobster, and/or Roam on CD. And, needless to say, you'll find them all here.
-This compilation doesn't just rely on the hits. You get a number of underrated masterpieces, including Planet Claire off the band's debut album.
-Three unreleased tracks are available here, and only here. Two are entirely new songs, one is an alternate mix of an old favorite.
-THE SONGS ARE IN ORDER OF RELEASE! Failure to do this has ruined many a hits compilation.
-This is the band's best hits compilation, period .(It's a better value than the two-disc anthology, and it covers the band's entire career unlike the Planet Claire compilation, also available here on Amazon.)

CONS:
-I have only one complaint with this compilation, and it's one I make for just about every hits compilation - The unreleased tracks are just part of a ploy for the band or the record company to pull in extra cash.

OVERALL:
If you only get one hits compilation by this band, make extra sure it's this one. These are some of the greatest songs ever released by ANY band, and you're only hurting yourself by not buying this. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Continuing to specialize in the art of curve-throwing, R.E.M. followed up its 1991 smash, Out of Time, with this fragile album of soft melodies and string arrangements. The sympathetic ballad "Everybody Hurts" must have prevented countless suicide attempts, while the Andy Kaufman tribute "Man on the Moon" (with Michael Stipe affecting an Elvis Presley imitation) and the rock-into-oblivion "Drive" are among the quartet's strongest hits. (The opening line, "Hey, kids, rock and roll," isn't so much a rallying cry as an expression of anxiety.) It takes a few listens for its charms to unfold, but Automatic is the gem between bigger hits Out of Time and Monster. --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (307)

An outstanding masterpiece!
In 1992 at the height of their popularity, R.E.M delivered their upmost finest, well-crafted project. Automatic For The People was hauntingly atmospheric throughout with the profound lyrics centering on aging, death and loss. Whilst its mood is vastly sombre throughout, the album remains firmly consistently compelling, literally clutching your attention and not letting it go until the album is completed. R.E.M had always been inovators in Rock/Folk music and this merley confirmed their upholding status in their genre. The music on this album has a grand, epic sweep provided by masterful orchestrations containing lush strings, multi acoustic instruments and shimmering keyboards. The album is reflective on the whole and never before had R.E.M been so emotionally direct as on this set. The album opens with the slow, melancholy tone of Drive steadily leading into the vibrant, upbeat Try Not To Breathe, which is a subtle reminder of one of their most definitive classics, Shiny Happy People. The outstanding classic Everybody Hurts is still moving to listen to today and has amicably stood the test of the time as does the entire album. Tracks like Nightswimming and Sweetness Follows have a comforting, soothing tone, very mellow and atmospheric in their unique content. The entire album is instantly memroable with other superb, timeless recordings including Man On The Moon, New Orleans Instrumental No.1, Monty Got A Raw Deal and Ignoreland.
Automatic For The People emrged as one of the greatest rock albums of the 1990's and proved to be one of the key landmarks in R.E.M's profile to date. An essential masterpiece!

R.E.M. is Automatic
Automatic for The People is R.E.M.'s follow-up to their greatest commercial triumph, Out Of Time. The success allowed R.E.M. a bigger forum to get their message out. Automatic For The People finds the band exploring such subjects as suicide, euthanasia, Republicanism, lost stars, groupies and pop culture. The album opens with "Drive" which riffs on the David Essex classic "Rock On". "Try Not To Breathe" deals with the subject of euthanasia and is sung from the perspective of an elderly person asking for understanding in his request. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" lightens the mood a bit. Michael Stipe has fun with the song singing it in a "Subterranean Homesick Blues" style, even affecting an Elvis Presley imitation. He can actually be heard laughing on the track. Things get serious again with "Everybody Hurts" in which they broach the subject of suicide. They could've sounded preachy on the song, but Mr. Stipe sings with such compassion and understanding that song reaffirms life. "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" is a throwaway track and "Sweetness Follows" is a very pretty number. "Monty Got A raw Deal" is the first song on the album about a late misunderstood actor. It's about Montgomery Clift and is quite powerful with some stirring music. "Ignoreland" is a hard-edged rocker that speaks out against the indifference towards people created by Republicans in their White House years of the 80's and early 90's. "Star Me Kitten" is their ode to groupies and is done in almost sleepy sound. "Man On The Moon" is the second actor song and probably the most famous song from the album. It is about the late Andy Kauffman and served as the title for the recent biopic starring Jim Carrey. It's got a honky tonk sound and some good slide guitar work by Peter Buck. The album closes with two slow numbers. "Nightswimming" is heavily laden with strings and is about longing for days gone by while "Find The River" closes the album on high note. The band finally seemed to be comfortable in the spotlight and they created a personal and enduring classic.

One of the best albums of all time.
I just had to buy this album after all the hype and reviews that surrounded it. R.E.M. are my favourite band of all time, and this is the second album I bought (after "Out Of Time") and I was, literally, amazed...

This album, especially compared to "Out Of Time", is dark and moody, but every song is special, and every song brings it's own point across, and, more often than not, means something different to everyone that hears them.

Well, what do we have? Drive, the album starter, is a fantastic piece of music with heavy hitting guitar chords and moving lyrics... it's my favourite song on the cd, but it's so hard to pick just one!

A couple of tracks down is The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite. Erm, ok I lied when I said every song brings it's point across ;) It's a fun, happy piece of fluff that anyone can love, even if they don't know what's going on. Callmewhenyoutrytowakeherup!

...Do I even need to tell you why Everybody Hurts is great? This is a powerful, moving piece that any teenager can relate to. It really is fantastic. If you weren't moved by this, than you've got a heart of stone!

Man On The Moon, again, needs no introduction. Their first song dedicated to Andy Kauffman (followed by the inferior "Great Beyond"), this is an absolute classic that is reason enough to buy the cd.

The two closers, Nightswimming and Find The River, are brilliant. I don't think they could have closed this moody, emotional album in any better way... they just work so well, with each other, and with the rest of the album.

The other songs, including the instrumental, are all great songs that are more than worthy of recognition (particularly Star Me Kitten).

This album is a must own for anyone who claims they know good music. Trust me: Buy it now!!!

REM's third masterpiece
Well, the last reviewer CLEARLY showed his lack of knowledge on REM or his good taste. So, where to start?

REM had hit their high point twice in the past. The first time was MURMUR, an indie rock classic that was influential to many bands. The second time was their commercial breakthrough, DOCUMENT, when a large amount of confused people turned "The One I Love" into a hit. Now, AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE has become a melancholy classic.

Track by track, this is REM's best album lyrically, and it benefits from the reliance on acoustic instruments. "Drive", "Man on the Moon", "Everybody Hurts", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" and "Nightswimming" are among REM's best songs. "Try Not To Breathe", "Monty Got A Raw Deal" and "Find The River" are probably REM"s best songs that nobody knows about. If you are an REM fan and you don't own this, buy it as soon as possible.

lite comforting tunes
My favorite tracks here are Drive, Man on the Moon, and Nightswimming. But there are others worth noting. All are memorable easy-listening tunes for those more soothing moments.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes" ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

In My Tribe was 10,000 Maniacs' second (and best) album and the record that made the band collegiate favorites and singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant a star. Producer Peter Asher's rich balance of acoustic and electric instruments gave muscle to the group's folk-rock. "Hey Jack Kerouac" found Merchant musing on the literary beats of the 1950s, but the song's musical hook was the rich bed of rhythm guitars laid atop the solid drums. "Don't Talk" offered a similarly propulsive rock sound, with lyrics that advised troubled lovers to keep it to themselves. R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe offered hipster credibility by guesting on "A Campfire Song," while a cover of Cat Stevens's "Peace Train" offered listeners a familiar port of entry. However, when Muslim convert Stevens announced his support of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini's call for the execution of Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie, the band rereleased the album without "Peace Train." --John Milward ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Passionate, beautiful, important music
This really is an amazingly good album, filled with depth and passion and shaped by one of music's most distinct, compelling voices (Natalie Merchant). I actually bought this album long ago, before I had even heard any 10,000 Maniacs music. The name of the group had a certain appeal to me, and there is something about the cover and its enticing shade of purple that drew me to it. Of course, what matters here is really the music, and I think this album reveals the very heart and soul of Natalie Merchant and the Maniacs. Not yet superstars, all of the musicians poured copious amounts of passion into each and every song, making this music both incredibly enchanting to the ears and compelling to the heart and mind. Merchant's unique voice is a beacon of soul-seeking enlightenment examining themes most artists (as well as most people) often shy away from. For example, What's the Matter Here? focuses on child abuse, Don't Talk addresses a struggling alcoholic, and Gun Shy is a plaintive lament for a world in which soldiers are needed. Cherry Tree, my favorite, is a song about the personal shame illiteracy can engender in a person, and it expresses such passion and joy in the prospect of learning that it could well serve as the de facto theme song for any adult literacy program. Verdi Cries is, quite simply, hauntingly beautiful. It is unfortunate (yet understandable) that the group's cover of Cat Stevens' Peace Train was removed from later releases of the album because I quite enjoy it-it's certainly much better than the original.

About the Weather is really the only song I remember ever getting playing time on the radio, but there are at least half a dozen songs on here that I find even more enjoyable. R.E.M. fans might be interested to know that Michael Stipe lends his voice (albeit rather briefly) to A Campfire Song. I can't get very excited about My Sister Rose, but every other song on the album is simply fabulous. Merchant's devotion to the music is beyond question, considering the fact that she essentially collapsed from exhaustion during the tour that followed this impeccable album's release. It's almost impossible to get tired of any of these songs, no matter how many times you listen to them.

A True Original
I was very sad to learn that Rob Buck of 10,000 Maniacs died on 12/20/00. He was the lead guitarist for this exceptional band and will no doubt be missed in the world of music.

....The album, "In My Tribe" has had a profound impact on my life. It was here that I first listened to thought-provoking and innovative music that caused me to dwell upon other things besides myself. From the theme of child abuse in "What's the Matter Here," alcoholism in "Don't Talk" and illiteracy in "Cherry Tree," 10,000 Maniacs provided me and many other college aged listeners with powerful themes during the mid-80's. It was also in this album that I was introduced to politically charged and socially conscious music. Natalie Merchant's magnificent voice was also the perfect medium for the band's lyrics.

It is rare that I listen to a record and find myself instantly mesmerized and speechless. "In My Tribe" is a piece of work that did just that. It also perfectly captured my mindset, political voice and even to some degree my intellect, during my college years.

Rob Buck was an incredible musician. Fortunately his voice will live forever on this signature work.

The tribe has broken...
In My Tribe by 10km is a pretty straight-forward album. Catchy tunes with serious messages, Natalie's beautiful and gorgeous voice (it got really good later on in years), and thought-provoking and social-consciencious lyrics make this album worth listening to.

Definitely a top 5 classic of alternative-pop in the 80's.

Five Stars is not enough
At age 17, I had an old blue VW Beetle with a tape deck, an invitation to visit my older brothers at the University of Alabama, a 2 1/2-hour drive, and this album on tape - recorded from an album. I listened to it all the way down and all the way back, and the stereo at the party that weekend played these tunes.
Now, 16 years later, I still have the tape - worn, cutting out in places. My sister pushed REC by mistake in the middle of "Don't Talk" and now her gasp is stuck in the middle of it - but I still listen. My favorites have to be "Cherry Tree," "Campfire Song," "Like the Weather" (of course), and "City of Angels."
It's the perfect soundtrack to a weekend or a life.

Desert Island CD
I have over 500 CDs in my collection. If I were stranded on a desert sland with only my walkman, this album would definitely be one I would hope to have with me. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fountains of Wayne's second album is somewhat of a new thing under the sun: Pet Sounds for '90s Jersey high schoolers. Main-men Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood litter these songs with cultural references (Pink Floyd laser shows, tattoos, Puff Daddy, lavender Lexuses, "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"), but their "Valley of Malls" is saturated with as much bittersweetness as that of Adam Sandler's wedding singer. The pop-savvy Schlesinger--who also puts in time as a member of Ivy and wrote That Thing You Do!'s title song--is wiseacre enough to dub a touching ELO tribute "Prom Theme," but when the album ends with one of the kids falling for "The Senator's Daughter," it feels as openhearted as when Brian Wilson puzzled over why he just wasn't made for these times. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (99)

Best thing I've bought in awhile
I don't buy many new albums anymore. Back in the old days -- the mid-'80s -- albums would be $5.98 or $6.98 and you wouldn't feel so bad about spending it on new music, because if you got two great songs and three good songs out of an LP of 12 tunes, you figured it was okay. But with CDs costing $12, $13, sometimes $16, there's no way I'm gonna pay those bucks unless I know the record is something I'll still be listening to two or three (or, maybe, 10) years from now.

I first heard of Fountains of Wayne when their first record made a lot of critics' top tens in 1996, with accompanying enthusiastic reviews for their power pop. Hmm, I thought, I ought to check this out -- and I wasn't disappointed. Between "Radiation Vibe," "Leave the Biker," and especially "Sick Day," the album ranked highly among my recent collection. I looked forward to the second album, even as I wondered if the group was a one-shot, since both Schlesinger and Collingwood had side projects going.

Finally, there it was: Utopia Parkway. Clever title, I thought, named as it was for one of the most ill-named streets in the country, a standard chunk of New York City concrete and asphalt. But what was it going to be LIKE? The Amazon.com and other reviews seemed mixed.

Well, I'm not mixed. I like it more each time I play it. The occasionally angry and sludgy guitars of the first CD have been toned down, replaced by tuneful arrangements and more confidence. The guys KNOW they have good songs, and they do them just right. I don't know if there's a bum track on the whole thing. (Well, maybe "Go, Hippie.")

It's a fine line to walk. Some of the songs -- "Red Dragon Tattoo" and "Prom Theme" -- get pretty close to the line of being mocking, almost-novelty numbers. But there's a humaneness in Fountains of Wayne, a bit of truth that offers balance, and makes the songs something more than hummable and catchy -- though they're that, too.

If you like pop music, buy it. If you like well-written songs, buy it. If you're waiting for something, anything, other than the Third Eye Dishwalla Eve's Hazel of current radio, buy it. One can only hope there's more stuff like this out there.

The long road to success
Naming your sophomore album after a road in Queens, NY that goes pretty much nowhere hardly bodes well, and it's not surprising the radio stations and general record buying public stayed well clear of this album. I mean, why would anyone be interested in a collection of songs that were funny, witty, tuneful, melodic, bittersweet and catchy as SARS. The fact that they're also AM radio-tastic, full of hooks and generally under 3 minutes long too must also have been a huge turn off. 1999 was, remember, the year that Limp Bizkit released "Significant other" and Kid Rock's "Devil without a cause" was taking over the airwaves. This record was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Fast forward to 2003 - Fred Durst can't even get a date with Britney Spears and the Fountains of Wayne are making their own, belated attempt at airwave domination. So hopefully more people will see the cheerful little blue cover of "Utopia Parkway" and be encourage to take out the shiny little cd, pop it into their player and hit . And they will not be disappointed.
"Utopia Parkway" is proof that FOW are brilliant and indeed have always been brilliant - it's just the rest of the world that was wrong all along. Musically it's a bit less rock-y than the debut, and a touch more rock-y than "Welcome Interstate Managers", but that's as maybe. The songwriting, musicianship and ability are just as good, and the album sounds as great on first listen as it does on 3 millionth. The songs, as usual, revolve around character that live and work in the New York metro area and mostly hate it, but the deftness and depth of these characterizations is what sticks in the mind here, funny without being cruel, sympathetic without being mushy, the songs could only be written from experience, from the heart of someone who knows the subject matter intimately.
My second and third songs on the album, if forced to choose are "Denise" and "It must be summer". Beautifully funny, catchy tunes about chasing girls and living life with the top down and the pedal to the metal ("I know this girl named Denise - she makes me weak at the knees").
The best song on the album, however, and the best song they've written, and the best song that anybody ever has written is "Troubled Times". A tender ballad to true love, this song alone is worth buying this album for a million times, and giving copies to all your friends, your friends' friends and all the world leaders with hearts of stone. This'll bring world peace in 3 minutes 36 seconds.
The Fountains Of Wayne have always been brilliant. You now have to pay for your years of neglecting them.

Track # 2 is in the TV show "Kingdom Hospital"
The Stephen King ABC miniseries "Kingdom Hospital" has a song playing when the van strikes the jogger on the side of the road. I believe that song is Track # 2 on this album, "Red Dragon Tattoo"

Personally I really like the song.

BTW, the main theme song of the TV series is "Worry About You" by Ivy, also on Amazon.

Not just another rock band
Fountains of Wayne are definitely independent thinkers. Life in a cover band, impressing girls with tattoos, going to the laser show, the most depressing prom theme imaginable ...these are not your average topics for any band. But not only do fountains of Wayne approach things in a different way, but they do it with melodies you can actually hum. This is a talented, intelligent band that will probably be stuck with that "critic's darling" label forever, ("Stacy's Mom" Not withstanding...and not on this CD!) but they deserve greater success. Sure there are a few misfires, like the repetitive "Hat and Feet," and the dated lyrics of "Go Hippie." But overall, you'll find yourself well-rewarded by this band's work.

The Parkway To Power Pop (* * * * 1/2)
On Fountains of Wayne's second CD, the band abandons the alternative sound of their debut almost completely in favor of full-fledged power pop. And for it, Utopia Parkway is neither significantly better nor worse than their debut. That is not to say that fans of the debut will automatically like this one just as much, as the two do have different feels to them (in fact, it is not a shock that some fans of the first CD like this one significantly less, or not at all.) While Schlesinger and Collingwood stay true to their high school outcast status (perhaps "loser" is too strong), they seem to celebrate it here, rather than wallow in it.

The cover of the CD gives you a pretty good indication of what makes the band tick on this CD. Just like the close-up of the street sign and blue sky, the songs on Utopia Parkway are snapshots of suburbia, where it is always sunny (on the outside at least, right?). Although I do not know where the actual Utopia Parkway is, the fact that the word utopia literally means "nowhere" is interesting to consider. FOW have maintained their flair for quirky lyrics, and this CD also drops occasional pop culture references which become a trademark of the band. The production is thoroughly polished and at times highly orchestrated, but remember, good production is a particularly strong virtue in power pop. The band also continues its traditions of self-deprecation (but as self-glorification this time), disdain for conformists (eg, hippies, suburban shoppers), and feeling the pain of others. In these regards, Utopia Parkway is a successful continuation of their strengths.

Alas, the CD starts out a bit unevenly. "Utopia Parkway" is embarrassingly bad, and probably the worst way for the band to re-introduce itself after a two-year absence. It is undistiguished enough that it may have caused old fans to abandon all hope (the song is just what its title says it is: a road to nowhere). Fortunately , things pick up in a big way with "Red Dragon Tattoo," a winsome and addictive song that is squarely in the tradition of classic clever power pop. (But that "oh, no, no" before the bridge sounds a bit too adolescent and whiny.) Leave it to this band and only this band to write a lyric like, "I brought a .38 Special CD collection/And some Bactine to prevent infection." Moreover, "Now I look a little more like that guy from Korn" is straight outta left field, but it sounds completely natural coming from FOW. "Denise" is a fun listen that continues the pop culture referencess, but it sounds too much like a by-the-books alternative pop-rock song. "Hat and Feet" is good, and very well phrased, but the effortlessness of its presentation is somewhat unsatisfying (but it is still really hard to not like).

Then comes a slew of great songs with equally great titles. "The Valley of Malls" is the ultimate suburban day trip song, albeit a very caustic one. "Troubled Times" is a song of hope and helplessness in a unique instance of two-way unrequited love. Then it is right back to the causticity of "Go, Hippie" in which Schlesinger/Collingwood make it clear that they would rather be outcasts than conformists. "A Fine Day for a Parade" and the triumphant-sounding but cautionary "Amity Gardens" are tales of the numbing minutiae and dead-end nature of suburban life, in which lonely Mrs. Carver "stays up mending curtains/Until her fingers hurt", and a kid whose has moved back in with his folks is advised that "some things are better kept deep down inside." At this point, the listener is up to his armpits in poignant power-pop quicksand.

The momentum is slowed a bit by "Laser Show", but it picks right back up for the one-two punch of "Lost In Space" and "Prom Theme", a gem of a song about experiences that the listener can't help but wonder if the members of FOW ever actually had. The CD slips a bit on "It Must Be Summer" -- which is pretty good but, again, a bit too by-the-books -- and then closes beautifully with "The Senator's Daughter." When Schlesinger and Collingwood are at their best, they hit the nail right on the head. This CD puts FOW en route to becoming The Beach Boys of the east coast, and comparisons to Pet Sounds are certainly in order.

In the final analysis, at least 10 of Utopia Parkways 14 songs are really good, and at least a half-dozen of these are *really* good. One will inevitably give in to the temptation to listen to Utopia Parkway repeatedly at first, but s/he risks wearing out the charm of the CD by doing so. It is the type of record to be saved for the times when you are really in the mood for what the CD has to offer. And while it lacks the alternative edge of its predecessor, the offerings are the same: fun, infectiousness, and even heavier doses of poignancy. Chris Collingwood was put on the Earth to sing power pop, and Adam Schlesinger was put here write it with him. So why did I give their debut 4 stars and this one 4 1/2? If nothing else, the half star is extra credit for following up a brilliant debut with a record of at least equal brilliance.

(PS: Another thing that I noticed is that several of these songs would make ideal movie soundtrack material, which should not come as much of a surprise since Adam Schlesinger has done some work in this area.) ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Though critics swamped R.E.M.'s 1983 full-length debut with country-rock comparisons to the Byrds, Murmur sounds like no one else. The title is an apt description of Michael Stipe's singing style, although his smooth pop vocal mannerisms sweeten the enigmatic poetry. Like all great bands, R.E.M.'s individual parts (Peter Buck's ringing guitar, drummer Bill Berry's persistent thumping, and Mike Mills's unifying bass) are as interesting as the collective sound. The album-opening "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" endure as its radio singles, but the rest of the songs hang together well taken as a whole. --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (129)

1983 MASTERPIECE
Leaving behind the garagey jangle-pop of their first recordings,
R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of its
trademark sound for its full-length debut album, Murmur.
Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by
de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of
the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the
album -- one that sounds eerily timeless. Even though it is firmly
in the tradition of American folk-rock, post-punk and
garage-rock, Murmur sounds as if it appeared out of nowhere,
without any ties to the past, present or future. Part of the
distinctiveness lies in the atmospheric production, which exudes
a detached sense of mystery, but it also comes from the remarkably accomplished songwriting. The
songs on Murmur sound as if they've existed forever, yet they subvert folk and pop conventions by
taking unpredictable twists and turns into melodic, evocative territory, whether it's the measured riffs
of "Pilgrimage," the melancholic "Talk About the Passion" or the winding guitars and pianos of
"Perfect Circle." TRULY R.E.M's best album and surley one of the top 5 albums of the 80's.

Astonishing Album, But Not The Best Starting Point
In my own opinion, "Murmur" is one of the greatest albums of the rock era, and completely dwarfs everything else in the R.E.M. catalog. And that catalog is very distinguished, so I don't give this praise lightly. R.E.M took rock influences from the 60's, blended them with a dreamy, contemporary 80's musical backdrop, and folded in the elliptical lyrics and vocals of Michael Stipe, creating a masterpiece for the ages. The songs on "Murmur" are full of sharp hooks that will latch on to your brain, yet they are full of mystery, and will keep you wondering what they are all about. "Radio Free Europe" with its great hook and insistent rhythm is the obvious single choice here, but it's the wonderful harmonies of "Pilgrimage", the acoustical beauty of "Laughing", the chiming guitars of "Sitting Still", and the psychedelia of "9-9" that will keep listeners returning for more.

As good as "Murmur" is, I would definitely not recommend it as the starting point for someone new to R.E.M. who has only been exposed to "Losing My Religion", "Man On The Moon", and other latter-day hits. "Murmur" is not a difficult album to embrace, but it sounds nothing like the 90's version of R.E.M. For those just starting to learn about the group, or for 90's R.E.M. fans wanting to sample the band's 80's work, without too large of a stylistic jolt, a better starting point would be "Lifes Rich Pageant", perhaps R.E.M.'s most accessible album from start to finish. That album features the group working a variety of different styles that they covered in more detail before and since. From there, it's an easier step to work both backwards and forwards in the band's catalog to discover all of the rich treasures that await, including the astonishing "Murmur".

The Perfect Debut?
Oh yeah, you better believe it! This album is proof of how great R.E.M. really are. They weren't afraid to try something different from the very beginning... this cd is anything but ordinary!

One of my favourite things about this great cd is that the songs work well together, and blend in well to make it an atmospheric experience... you won't be skipping any tracks on this one! Where as on albums like Green, you play it to hear the hits, but everything else isn't as good.

Except for Radio Free Europe, the bands first single, there's not any song that stands out over the other, and that's the way I like it. All the tracks are different, but provide you with the same basic atmosphere and listening pleasure. We Walk is very different to West Of The Fields, but they work together so well!

The gem of the album has to be Perfect Circle, a truely beautiful song. Pilgramage is fantastic and fun, as is Moral Kiosk and Catapult. You really can't go wrong with this cd, it's full of underrated R.E.M. classics.

It's effectively a toss up between this and Automatic for R.E.M.s best (though I heard Lifes Rich Pageant is the best, I just have to wait till I get my grubby mits on it!) But this cd is definatly worth your time. Listen to the cd that created Alternative Rock and started the legend that is R.E.M.!!

Their best ever?
When asked, I think most fans would say this and "Automatic For The People" are their best albums, roughly. "Murmur" of course is their debut, and even more amazing considering that. No big hits really, but front to back it's extremely consistant, meaning that each track is a stand-out. Their mid-80's albums are all great as well, just not this great. It's all a bit alt-country, punk, folk, and I guess what alternative would eventually come to be. Their 80's collection "Eponymous" includes two of these songs, but tracks like "Perfect Circle" and "Shaking Through" must be heard also. Overall, if you get just one of their early albums, "Murmur" is an excellent start.

Out of Time
No, I don't mean R.E.M.'s breakout album that came out 8 years later. I mean that "Murmur" has a sound that really was out of its time compared to other 80s music.

It's a bold, I-don't-care album with some terrific, catchy tunes. "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" are classics that definitely stand the test of time -- unlike much of the songs from the time "Murmur" debuted.

The rest of the album is very solid, especially for a debut album. Not a clunker in the bunch. This is testimony to R.E.M.'s brilliance from the get-go and their adaptability. Just think of how many other bands from 1983 that were merely one-hit wonders!

However, I think this is an album that those new to R.E.M. should hold off on getting until they've had a chance to get familiar with the band through albums like "Automatic for the People" and "Out of Time", which I think have sound that is little easier to connect with. Then, venture deeper into the band's history and pick up "Murmur" to get a sense of the band's original sound and how it evolved over time. (For those R.E.M. junkies that don't have "Murmur" in their collections, what are you waiting for? If you don't have it, you have a gaping hole in your R.E.M. collection!) ... Read more

Album Description

In his notes for this passionately compiled box, producer Gary Stewart writes, "the diversity from the late-70s punk/new wave scene turned into a full-blown, variety-fueled, genre-busting orgy in the '80s...The music became, in the best sense of the words, more complex, more literate, a bit more serious, and as a result, made astrong impact on mainsteam rock culture." From funk punk to revisionist roots rock to hard-core to smart-ass clever pop-and every musical nook and cranny in-between-Left of the Dial presents many of the '80s' most important tracks. Savor the far more influential flip side of the "Where's the Beef?" decade's musical output! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Green catapulted R.E.M. from campus cult favorites to rock stars of the highest order. The album contains three of the Athens, Georgia, quartet's most popular radio hits ("Pop Song 89," "Stand," and "Orange Crush"), punching up the big rock hooks and letting the spooky independent production slip away. Some diehard fans cried "Sellout!" but that's a strange attitude given singer Michael Stipe's environmental activism. "I'm very scared of this world," he sings above jangling mandolins on "You Are the Everything." It's still unclear what he's trying to say, but at least we can understand the words this time. --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (84)

Slight mis-step.
Green is nothing if not a transitional piece--a transitional piece between IRS Records and Warner Bros., but more importantly, a transitional piece between the hard, angry, political sound of Lifes Rich Pageant and Document and the more pastoral, personal sounds to come on Out of Time and Automatic for the People. Transitional pieces don't tend to make good records, and Green is no real exception.

I used to say that I liked half of the album, until people started asking me which songs I disliked. I can't really name any (save "Hairshirt"), so I've instead started saying I like the songs half as much as I like the typical R.E.M. song. While "Orange Crush," "The Wrong Child" and especially "Get Up" deliver what you're looking for in spades, "You Are Everything," "Pop Song 89" and "World Leader Pretend" feel like they're missing something.

There was really nothing the band could do about it, though; Green was a mediocre record that needed to be made so that the world could get Out of Time and Automatic for the People. It was my least favorite R.E.M. record, up until they released Reveal this summer. But that's another review...

The grass is greener on one side...
The fourth R.E.M. I have owned really was a different one. The three preceding ones I owned (Auto, OOT and Hi-Fi) all have complex, moody songs (ignoring the likes of Shiny Happy People, obviously)... but this cd is all about catchy, radio friendly tracks, and they're guaranteed to put a smile on your face, even if half of the tracks aren't too good...

The two opening tracks, Pop Song 89 and Get Up, are both fun pieces of pop... I love them both. They're catchy and they'll stick in your mind, and if you're not into overly complex songs, these will have you hooked.

Stand and Orange Crush, the two main singles of this album, are certainly very catchy, though it may alarm some fans of the IRS days (as this is a VERY big swing from, say, Fables...) But I'm sure even they are grinning whenever they play Stand!

World Leader Pretend is awesome, period. This is the best track on this album, and it should have got more recognition. I also love the heavier Turn You Inside Out. There's not much to not like about this album...

Except the remaining tracks didn't really appeal to me, they seemed a bit dry. Maybe it's because they're not bouncing off the walls like the other songs, but still, You Are The Everything just annoyed me for some reason, and The Wrong Child just leaved me uninspired. The last three tracks are good, but they just don't compare to the better songs this album offers.

So what I'm basically saying is that half of this album is great... fantastic even, if you're into the happier, poppier stuff. But half of the tracks just don't really cut it for me.

Well, try it out. It's definatly a good album that's worthy of purchase (especially when you consider how cheap it is to buy these days), but be sure to pick up their higher rated albums first, before jumping straight into the Green.

at odds on puropse
Ok, I didn't read all 89 reviews, but...
It seems that a great many reviewers have missed several points about this album. A dash of context and a little hindsight might help. First, of all, if you are familiar with Mr. Stipe, then you know how much interest he has in Andy Kaufman, having produced "Man On the Moon; " another of his film productions is "Being John Malkovich." Stipe is interested in the cult of celebrity and a type of channeling various/varied personalities, a loss of self to some social "other".
Green's disparate songs and lyrical "personalities" fit these tendencies. Stipe has always been inward and obtuse; his newfound "outwardness" is a mask--it's him trying on these different personas. He denounces cultural social graces and indifference by channeling vapidity right on the first song, "Pop Song 89"...
Then he goes on to channel the political aspirant ("World Leader Pretend"), the handicapped ("Wrong Child"), the narrow-minded and politically oblivious ("Stand"), military leaders ("Orange Crush")--almost all in the first person. What he controls, rather brilliantly, is how these personalities are perceived: the "stupid pop songs" are clearly cultural parody, but others are more genuine in their tone ("Hairshirt"). "World Leader Pretend" is really one of his best--a non-topical political commentary (hard enough to do by itself, really) that reveals insecurities and questioning beneath the bravado.

He tried it again--stylistically, without as much social commentary-- on Monster...

And that's Agent Orange "covering" the "green" on the cover.
Remember what it was initially used for?

Played like the bandn itself was a bit Green
If you look at the stock market, even during bearish times, it peaks and valleys a bit.

R.E.M.'s album quality is akin to this -- if you line graphed it, with the midpoint being average, all of their albums would come in above average. However, there a couple that, while good, definitely lag behind the others.

"Green" is one of those. While I think I'd actually give the album 3.5 stars rather than just three, I'd say that "Green" represents a dip between "Document" and "Out of Time." It certainly has a few great songs, my favorite being Orange Crush, a song that holds up very well to this day.

But the quality of the album is uneven. There are few songs on "Green" that really don't move me one way or other, which is unusual when it comes to R.E.M. Also, I agree with those who've said the pacing of the album is odd -- I don't really like the interspersing of slow with up tempo here.

Since R.E.M. has set such high standards for itself, "Green" can come across as a disappointment in some ways. Yet it is hardly a bad album (it beats quite a few other bands' best efforts) and it does give hints of what's yet to come in subsequent R.E.M. albums.

fun album
The lyrics on this album are pretty dumb hahaha, but the songs are upbeat and soooo catchy. People make fun of me for liking this album, but I don't care, I love that song "Stand", I could listen to it over and over. Other very catchy tunes here too. This is the CD you take with you to the beach, the songs are very beach-y.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes" ... Read more

Amazon.com

Much as the outtake and B-side collection Dead Letter Office anthologizes the many oddities of R.E.M., 1988's Eponymous is a document testifying to the astounding strength of their formative I.R.S. years. Eponymous reinforces the notion that the inchoate R.E.M. was a rare and brilliant gem of a group. While a somewhat brief CD, it provides quality listening from start to finish with hits such as "The One I Love," "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville," and "Driver 8" tucked amid the likes of an alternate take of "Finest Worksong" and the wonderfully mysterious "Gardening at Night." Especially noteworthy is the inclusion of the original seven-inch version of "Radio Free Europe," the band's 1981 release. --Lorry Fleming ... Read more

Reviews (29)

End of Indie Rock As We Knew It, and REM Did Fine
This collection gathers the better radio tracks from REM's first (and, to these ears, best) six years together. It's hard to remember how organic and dynamic underground-turned-mainstream hits like "South Central Rain" and "Radio Free Europe" (heard here in its original demo version) were until you hear them again, especially in the 80s when alternative radio was restricted to college frequencies.

The group had already concocted muscular folk-rock melodies based on the genre's heroes. The Byrds' country and folk-rock influences all the songs, as does Alex Chilton's Box Tops and Michael Nesmith's First National Band ("Rockville" closes with a quote from Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town.")Who could forget Michael Stipe's distinctive voice buried in musical quicksand, and trying to decipher his cryptic lyric images?

Highlights include the staples "The One I Love" and the fun, if silly "It's The End of The World" (the conductor, Communist, comic and critic fit together only rythmically), the gorgeous "Fall On Me" from their only Don Gehman-produced album (with softheaded Biblical imagery reminiscent of his other major client, John Mellencamp) and Bill Berry's great drumming throughout, especially on "Can't Get There From Here" and "Gardening at Night." Recommended early music from a Hall of Fame-bound rock band.

A good slice of REM's early years
If you are a fan of REM's pre-Green recordings, this disc has all of the hits from that era...starting with Radio Free Europe. That song, Driver 8, Fall on Me, and ITEOTWAWKI are probably the best of the best...although with REM, you can't really lose...unless it's MONSTER, of course...The only fault of this disc is that it was a little short...and there were so many great songs they could have added on to it.

beautiful pop music
Everyone loves R.E.M.
Everyone.
You will too.

Even if you have all their stuff...
...you would not be throwing money away by purchasing Eponymous, which is essentially a best-of collection spanning R.E.M.'s contract under the I.R.S. label.

1) The original recording of Radio Free Europe was awarded the best single released in 1981 by the Village Voice. The version found on Murmur is far superior, but this is a very important recording in the band's history since it was their first official release. Previously available only on vinyl bootlegs, it is now safe and preserved.

2) The original vocal recording of Gardening at Night follows. This version outshines the one on Chronic Town by a long shot, mainly because when Stipe re-recorded the vocals, it sounded like he had a mouthful of gum. Here he sounds articulate and clear.

3) Romance is one of R.E.M.'s oldest songs, ever. Only committed to a soundtrack to romantic comedy (featured only briefly), here it is in its entirety. And it's not half-bad either.

4) The Finest Worksong gets some horns added to it. If you think that brass and rock n roll mix, then knock yourself out. I myself remain unmoved by it.

The rest of the tracks have all been released before. But combined back-to-back, they show how R.E.M. was one of the most consistent American rock bands of the eighties.

It's Short by Today's Standards but Otherwise a Keeper
Eponymous is a greatest hits compilation covering R.E.M.'s early hits. It includes some of my favorite R.E.M. songs, such as "Radio Free Europe", "(Don't go Back to) Rockville", "Can't Get There From Here", "The One I Love", and "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (and I feel fine)".

I have seen a few references to how the album is brief. I'd agree, but keep in mind when it was compiled and what the average length of albums were in those days. Of course, with R.E.M. generally more is better and I can understand those who would love the album to run longer.

Also, if you'll allow me a brief digression, under "The Best of R.E.M.: In Time" reviews I saw complaints about how songs such as "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (and I feel fine)" are not on it -- "Best in Time" spans from 1988 on; "Eponymous" spans from the band's debut to, you guessed it, 1987. To complete your collection, you need to own both.

Back to "Eponymous"...albeit short, it's an excellent collection from one of the greatest bands ever (in my humble opinion). I highly recommend getting it to complement "The Best of R.E.M.: In Time". ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

The 1984 follow-up to R.E.M.'s brilliantly murky debut features Michael Stipe's ambiguous moan, drummer Bill Berry's strong backbeat, and guitarist Peter Buck's endless wave of catchy, jangling riffs. They wouldn't fully beef up their hard rock until roughly 1986's Life's Rich Pageant, but the swimming melodies of "Pretty Persuasion," "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and "Rockville (Don't Go Back To)" recall why the band frequently earned comparisons to a power-pop Beatles and the country-rock Byrds. Also, the jittery rhythms and deceptively simple guitar lines make the underappreciated "Harborcoat" and "7 Chinese Bros." worth revisiting. --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Remote Monitor
R.E.M. abandoned the enigmatic post-punk experiments of Murmur for their second album Reckoning, returning to their garage-pop origins instead. Opening with the ringing "Harborcoat," and Reckoning runs through a set of ten jangle-pop songs that are different not only in sound but in style from the debut. Where Murmur was enigmatic in its sound, Reckoning is clear, which doesn't necessarily mean that the songs themselves are straightforward. Stipe continues to sing powerful melodies without enunciating, but the band has a propulsive kick that makes the music vital and alive. And, if anything, the songwriting is more direct and memorable than before - the interweaving melodies of "Pretty Persuasion" and the country-rocker "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" are as affecting as the melancholic dirges of "Camera" and "Time After Time," while the ringing minor-key arpeggios of "So. Central Rain," the pulsating riffs of "7 Chinese Bros.," and the hard-rocking rhythms of "Little America" make the songs into classics. On the surface, Reckoning may not be as distinctive as Murmur, but the record's influence on underground American rock in the '80s is just as strong.

Four musicians swallowing the music scene
After the experimental low-budget masterpiece "Murmur" R.E.M. grow towards more solid songs. "Reckoning" is simple and short but for some reason it always leaves an imprint in my mind of being glorious and grand. The simple guitar strings like in "7 Chinese Bros." get stuck in you're head easily. "Harborcoat" is an awesome opening track. "Time After Time" is sweet and simple. "Rockville (Don't Go Back To)" is one of my favorite R.E.M. songs of all time. "Camera" isn't really good musically but has a great set of lyrics. "Little America" gives "Reckoning" a nice ending that in a way leads to the feel of "Life's Rich Pagent". Overall "Reckoning" has a country-rock feeling but I wouldn't go as far as reviews say to compare to The Byrds country-rock phase. Overall a great album and progression for R.E.M.

An album to be Reckoned with
"Reckoning" is one of the top five R.E.M. albums in my opinion and probably my second favorite of the IRS years (behind "Document", and slightly edging out "Life's Rich Pageant").

Songs like "So. Central Rain", "Pretty Persuasion", and "(Don't Go Back) Rockville" are classics that you can listen to over and over.

While I am not one of those R.E.M. fans that only likes their early work, I do appreciate listening to the band play at a time when it was far less encumbered by the introspection and seriousness that have come with age. This album is a great one for getting a glimpse at that free-spirited, youthful time during the band's evolution to what it is today.

"Reckoning" is R.E.M's umpteenth great album but to those not familiar with R.E.M.'s early work, it may sound perhaps a bit unpolished and raw compared to the later albums released under the Warner Bros. label. Much like nascent cartoons or comics that look a bit different than they do in their later years, R.E.M.'s sound, though definitely still taking shape, is unmistakable.

This is a great CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if u like and or looking for great rock music look no further this CD is a great rock album

Excellent follow-up to "Murmur"
This CD ranks up there with some of REM's best. Instead of rehashing the avant-garde sound of "Murmur," REM instead chose to give their songs an earthier, more personal mood. Some of REM's best "relationship songs" are on this CD, such as "So. Central Rain," "Don't Go Back to Rockville," and "Pretty Persuation." While their later 80s work was mostly stadium fare, these songs feel like they'd be more at home in a smoky dive bar on the edge of town. Great music to listen to on your front porch with a nice bottle of Rolling Rock. ... Read more

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Nirvana made a lot of things irrelevant when Nevermind was released in 1991. Among the most unfortunate casualties caught inside the blast radius were the B-52's. Just two years prior, they had released their very first mainstream breakthrough album, Cosmic Thing. This album was featherweight, sun-kissed, playfully pansexual and, most importantly, danceable. Tracks like "Love Shack" and "Roam" reminded us there could be fun without responsibility. Alternately kitschy and lazy (I still insist that "Deadbeat Club" was a slacker anthem long before Beck's "Loser"), Cosmic Thing took the B-52's signature Trekkie-camp sensibility and slowed it down just enough to click on MTV and portable radios wonderfully. And let's be honest, anyway: would you rather road-trip to Kurt's sad refrain of "Well, whatever, nevermind" or Fred Schneider belting out, "The whole shack shimmies!!" at the top of his lungs? On second thought, don't answer that. --Todd Levin ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A return to for....no, wait, scratch that
In 1989, the B's suddenly returned with a completely new image, revitalized and full of a bunch of Nile Rodgers/Don Was-produced dancepop. And hey, despite the obvious cries of "sellout!" that are perfectly deserved, this is still a very good album. It's most heavily remembered for the hit "Love Shack," which is an infectious song that suffers a bit from constant overplay and an overlong running time (it doesn't need that "bang bang" part at the end at all), as well as the gorgeous, solid pop song "Roam"("Boooy Mercury, cruisin' throoough every degreeeee"). For the most part, the songs on here are very well-written in spite of their slickness ("Bushfire," "Channel Z," "Deadbeat Club"), the only real gripes being the kind-of-dull studio creation "Dry County" and the fact that on the catchy title track the band tries to mix a political message ("Don't let it rest on the president's desk!") next to lyrics like "SHAKE YOUR HONEY BUNS!" Still, overall, an album well worth buying and one of the better releases to come out in the overproduced year of 1989.

Cosmic Hit!
This album features the B-52's biggest hit ever,LOVE SHACK. The video is quite awesome also. The song was even heard in the 1991 Paramount film FRANKIE & JOHNNY. I even heard another hit,ROAM in one or two television commercials. The title track is cool so is DEADBEAT CLUB. Another hit is CHANNEL Z. The instrumental FOLLOW YOUR BLISS was probably inspired by Todd Rundgren's HELLO IT'S ME(they both sound almost identical). After this album,band member Kate Pierson would join R.E.M. recording ME IN HONEY on R.E.M.'s 1991 multi-platinum OUT OF TIME.

a last gasp
not bad for a belated "comeback". the bees hadn't yet sold their souls to the flintstones, so all was not yet lost. "roam" is still a pop masterpiece of the 80s, and maybe someday people will realize that and quit playing that infernal "loveshack" at weddings.

Love Shack Overplayed But Album Quality Can't be Overstated
"Love Shack" is the one song from this album that you probably can name without any hesitation. That's because to this day it's overplayed -- how many flashback lunch hours, etc., belt out this tune daily? Too many, considering that there are other great B-52 tunes that are hardly obscure ("Roam" from this album, "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", and "Private Idaho" from previous ones) that could be played.

But I digress . . . that "Love Shack" is overplayed is hardly an indictment of this album. Though not groundbreaking or history-changing, this album definitely is a must-own. Why? Simply because of the fun factor! It's a delightfully fun album from start to finish.

"Love Shack", if you manage to avoid the iterations on the radio dulling its impact, is a contagious party tune, as is "Roam" (which I prefer just because it hasn't been played to death). Of the remaining album, I also really like "Deadbeat Club" (a slacker anthem), "Junebug", and "Bushfire" -- all very up-tempo, fun songs.

As a fan of the B-52s, I can't say they've ever put anything that wasn't good. This is probably their second-best album behind their self-titled effort. It's fun, breezy, and something any serious music fan should have in their collection as a result.

Insanely great
The B-52s are great, and this cd is definately their strongest. The songs are crazy, with the classic wild sounding tone that shows up again and again in songs such as cosmic thing and love shack. The calmer songs, deatbeat club being the best, show emotion on a level that is amazing for the b-52s common image as crazy people. this cd is great in also that the way the songs are arranged, the hit songs arent the first and second tracks, but they're spread throughout the whole cd, keeping your enthusiasm to keep listening to the cd going. this is a great cd ... Read more

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Fountains of Wayne is one of the leaders of the latest in a long series of power- pop revivals. If the music sounds a lot like mid-'60s pop rock, it's no accident, for thesongwriters are unabashed British Invasion fans. The songs on the debut album,Fountains of Wayne, take perky, '60s-like hooks and marry them toambiguous, unnerving, '90s-like lyrics. Some songs offer an untrustworthy narrator;when the singer complains about "Joe Rey," a Eurotrash jet-setter, you wonder whetherhe's expressing disdain or envy and whether the song's noisy guitar energy belongs to theband or to Joe Rey. And there's something about the pent-up Mersey-beat energy andpleading vocals of "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight" that make one suspect the singerdoesn't really mean what he says. Schlesinger and Collingswood are undeniably clever,but they're not afraid to rock. --Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (58)

A Rock Masterpiece...
This is one indescribably superb CD. Each song has melodies and choruses that will stick in your mind for the longest time! Schlesinger and Collingswood are excellent musicians and songwriters who capitalize on 60's and 70's sound in a 90's world...which is why they aren't widely appreciated. But don't get the wrong impression: it's not like this music is totally retro...it still has a lot of 90's style, but their influences are ever-present. This is the best of the two FOW albums, but if you like this one a lot, I MUST recommend Utopia Parkway as well. Every song on this CD is great, but "Leave the Biker", "Survival Car", "Radiation Vibe", "Barbara H.", and "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight" are the best of the best!

Melodic, giddy power pop
Sometimes you find new bands, sometimes they find you. A letter to Adam Schlesinger, writer of the maddeningly catchy title track of Tom Hanks' film, "That Thing You Do," returned as a tip to his bass playing in the band Ivy, and his role as one-half of the recently formed Fountains of Wayne.

The latter's debut finds Schlesinger and partner Chris Collingwood making up song titles as a bar game, then scrambling home to write the lyrics and music to match. Tracks like "You Curse at Girls," "I've Got a Flair," "Leave the Biker," and especially "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight," have a lot of title to measure up to. Favorably, each cut has the lyrical giddiness and melodic hook to set the listener humming. Comparisons to Weezer, with whom they share a mixing engineer, are inevitable, although more intoxicating is the records' first-take looseness that brings to mind Teenage Fanclub's early efforts. Rather than polishing away all the fun of writing and recording, it's been left in the grooves for listeners to share. Schlesinger's production skills are on display throughout, mixing and matching low- and hi-fi in an inventive palate of sound.

Great album, a few mis-steps
I recently bought this album after greatly enjoying Welcome Interstate Managers and was pleasantly surprised. Despite most of the songs not enjoying much radio play they are almost all single-worthy. They range from funny ("Please Leave the Biker") to sad (the final track), with only songs that I usually skip being "Joe Rey" and "You Curse at Girls." They both come across just a little too whiny for my taste. Anyway, I definitely recommend this album for its mix of humor, insightful intelligent lyrics, and generally well-crafted tunes.

"Almost Better Than Anything, Ever"
Well, not quite, but the eponymous debut CD by Fountains of Wayne offers a catchy batch of songs with a synergetic effect. While it hints at full-fledged power pop at times, its saving grace is a generous helping of non-grungy alternative flavor (of course, it is alternative to the extent that it is power pop, which is never really fashionable anyway.) Songwriters Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood are not afraid to embrace the fact that they were high school losers, and they make particularly poignant observations about being so, as well as some keen insights into the love and work tribulations of their fellow twenty-somethings. Musically, they forgo (certainly not for the worse) the punkier elements of Weezer, but they also share many of their virtues: shiny production, quirky and occasionally silly sing-along lyrics, and loud, catchy guitars. And while the CD may suffer slightly from a certain undernourishing quality that plagues almost all power pop, one can really only nitpick when the overall results are this good.

Several of the dozen songs on Fountains of Wayne fall into one (or both) of two categories: confrontational character studies and self-pitying personal laments. Of course, the distinction between these two categories isn't always completely obvious, and there are also times when they feel the pain of others. Their status as losers is evident in lyrics like "I wonder if he ever has cried, cause he couldn't get a date for the prom," and who else other than a couple of guys who weren't regularly getting some would think to say, "each time you curse at girls, you curse a little at yourself, don't you know a girl gets angry"? Their sympathy (or perhaps more precisely, empathy) for others is evident on the softly ominous "She's Got a Problem": "Every time she goes outside/She barely gets home alive/She's got a problem, and she's gonna do something dumb," and the 9 to 5 lament "Sick Day": "She's a hell of a girl, she's alone in the world/and she likes to say 'hey good lookin'/She's on her way, she takin' a sick day -- soon."

Granted, these lyrics are not terribly profound or innovative, but consider two things: 1) This genre -- alternative pop rock-- does not aim to be profound or innovative, and 2) while they may be neither, the sentiments expressed so simply here are rarely done so at all in popular music. I mean, "please don't rock me tonight, I'm not in the mood," coming from a guy? (Come on!) And how often does one hear lyrics like: "Joe Rey smokes at three/Barks like a pigeon and watches TV/He's cool...cool, cool, cooler than I am./He knows what I don't know/Got seventeen different words for snow that he signs/Signs to a deaf girl named Diane"? So while the lyrics are hardly pure poetry, they do have a refreshing originality and cleverness about them which makes the album worthy of repeated listenings in the hope of locating other such gems (such as the chorus of "Leave the Biker", which I will let you hear for yourself). The closest thing to a dud on the CD is "Survival Car," in which the high school loser tries too hard to be a superhero. However, the better songs that it is situated among allow it to slip by more or less unnoticed, and it is more disposable and forgettable than it is flat out bad, and it will get stuck in your head whether you like it or not (literally). Among the best songs which have not been quoted are the groovy opener "Radiation Vibe", the sing-along "I've Got A Flair", and the Simon & Garfunkel-ish closer "Everything's Ruined."

So, how successful is this CD as a whole? Well, the main goals of alternative pop rock (and power pop) are to be fun and catchy in heavy doses, and poignant in measured doses. Fountains of Wayne achieves all three of these goals in an admirable -- and thoroughly enjoyble -- fashion. It is not only a very promising debut, but a fine record by any standard. And if the hyperbolic quote from MOJO critic Dave DiMartino in the title of this review wins Fountians of Wayne listeners that it wouldn't otherwise have, then more power to it. Bottom line: it is great by virtue of its enjoyability.

(PS: (...)

you are all wrong
I bought this CD while I was vacationing in Florida because I remember reading a positive review of it that I think was in Rolling Stone (which is a bad move, because Rolling Stone is wrong on like every review they make nowadays, like 50 Cent: 4 stars, Ben Folds' debut: 3 stars, and every album made by bands in the sixties a 5 star review). I thought the review was about this album, and the f**king cashier said it was too. He probably just wanted to reel in some cash. To put it simply, this is not "amazing", "perfect", and especially not "brilliant". There are a total of 4, and only 4 good songs on this CD; the rest of which are bland, and are often made annoying by the lead singer's voice. The following should be downloaded, instead of giving these guys all your money for less then half of a good CD:

Radiation Vibe
Joe Rey
I've Got A Flair
Survival Car

The rest make me sad that people actually like it. Leave the Biker is your "favorite song on the album"? Please, that's probably the WORST song on the album. No, that's too harsh. The begginning is okay, but the chorus, his voice, and the lyrics make it horrendous. How can anyone give this 5 stars? You guys are the reason every album get's a 4 and a half star review. Man, I should write reviews. You people obviously know nothing about music. And like always, here comes the ton of "No, this review was not helpful to you" from little crybabies who don't agree with me. Go ahead, click it. I'll be busy listening to better music like Nas, Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, Afro-Celt Sound System, and the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack. ... Read more

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"Rock and roll's a loser's game," goes a Mott the Hoople line borrowed for an epigram for this best-of. It invokes the story of this New Jersey band on two levels. First, these guys were smart enough to draw on slightly left-field influences while remaining sufficiently modern to gripe about the FM stranglehold of "Classic Rot." Second, like Mott's Ian Hunter, they bet big and lost big. This collection of semi-hits and obscurities might well have been titled "Work for Food." Singer John Easdale wrote that song for Hi-Fi Sci-Fi, the outfit's 1993 swan song. Imagining himself a few years past his minor stardom, Easdale sang of pushing a shopping cart full of Dramarama memorabilia, aluminum cans, and his baby blanket. The song roared with power chords, bitterness, and resignation, flipping the rock cliché "keep on rollin'" onto its side. Girls who don't count sleeping with the radio on as being alone, non sequitur rhetorical questions, promises of everything, all tied up with bashes and riffs and madly catchy hooks--these are the stuff of Dramarama songs. Typically, 18 Big Ones comes a day late and a dollar short--maybe the same buck Easdale passes to a street-corner denizen in "Last Cigarette." But it also stands as testament to the fact that, whatever else, Dramarama lived up to its end of the bargain. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Still the Best!
Someone here said they met John E., and thought he was a jerk...Wow, the two or three times I met him here on the New Jersey shore he was simply one of the nicest guys I have ever met. Dramarama was a SCORCHING band to see live and I still have their CDs in rotation! Buy this CD to get a taste of their sound, then buy their whole damn catalog. They are that good. And if you ever get the pleasure of meeting John, tell him Katie said hello, he rocked playing solo at Surfstock in Jersey!

A GREAT BAND THAT NEVER GOT ITS DUE
After I saw a recent VH1 "Bands Reunited" show that showcased Dramarama, the rediscovery of this lost band shows just how easy it is to get buried in the music business between record labels, marketing the band and successfully blending a mixed bag of personalities that goes with it.

Artistically combining the melodicism of the Beatles, the power of the Stones,and the glam-punk style of the N.Y.Dolls, Dramarama never got it going commerically and therefore suffered not getting the recognition it deserved. Not only did this band put out some very good material as evident on this CD, their classic "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" is one of the best rock songs to come out of the 80's. This CD is absolutely worth the purchase to rediscover these lost gems.

The best unappreciated band in rock history
I love Dramarama and it still annoys me that they never broke thru to superstardom. I am doing my part to keep them alive in the minds of music fans everywhere by doing a cover of "Last Cigarette" with my band.

Buy this album.
I've had the album for over a year now and still haven't gotten sick of it, which is really saying something. Everyone knows how great "Anything, Anything" is, but you haven't lived until you've heard "Last Cigarette".

One of the best bands around
Like most of the reviewers before me, the first time I heard "Anything, Anything" I was in awe. (God bless Rodney Bingenheimer).
I just don't know what else to say but that I love them and miss them very much. You will never go wrong buying a Dramarama album. ... Read more