R.E.M. TRACK ONES
There was a time, in the days before Spotify, where opening tracks on an album were the first thing you would hear. From records to 8-tracks to cassettes and even CDs, the first song on an album set the tone for your experience with the rest of it. As I have been a fan of R.E.M. since I was in high school I was introduced to most of their albums through the first tracks. So gather round kids and this old nerd will set forth the top ten Track One’s from R.E.M.’s catalog.
10. – “Discoverer” Collapse Into Now
The first track on their final album feels like it draws from the styles of the band’s entire history. There’s a jangle, but also depth and the pacing of the vocals stretches across the decades and would fit well in any era. Seems a fitting way to kick-off their swan song release. I have mixed emotions tied to this album, knowing it is their last, but this is a good song.
9. – “Airportman” Up
Soft swelling tones, almost like wind chimes, float you into this album. It’s light but almost deceptively driving…like floating down a calm lazy creek. It’s moving, but you don’t notice how fast. The airy feel underscores the exclamation point of the transition into upbeat “Lotus” almost a bait and switch and it’s delicious. I first heard this song in Athens at the album release event and it is just as sweet every time I hear it since.
8. – “Leaving New York” Around The Sun
It starts soft and easy, but I feel like the lyrical content here is heavier than the melody would lead you to believe. And it’s just a great song, one that I think gets overlooked and doesn’t get the credit it’s due. It’s a complex song with all sorts of cadence and vocal changes, with Michael singing over himself in a way that we don’t normally hear. It’s a beautiful song and makes me think of someone taking stock of their own emotions and regret about a relationship that ended badly, where they were the one at fault. “It's easier to leave than to be left behind.” Whatever it actually means, this line always makes me think of Bill Berry. I’m sure it was difficult to not be there after he left, but I imagine it was hard for the rest to figure out how to be a band now that one of the founding pillars of the group was no longer there.
7. – “Begin The Begin” Life’s Rich Pageant
A true “banger,” this one kicks the door wide open! It is a fantastic song that sets the bar high and the album doesn’t disappoint. It lets you know what is coming and that this roller coaster of an album is going to be a fun ride. One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums! Bill is straight rockin’ on this one and Mike's bass line is bouncing Together drive this song ahead, laying the groundwork for Peter to grind and fuzz some great riffs. I can’t hear this song without bouncing in my chair or tapping my foot!
6. – “Harbourcoat” Reckoning
I love the quick bit we get from Bill on the drums before the rest of the band jumps in. Harbourcoat is really interesting musically, with a breakdown in the middle that just comes out of nowhere and that seems accurate for the album. Plus it’s a song that always gets me singing along and I’m always ready for that. It sounds like early R.E.M. feels. I also appreciate the harmonies in this one. This song swings and is a fun one to dance to, especially in your room by yourself late at night when you are 15. Windmills are allowed.
5. – “Drive” Automatic For The People
Another mellow song to open and this one certainly seems to foreshadow the deeper more reflective tone of the somber AFTP. This is a darker album and "Drive" is a great way to break the ice on it. There’s melancholy and even a little dread…then Peter comes in with that electric guitar midway and it’s like a break in the clouds. Time to soar…but not too high cause it quickly slides back to that muted, almost sad, verse. I think this song was used about 800 times in various 1990s MTV documentaries about teen drug use or homelessness or whatever somber topic Kurt Loder was reporting.
4. – “Living Well Is The Best Revenge” Accelerate
Ok, this song is a killer!! Michael is rapid fire like it’s 1986 and he's on a mission, Mike’s backing vocals are honey and it’s all whipped into a frenzy with Peter’s guitar just dancing around them. I love this song. LOVE IT. It is an R.E.M. song of the highest order! One of my favorite songs the band ever did. I mean just listen to Mike Mills here!!! That bass is dancing and his vocals are beautiful!! The angst of the lyrics paired with the fun of the melody is a one-two punch that lands a knock-out every time for me. "Baby, I am calling you on that!"
3. – “Finest Worksong” Document
This song busts open this record and promises to deliver images and symbols that carry you to all sorts of interesting places. This is a poetic album and, for my money, it is without equal. 1987 was a banner year for music. U2 released their best album, so did Def Leppard. Michael Jackson put out Bad and The Cure dropped Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. There was no room for slacking. And along comes Document which was poetic and amazing and it didn’t sound like anything else. The opening with Finest Worksong started swinging and the blows connected in all the best ways. I always felt like Mike’s backing vocals shine on this track and the last couple bars with that funky bassline…COME ON!! It’s so good!!
2. – “Radio Free Europe” Murmur
Yeah, I know. Putting this in the second slot feels a bit blasphemous. But I still love it…I do. This song is wonderful and rocking. It feels like a musical picture of R.E.M. when they started. Here are all the guys doing their thing in a beautiful harmonious way. The snare splashes the beats and that bass just flows up and down. Peter is playing lead guitar in a way that dismisses all the "guitar hero" nonsense of the day and frames a distinct sound for a band just starting to blaze their own trail. Each and every part here is on point. I can’t hear this song without picturing the grooves on the vinyl spinning on my record player in college. It’s my favorite way to listen to this whole album. It feels like so much potential…like over filling a balloon just before you release it to fly around the yard. These guys are good and you can feel it. You know they are going to take over the world.
1. “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” Monster
I do not care what you say…THIS is the best opening track of any R.E.M. album. Hands down! I was standing in line at a little record store in my college town to buy it the night it came out. At the stroke of midnight this song hit the speakers in the store and the energy that I felt is something I will never forget. That distorted guitar starts ripping from the first second and doesn’t let up. It’s a rock song that says “This is a rock album, babies.” This song grabs you and the whole album never lets go. We all cheered and picked up that wild orange cd with the bear head on it and it was magic. It’s no secret that this is my favorite phase of R.E.M. Mike Mills in his rhinestone flame cowboy suits, Stipe is both vulnerable and brooding rocking his shaved head, Peter delivers a BACKWARDS guitar solo and then Bill is smashing the kit hard and steady. Rock and roll, man, rock and roll. Plus Migraine Boy! We get lots of feedback and teases and it all just works! I saw them twice on the Monster tour. Monster is what 1994-95 sounded like for me (YMMV). And it all started with this song:
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