How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us: An REM Thread

[VinylGuy]

Yeah Up was so hated back then just because it wasnt the original four making it. But its a great album, and i agree with the Reveal hate. Never cared for that one, i love the singles but thats it.

Around The Sun is a personal favorite to me, but i have some story with it so i might put it a little higher just because of that. Still, there are some great moments there.

[BootsToAsses]

I have such fond memories of Reveal. Back in 2005, in my first year of university every morning I'd get up and jump in the shower and I'd listen to the first few tracks. That album will forever take me back to those mornings.

There are some duds on there but The Lifting, I've Been High, She Just Wants to Be, Imitation of Life, and I'll Take the Rain are brilliant.

Around the Sun is a struggle, but the majority of those tracks came off better live so I don't totally hate it. Electron Blue, Boy In The Well and Aftermath are favourites.

I've tried and tried, but I still can't get into their early stuff. I respect how influential it was, but doesn't make it any more fun to listen to. Murmur and Reckoning do nothing for me. Nothing at all. Most of Fables is dull, but then they turn a corner on Lifes Rich Pageant.

Come to think of it, I'm not that huge on Green either. Their run of Out of Time through to Collapse Into Now is STRONG.

[Blaine Ryan]

I really struggle with Reveal. There's some good material on there, to be sure, but as a whole I find it kind of exhausting to sit through.

Around the Sun isn't great, but it has some strong highlights and its worst moments are pretty inoffensive. I don't think it deserves the hate it gets, but I wouldn't exactly say it's underrated either.

[Norah]

Up was amazing from the very first listen for me. And yeah, without Up there's no Kid A and imagine a world like that.

[epilogue]

Up was amazing from the very first listen for me. And yeah, without Up there's no Kid A and imagine a world like that.

So far, this is the only argument against Up that's even a tad compelling.

[Jorge]

I can definitely hear how it inspired Kid A but its influence on Imagine a World Like That is overstated

[washing machine]

Up was amazing from the very first listen for me. And yeah, without Up there's no Kid A and imagine a world like that.

So far, this is the only argument against Up that's even a tad compelling.

I don't think that's an argument against Up.

[Norah]

yeah wtf joey

[washing machine]

Can’t distract me a horse

[Jorge]

Thanks for ignoring my bad post

[epilogue]

I'm sorry if I was unclear.

What I meant to say was that I don't enjoy Kid A as much as the rest of the planet does. My comment above was a jokey way of saying that the only valid argument against the record is that it inspired the single most overrated album of the last 100 years. It's really the only thing I don't like about Up, I guess.

[Norah]

Thanks for ignoring my bad post

i got you

[Norah]

I'm sorry if I was unclear.

What I meant to say was that I don't enjoy Kid A as much as the rest of the planet does. My comment above was a jokey way of saying that the only valid argument against the record is that it inspired the single most overrated album of the last 100 years. It's really the only thing I don't like about Up, I guess.

Oh I understood the shade you were throwing.

[epilogue]

Thanks for ignoring my bad post

Wait, this one?

I can definitely hear how it inspired Kid A but its influence on Imagine a World Like That is overstated

I giggled.

[epilogue]

I'm sorry if I was unclear.

What I meant to say was that I don't enjoy Kid A as much as the rest of the planet does. My comment above was a jokey way of saying that the only valid argument against the record is that it inspired the single most overrated album of the last 100 years. It's really the only thing I don't like about Up, I guess.

Oh I understood the shade you were throwing.

I know. That was for Reid.

[epilogue]

All kid(a)ding and shticking aside...

Kid A is a good record. I do like it quite a bit, but I don't like it as much as the two records on either side of it in Radiohead's catalog. I haven't decided if I like it more than Up, though. Probably. But I'm not 100% on that.

[Norah]

This is going to sound way over the top but Kid A fundamentally changed my relationship with music.

[washing machine]

I'm sorry if I was unclear.

What I meant to say was that I don't enjoy Kid A as much as the rest of the planet does. My comment above was a jokey way of saying that the only valid argument against the record is that it inspired the single most overrated album of the last 100 years. It's really the only thing I don't like about Up, I guess.

Oh I understood the shade you were throwing.

I know. That was for Reid.

I, for one, am relieved to find out that something in pop culture exists that you aren't cloyingly enamored with.

Can you blame me for assuming that you love Kid A as much as any other god-hating white man and in your verve about Up, just mistyped a statement?

[epilogue]

This is going to sound way over the top but Kid A fundamentally changed my relationship with music.

I don't think that sounds over the top. I think that's pretty awesome. I wish I'd had that kind of experience with the record. I've had that with maybe one or two albums in my life. It's super rad when that happens.

[epilogue]

Also, I do think Scott and Scott are onto something with their retracking of Up. Not that the album needs it. But I can see how different sequencing could give the album a different feel that some might find more appealing or engaging or whatever.

I'm not sure the same could be said of Kid A. I don't think there's a better version of that album hidden in an alternate tracklist.