Stereogum Home
August 27, 2004

My Teenage Stride

Last night EJ, East Coast Peggy, and I saw Jed's band at Mercury. They were great as always, like Fountains of Wayne covering Weezer. Really concise, smart '60s pop. It was also Palomar's record release party, but we were starving so we missed their set and went to Kiev, a Russian restaurant that plays My Bloody Valentine. East Coast Peggy's band is opening for The Secret Machines (!) on September 11 at Rothko. Go see them 'cause Peggy is awesome.

Today I cannot get this song out of my head: "Hang Up the Phone" by Annie Golden. I saw the awesomely bad video on VH1 Classic yesterday and the song's still stuck in my head. It was in 16 Candles. I sort of wish it was on iTunes even though it's really cheesy.

I will review the new R.E.M. album for you guys soon. As with many of their post-Out Of Time albums, I hated it at first and now I love it. There's even some rapping (not by Stipe) on "The Outsiders" and they sorta get away with it.

Friday thread: Best R.E.M. Album? / Worst R.E.M. Album?

I'm going with Automatic / Monster ... changed my mind ... Reveal

Posted at 8:52 AM




-->

33 Comments

Life's Rich Pageant / Up

Posted by: David G. at 08/27/04 11:59 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Believe it or not, "Monster" is one of my favorite REM's.

I'll go with Automatic/ Out of Time.

Posted by: sebrown000 at 08/27/04 12:02 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Document / Reveal

(You should have stuck around for Palomar--they keep getting better everytime I see them.)

Posted by: Tim at 08/27/04 12:02 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

The worst is obvs: Reveal.

Best, maybe: Reckoning?

Posted by: Dan Gibson at 08/27/04 12:02 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Believe it or not, "Monster" is one of my favorite REM's.

I'll go with Automatic/ Out of Time.

Posted by: sebrown000 at 08/27/04 12:04 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Shit, sorry for the double-post.

Posted by: sebrown000 at 08/27/04 12:05 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

New Adventures in Hi-Fi / Reveal

Posted by: Frank at 08/27/04 12:05 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Murmur / Reveal

Posted by: witz at 08/27/04 12:07 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I second Frank's nominations.

Posted by: information leafblower at 08/27/04 12:10 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Oh man, rapping on an REM album? That didn't work out too well the last time.

"What are you sayin'?/
What are you playin'/
Who you obeyin'/
day after day/
uhhh...baby baby baby/"

Posted by: Justin at 08/27/04 12:18 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

new adventures in hi-fi/reveal

Posted by: nick at 08/27/04 12:28 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Thanks a lot! Now I have "Hang Up the Phone" stuck in my head, too. I'll just have to keep thinking about The Specials' "Little Bitch" and repeating the words "very hot, very hot" until it goes away.

Chronic Town / Out of Time

Posted by: the management at 08/27/04 12:37 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

monster was great

New Adventures in Hi-Fi / Reveal
(though i love "i've been high")

Posted by: tylla at 08/27/04 12:47 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Monster has A FEW great songs, but I find it weak as a whole album. I suppose Reveal could've been a better answer.

But those of you who think OUT OF TIME is the worst? WTF? Maybe you're just sick of hearing the singles?

Posted by: stereogum at 08/27/04 12:51 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Out of Time & Document / Monster

Posted by: John at 08/27/04 12:53 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Best: Automatic
Worst: Fables.

Posted by: dan at 08/27/04 12:57 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Automatic / Reveal

Posted by: Ben at 08/27/04 1:10 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

new adventures / fables

Posted by: rob at 08/27/04 1:16 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Life's Rich Pageant/Reveal

Posted by: Scott at 08/27/04 1:29 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

automatic/out of time.

djs communicate
on the dance floor
sex and blah blah blah
all your life
radio listenerrrrrrsss

Posted by: rachel at 08/27/04 1:36 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I'm sticking w/ Out of Time as the worst (I can't count Reveal, as the Bill Berry departure = breakup for me), but I will admit that "Low" is a fantastic song.

Posted by: the management at 08/27/04 1:40 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

REM sucks. End of discussion.

Posted by: FF at 08/27/04 1:40 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Scott, I hope it doesn't take too many more listens to make this new one tolerable. Because right now it is KILLING ME. KILLING ME DEAD.

Life's Rich Pageant/Reveal

Posted by: whittlz at 08/27/04 1:48 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Out of Time has three excellent tracks, one of which being the best song REM have ever recorded ("Near Wild Heaven," "Country Feedback," and "Losing My Religion") and everything is a bunch of mediocrity except for two songs which are two of the absolute worst they've ever recorded ("Radio Song" and "Shiny Happy People"). That's a 3 out of 11, which translates to a 2.5 out on a 1-10 scale. Not good. The I think "Radio Song" and "Shiny Happy" are bad enough to warrant an extra point cut. Thing is, "Losing My Religion." How did this song make onto this album? It may just be good enough to counteract the effects of those two aforementioned abominations.

But either way, it's still a shit album.

Posted by: sebrown000 at 08/27/04 2:49 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Are we forgetting about Green at all? I would say that and Document are the best. I never bought their albums past Out of Time so not sure if they are the worse but I don't think they can be better.

Posted by: Jennifer at 08/27/04 3:07 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Cant decide between Pageant and Automotic for the best. Monster made my ears bleed, although I admit I didnt spend too much time with it. regardless I would have to consider that the worst.

Posted by: zipyflavor at 08/27/04 3:52 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

My Teenage Stride sounded great, and Jed's new haircut looked swell. I've seen that Annie Golden video too. She was in a band that played CBGB's a lot back in "the day" (oh, i don't know exactly what i mean by "the day", get off my back), the Shirts, and now does a lot of musical theatre on Broadway and such.

Posted by: Heather at 08/27/04 4:16 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Pageant/New Adventures

OR

Automatic/Fables

How can I choose?

Does Dead Letter Office count as an album? It definitely contains the worst song R.E.M. ever committed to tape, something called "Burning Hell."

Still one of the best bands ever, though. High hopes for the new one.

Posted by: charlie at 08/27/04 6:38 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

wow...great question...great answer...but i have to contend first that, while "shiny happy.." does indeed suck, "country feedback", "texarkana", and "belong" can hardly be discounted as mediocre songs...particularly "country feedback". where's the love? anyway, if you asked for "best song", i'm sure "losing my religion" would garner enough votes, mine included, to make top 3. That said... i'll still have to go Automatic/Monster. Tough question though. ask me tomorrow, might have a different answer.

Posted by: jukejoint at 08/28/04 12:08 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Best: Life's Rich Pageant
Worst: Out Of Time

Posted by: Beth at 08/28/04 7:21 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

>>>"...particularly "country feedback". where's the love?"

"Country Feedback" was included along with "Near Wild Heaven" and "Losing My Religion" in the "good songs from Out of Time" category.

Posted by: sebrown000 at 08/29/04 2:01 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

best: reckoning
worst: up

Posted by: davy at 08/29/04 4:05 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Automatic/Out Of Time, from then on,what we've gotten are some nice singles, the albums lack the same strength

Posted by: HeCtiC at 08/29/04 8:16 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Leave a comment


 

The 'Gum Drop

Get our newsletter. MP3s and giveaways weekly.

Search




Sort by:date relevance

Information

  • Contact:
  • About
  • Press
  • Advertising
  • Stereogum RSS Stereogum RSS XML Icon
  • MP3-Only RSS Stereogum RSS XML Icon

Staff

Founder/Editor-In-Chief
Scott Lapatine
Executive Editor
Amrit Singh
Senior Writer
Brandon Stosuy
Columnist
Jon McMillan
Technology & Operations
Jim Jazwiecki
Angela Williams

The Cool Kids

All Stereogum Posts

Get Flash to see our mp3 player. Here are our mp3s: Hospital Ships - I Want It To Get Out (»)
Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud (»)
Ungdomskulen - Ordinary Son (Radio Edit) (»)
Damien Jurado - Where Lies My Tarp (»)
Birdmonster - Born To Be Your Man (»)
Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others (Live At Morning Becomes Eclectic) (»)
Genghis Tron - Things Don't Look Good (Rob Crow Remix) (»)
CSS - Rat Is Dead (Rage) (»)
James Jackson Toth - Doreen (»)
Twi The Humble Feather - Higher Than The End (»)
Roadside Graves - Ruby (»)
No Age - Eraser (»)
Doveman - Footloose (»)
Rooftop Vigilantes - Oscar Want 7 Inch (»)
Dr. Dog - The Ark (»)
Oxford Collapse - The Birthday Wars (»)
Neil Halsted - Paint a Face (»)
Throw Me The Statue - If This Is It (Huey Lewis Cover) (»)

Band to Watch logo

Band To Watch: Hospital Ships

As we pass saturation point for press coverage of Montreal, Portland, Brooklyn and et cetera, it seems Lawrence, Kansas is poised for its coming turn in the music media trend piece carousel. At least from what we're hearing; this marks...

MORE »

Quit Your Day Job logo

Quit Your Day Job: Ungdomskulen

The Bergen trio Ungdomskulen play proggy post punk, mixing chops and hooks with a sense of humor. But they don't sound like Primus. When I was in Norway a couple years ago, "Ungdomskulen" seemed to be on everybody's lips (or...

MORE »

Premature Evaluation logo

Premature Evaluation: Beck - Modern Guilt

It's been some time since we learned Modern Guilt, Beck Hansen's eighth album, would be some sort of psych rock minimalist '60s trip with Danger Mouse. Since then, we've gotten a look at the old-school jazz/Blue Note-style cover art and...

MORE »

Video Hangover logo

Video Hangover: Papa Roach - "Getting Away With Murder"

Every week, we dig in the archives for videos that we find noteworthy, memorable, or just unbelievably stupid. And then, Jon McMillan breaks 'em down for you. This week: Papa Roach lands an uppercut on the glass jaw of big oil.

MORE »

Oldstand logo

OldStand: SPIN, November, 1990

Take our ink-stained hands and join us at the OldStand, where Jon McMillan goes to remind everyone what an honest-to-goodness music magazine is supposed to look like. For the cover story, Bob Guccione Jr. himself gets in the ring with...

MORE »

The Outsiders logo

The Outsiders: Vol. 15: Clark, My Brightest Diamond, Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Not all of Stereogum's favorite sounds conform to what folks expect us to cover. In this space, resident Bananafish fetishist Brandon Stosuy usually focuses on bands, albums, singles, and villages in Sweden that may otherwise pass by unnoticed. This time...

MORE »

The 'Gum Drop logo

Damien Jurado - "Murderer" (Low Cover)

After hearing "Gillian Was A Horse" from Damien Jurado's forthcoming Caught In The Trees, we contacted the Seattle singer-songwriter and asked if he'd want to premiere a track at Stereogum. Lucky for us (and you), it turned out he had...

MORE »