On the R.E.M. stuff, it's funny to me how a lot of perspective regarding the band funnels through those two albums (Out of Time and Automatic for the People). Maybe it's a generational thing. At any rate, check out Lifes Rich Pageant before judging them. Or even the first two, Murmur and Reckoning, although despite the claims of some, I don't find them terribly great.
I was in my late teens/early twenties when REM was blowing up, and me and my friends agreed that REM albums usually had 5 great songs and 3 awful ones. As the band got more popular, the awful songs became both (1) more awful and (2) more likely to be hits. Pop Song 89; Stand; Radio Song; Shiny Happy People; What’s the Frequency, Kenneth. For this reason, I agree that starting with Out of Time is rough, though Low might be their single best song.
OK Chris- I have been a huge supporter of your work for almost the whole time you've had your newsletter. I even pre-ordered your book and read it in one week (fabulous work btw).
BUT you and Ken have gone TOO FAR.
Perhaps it's because I'm a solid Gen-Xer in my late 40's but you literally just dissed my entire first CD collection. Not cool dude. 😜
Pearl Jam's Ten was the first album I ever bought on CD. I listened to Joshua Tree so much I ruined the tape. When I was 15 I wanted to marry Bon Jovi so I memorized every song on Slippery When Wet. My ALL-TIME-FAVORITE band is U2 and Bono is my fantasy boyfriend to this day (yes, even when he's 66 y.o.- don't judge lol). R.E.M. also featured hugely in my growing up as Losing My Religion is/was IMO one of the calling cards of the early grunge movement. Auto For People was also in heavy rotation on my boombox.
I know I'm not alone here with my love and nostalgia for these albums. While you're at it you might as well slam on Aerosmith's Get A Grip (1993) and Duran Duran's self-titled album also from 1993. Then you'd have the whole controversial late 80's and early 90's rock-to-grunge repertoire. Lol
My husband disagrees with me about the sacredness of the Bono, Michael Stipe, Bon Jovi, and Eddie Veder generation of artists. I think it was an acquired taste. This post has shown me that there might be more people on his side than mine.
All this is said in the best of support for you and your work. Since it's your friend Ken and not your personally who was hating on my precious rockers, I guess I'll keep subscribing haha!! 😉😍
I honestly feel like late 1980s rock is a blind spot for me. I know the songs but I’ve never gotten as into it as earlier in the decade. But there’s stuff I grew up with that I’m sure other people would dislike, so no harm! Thanks for reading the book!
PS- I still religiously listen to everything U2 puts out. Have you heard their Easter Lily EP? Not bad if you're looking for something generational ;-)
Another vote for checking out Fables of the Reconstruction. I love all of R.E.M.'s albums up through Automatic for the People and some after that as well, but I think Fables is the sleeper of their 80's albums. The Chronic Town EP is also great but overlooked.
I've always been more a fan of U2s 90s output, but after reading a piece about Joshua Tree last week I started listening to the album and it's phenomenal. I think its biggest crime is being so popular, because from front to back it's an incredible and earnest record that when taken in the context of everything else that was going on at the time was probably an oasis for a lot of people.
I do agree though that Bon Jovi sucks. He's like a pale imitation of Springsteen, probably trying to glom onto the working class jersey thing Springsteen cultivated and it's bloody awful.
Highway 61 Revisited is a classic! Probably my favorite Dylan album, though I haven't heard them all. (I just queued up Bringing It All Back Home!)
For anyone interested, I just released a rap-rock cover of Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" off of Highway 61 Revisited. On all DSPs under the artist name Darius Mullin.
I'd agree that Pearl Jam draws more on classic rock acts like Zeppelin than the punkier vibes that inspired Nirvana et al. I'm a big fan, though they were disappointing when I saw them in Hyde Park a few years ago.
Before Nevermind blew up, the bands that later got called “grunge”—Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney—got lumped together as “Sub Pop bands.” Pearl Jam was never on Sub Pop, but some of its members’ predecessor bands had been, so they got lumped into that scene, too, once there was a full-blown demand for everything Seattle. It never made sense to lump them together musically: while Nirvana and Mudhoney actually did sound like they’d emerged from the same scene, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains always sounded like dour offshoots of the LA metal scene, while Pearl Jam was just an edgy Bon Jovi
I broadly agree, though they definitely have some things in common musically. Arguably Britpop was pretty diverse, and even the British Invasion for its time. I guess it's the nature of the media and scenes.
Yeah I’m a Gen Xer who was raised in Athens, so I kinda had no choice but to have REM as a fundamental part of my musical development, but if the first thing you put on is Radio Song it’s hard to blame someone for their aversion.
Went to college in Atlanta in the mid-80s, so I was a big fan. But I can remember listening to “Out of Time” and thinking … uneven. Love “Losing My Religion,” though.
For the U2, REM and Pearl Jam albums…. Part of the lore is having being “there” when they were released. I do think those albums stand the test of time but, man, when you are 14 -17 years old, and these albums drop, it was a massive moment. Think about listening habits today, how many people eagerly await and will listen to an album end to end?
Great article! I’m a huge fan of some of these bands, but I’m a longtime hater of Bob Dylan. As you say, the nasal voice just makes my skin crawl. (OTOH, I love Neil Young, so go figure.) I came here to say that I often don’t understand the way his admirers write about him. When you say, “The opening track, ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ arguably reinvents the pop song,” what does that mean?
Ten is an absolute masterpiece, great hard rock record mixed with some beautifully weird atmospheric stuff on side B (“Oceans”, Release”). Has more in common sound wise (not lyrical subject matter) with GNR than either band would probably care to admit, but I love them both.
You are correct about Pearl Jam being basically a hard rock band. When I first heard them, I thought, "This is cool, but these guys are just playing blue-rock riffs." My background is in classic rock, and Pearl Jam fit very nicely with that.
My understanding is that the later albums are much less compelling, and *Ten* was really their masterpiece.
On the R.E.M. stuff, it's funny to me how a lot of perspective regarding the band funnels through those two albums (Out of Time and Automatic for the People). Maybe it's a generational thing. At any rate, check out Lifes Rich Pageant before judging them. Or even the first two, Murmur and Reckoning, although despite the claims of some, I don't find them terribly great.
I was in my late teens/early twenties when REM was blowing up, and me and my friends agreed that REM albums usually had 5 great songs and 3 awful ones. As the band got more popular, the awful songs became both (1) more awful and (2) more likely to be hits. Pop Song 89; Stand; Radio Song; Shiny Happy People; What’s the Frequency, Kenneth. For this reason, I agree that starting with Out of Time is rough, though Low might be their single best song.
Half A World Away and Country Feedback are the stand out tracks on Out of Time
I just couldn’t let U2 win
OK Chris- I have been a huge supporter of your work for almost the whole time you've had your newsletter. I even pre-ordered your book and read it in one week (fabulous work btw).
BUT you and Ken have gone TOO FAR.
Perhaps it's because I'm a solid Gen-Xer in my late 40's but you literally just dissed my entire first CD collection. Not cool dude. 😜
Pearl Jam's Ten was the first album I ever bought on CD. I listened to Joshua Tree so much I ruined the tape. When I was 15 I wanted to marry Bon Jovi so I memorized every song on Slippery When Wet. My ALL-TIME-FAVORITE band is U2 and Bono is my fantasy boyfriend to this day (yes, even when he's 66 y.o.- don't judge lol). R.E.M. also featured hugely in my growing up as Losing My Religion is/was IMO one of the calling cards of the early grunge movement. Auto For People was also in heavy rotation on my boombox.
I know I'm not alone here with my love and nostalgia for these albums. While you're at it you might as well slam on Aerosmith's Get A Grip (1993) and Duran Duran's self-titled album also from 1993. Then you'd have the whole controversial late 80's and early 90's rock-to-grunge repertoire. Lol
My husband disagrees with me about the sacredness of the Bono, Michael Stipe, Bon Jovi, and Eddie Veder generation of artists. I think it was an acquired taste. This post has shown me that there might be more people on his side than mine.
All this is said in the best of support for you and your work. Since it's your friend Ken and not your personally who was hating on my precious rockers, I guess I'll keep subscribing haha!! 😉😍
I honestly feel like late 1980s rock is a blind spot for me. I know the songs but I’ve never gotten as into it as earlier in the decade. But there’s stuff I grew up with that I’m sure other people would dislike, so no harm! Thanks for reading the book!
PS- I still religiously listen to everything U2 puts out. Have you heard their Easter Lily EP? Not bad if you're looking for something generational ;-)
I like R.E.M! I will take full blame for the rest though
As you should
Fables of the Reconstruction is one of REM's best.
The Unforgettable Fire is U2's best.
Thank you for asking.
Another vote for checking out Fables of the Reconstruction. I love all of R.E.M.'s albums up through Automatic for the People and some after that as well, but I think Fables is the sleeper of their 80's albums. The Chronic Town EP is also great but overlooked.
I've always been more a fan of U2s 90s output, but after reading a piece about Joshua Tree last week I started listening to the album and it's phenomenal. I think its biggest crime is being so popular, because from front to back it's an incredible and earnest record that when taken in the context of everything else that was going on at the time was probably an oasis for a lot of people.
I do agree though that Bon Jovi sucks. He's like a pale imitation of Springsteen, probably trying to glom onto the working class jersey thing Springsteen cultivated and it's bloody awful.
Highway 61 Revisited is a classic! Probably my favorite Dylan album, though I haven't heard them all. (I just queued up Bringing It All Back Home!)
For anyone interested, I just released a rap-rock cover of Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" off of Highway 61 Revisited. On all DSPs under the artist name Darius Mullin.
Nice to see New Morning on your Dylan Top Ten — it's a wonderful record that is too often overlooked...
I’m getting married next week and made a push to have “If Not For You” as the first dance! Will have to just play during dinner
Hey, congrats! Wishing you and yours endless love and happiness!
hilarious, i read the blurb and was like how does he know know me so well!?
I'd agree that Pearl Jam draws more on classic rock acts like Zeppelin than the punkier vibes that inspired Nirvana et al. I'm a big fan, though they were disappointing when I saw them in Hyde Park a few years ago.
Before Nevermind blew up, the bands that later got called “grunge”—Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney—got lumped together as “Sub Pop bands.” Pearl Jam was never on Sub Pop, but some of its members’ predecessor bands had been, so they got lumped into that scene, too, once there was a full-blown demand for everything Seattle. It never made sense to lump them together musically: while Nirvana and Mudhoney actually did sound like they’d emerged from the same scene, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains always sounded like dour offshoots of the LA metal scene, while Pearl Jam was just an edgy Bon Jovi
I broadly agree, though they definitely have some things in common musically. Arguably Britpop was pretty diverse, and even the British Invasion for its time. I guess it's the nature of the media and scenes.
“Out of Time,” despite the stupendous album sales, is one of R.E.M.’s weaker records. “Automatic” may be their best … unless it’s “Murmur.”
Yeah I’m a Gen Xer who was raised in Athens, so I kinda had no choice but to have REM as a fundamental part of my musical development, but if the first thing you put on is Radio Song it’s hard to blame someone for their aversion.
Went to college in Atlanta in the mid-80s, so I was a big fan. But I can remember listening to “Out of Time” and thinking … uneven. Love “Losing My Religion,” though.
For the U2, REM and Pearl Jam albums…. Part of the lore is having being “there” when they were released. I do think those albums stand the test of time but, man, when you are 14 -17 years old, and these albums drop, it was a massive moment. Think about listening habits today, how many people eagerly await and will listen to an album end to end?
Also, modern Times is Bob Dylan’s masterpiece!
I’m pretty sure you’re joking about this.
Great article! I’m a huge fan of some of these bands, but I’m a longtime hater of Bob Dylan. As you say, the nasal voice just makes my skin crawl. (OTOH, I love Neil Young, so go figure.) I came here to say that I often don’t understand the way his admirers write about him. When you say, “The opening track, ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ arguably reinvents the pop song,” what does that mean?
Ten is an absolute masterpiece, great hard rock record mixed with some beautifully weird atmospheric stuff on side B (“Oceans”, Release”). Has more in common sound wise (not lyrical subject matter) with GNR than either band would probably care to admit, but I love them both.
You are correct about Pearl Jam being basically a hard rock band. When I first heard them, I thought, "This is cool, but these guys are just playing blue-rock riffs." My background is in classic rock, and Pearl Jam fit very nicely with that.
My understanding is that the later albums are much less compelling, and *Ten* was really their masterpiece.
Your Dylan list leaves much to be desired. Oh Mercy is the best Dylan album of the 80s and not including Nashville Skyline is a crime.
He’s got a lot of great albums!