Album of the Day: R.E.M. - Green

Green (1988)

R.E.M. ended their contract with I.R.S. and "sold out" by moving to the much bigger Warner Bros. Records for more creative freedom.  Many "true fans" were upset with the change, but with Scott Litt still at the production helm, the great albums continued.  Part of the backlash occurred since the band deliberately aimed to create songs that "weren't R.E.M. songs."  The sound is definitely new and more mainstream, but not wholly unfamiliar.

1) Pop Song 89 - 5/5
Right away, we're hit with a great opening track.  Sure, it's a deliberate pop song, but it skewers typical pop song themes (for the time) while highlighting the real lack of substance.  A nice bit of satire.  Or at least an enjoyable one.

2) Get Up - 5/5
Another pop song, and I think it's a bit more fun that the first.  It's simple (a call to wake up), but sometimes simple is what you need.  And it's definitely fun to sing along to and wake up to.

3) You Are the Everything - 4/5
The new mandolin is brought out for this one, making for a very sweet love song.  The whole album is just making me feel so warm and fuzzy so far.

4) Stand - 5/5
Here it is! One of the contenders for my all-time favorite R.E.M. songs.  I realize it's an intentionally inane bubblegum pop song, but I love those kind of songs and it works so well!  I even enjoy the stupid Weird Al parody, "Spam." That melody just sucks me in and doesn't let go!

5) World Leader Pretend - 4/5
Here, we're presented with a scenario in which a world leader struggles to do their job well.  But by gum, they're trying.  It suddenly got a lot better when I listened to it today.

6) The Wrong Child - 4/5
I really like this song as well.  Another story song, from the perspective of the "bubble boy," who cannot interact with the world outside of his quarantined home.  It's got a lot of pathos and I feel many people can identify with the discomfort that he feels.

7) Orange Crush - 5/5
Man, these singles are killing it, aren't they?  This is less of a traditional pop song and a bit darker, giving the album that old R.E.M. charm.  It's got a powerful anti-war message hidden beneath its cryptic lyrics, and it'll leave you thinking long after you listen to it.

8) Turn You Inside Out - 4/5
This one managed to chart despite just being a simple promo single, so the band was really on fire.  I really enjoy it's energy, but it loses a bit of it credibility when I keep mistaking it for "Finest Worksong."  It really feels like a retread, musically.  Fortunately, that one was also great.

9) Hairshirt - 2/5
Well...all good things must come to an end.  Maybe because it's following so many great songs, but this one just gets on my nerves and I can't fully get into it.

10) I Remember California - 3/5
Man...I enjoy the lyrics in this one.  And the music.  It has the makings of a great R.E.M. song and I'm sure many people would probably cite it as one of the best of the album, but it goes one far too long.  Had it been half the length, it would be great!

11) Untitled - 3/5
Similarly, this one is fine, but it doesn't compare to all that came before.  It's cute and chrming, and fortunately a good length.  It feels a bit juvenile though, so I tend to skip it/forget it quickly.

Music Video: Orange Crush

The change in record companies have made for much more polished and professional looking music videos.  Being such a weighty song, of course the video black and white and "artsy." I'm not sure if it entirely works for this song as it gets a bit heavy-handed, but it's serviceable.

Music Video: Stand

A dopey pop song deserves an equally dopey music video.  I may be biased since I love the song, but I think this is the first R.E.M. video that could be considered a classic.  Well, this might be better...

Music Video: Turn You Inside Out

So, I thought this was going to be just a straightforward "film the band" video.  And it is, but it's minimalistic approach makes it stand out from the pack.  It really could have been applied to any of the songs though, so it doesn't thematically match up with the song.

Music Video: Pop Song 89

Obviously, there was a little bit of controversy with this one.  Stipe responded by censoring all the nipples (even his own) for the television broadcast.  Very clever.  While it's just simple dancing occurring in this one, there is a bold statement being made here about what we demand out of our pop music and it works surprisingly well, either way.

Music Video: Get Up

Abstract colors and images!  Well, it fits with the "dreamlike" lyrics.  And it looks pretty cool.

Overall: 3.92/5 - B+
I know were still in  B+ territory, but this is now the highest rated album.  And had it not been for the mediocrity of those last three songs, this would have been a near-perfect album!  And I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, they may still grow on me in the future.  Although, as I said with Document, this was one of the three R.E.M. CD's I grew up with, so if those songs haven't clicked with me by now, they might not do so in the near future.  But even if this CD were just "Stand" and "Orange Crush," I'd be willing to call it a near-perfect album.