1-56: Swan Swan H vs. Airportman

[stip]

vote

[stip]

I used to dislike Airportman. I've come around on it over the years insofar as I now think it is effective at executing its concept. But it's still not something I go out of my way to listen to.


Swan Swan H is a textbook case of how Michael Stipe somehow manages to be a masterful storyteller without actually telling a story

[washing machine]

Airportman shouldn't go on, but I can't vote against it. The first time I heard it was a disorienting moment to say the least. If REM's career had followed the same trajectory as the careers of groups that were influenced by Up, perhaps this song would get more credit for being the first shot fired in a tectonic shift for REM. Instead, it's merely the first moment on a divisive detour the group took but ultimately (and wisely) didn't follow through with. By the way, it's one of the best sounding REM songs I can think of.

[chewm]

I love Swan Swan

[Norah]

Airportman shouldn't go on, but I can't vote against it. The first time I heard it was a disorienting moment to say the least. If REM's career had followed the same trajectory as the careers of groups that were influenced by Up, perhaps this song would get more credit for being the first shot fired in a tectonic shift for REM. Instead, it's merely the first moment on a divisive detour the group took but ultimately (and wisely) didn't follow through with. By the way, it's one of the best sounding REM songs I can think of.

Don't feel bad for voting for Airportman, it's the superior song and a great way to start Up. In fact, I wish the post Up albums (I guess post Reveal because I think that's a worthy followup) would have followed this direction.

[washing machine]

I want to agree with you there, but I don't. I'm happy that we have Up and Reveal, but I think the weak points on those two albums are proof enough that momentum was never going to last. Full disclosure, Up is one of my favorite REM albums.

[epilogue]

I'm not the word's biggest REM fan. But I fucking love Up. And even still... Swan Swan H is one of my favorite REM songs. It's one of the only songs from before Hi-Fi that I seek out or put on mixes or whatever. I love it so much.

[Norah]

I want to agree with you there, but I don't. I'm happy that we have Up and Reveal, but I think the weak points on those two albums are proof enough that momentum was never going to last. Full disclosure, Up is one of my favorite REM albums.

But it's not like the post Reveal albums were that special anyway, so I'd rather more experimentation and less return to form from that era.

[Norah]

Though I guess you could only really call Collapse Into Now a return to form album.

[washing machine]

Accelerate had its moments.

[Norah]

Yeah I know, which is why I made that follow up post. But the trajectory was regressing back towards comfortable territory after Reveal.

[washing machine]

Yeah I know, which is why I made that follow up post. But the trajectory was regressing back towards comfortable territory after Reveal.

This entire conversation has left out the blurry, frustrating mess that was Around The Sun. That album's existence sort of proves my point, no?

[Norah]

Yeah I know, which is why I made that follow up post. But the trajectory was regressing back towards comfortable territory after Reveal.

This entire conversation has left out the blurry, frustrating mess that was Around The Sun. That album's existence sort of proves my point, no?

I think we're looking at this too "either/or". They definitely didn't abandon all experimentation and creativity in the post Up/Reveal years and you're right in that those experimentation fell a bit flat. But there was also a scaling back from the type of experimentation going on in Up.

All in all, though, I think we're nitpicking what is, as a whole, an outstanding body of work from start to finish.

[washing machine]

Good point.

[Kevin Davis]

I love "Around the Sun" -- I think it was their first album to signal a stalling point sonically speaking, but I think most of the songs are very good. I held off on buying it for years based on its reputation, and when I finally got it I couldn't fathom what it was everyone hated so much about it.

[Norah]

Reveal only recently clicked for me. And that was the result of familiarizing myself with the compositions from the second Unplugged performance.

[Kevin Davis]

My vote goes to "Swan Song H," love "Airportman" though I do.

[Kevin Davis]

Reveal only recently clicked for me. And that was the result of familiarizing myself with the compositions from the second Unplugged performance.

Yeah, that's great.

[washing machine]

I love "Around the Sun" -- I think it was their first album to signal a stalling point sonically speaking, but I think most of the songs are very good. I held off on buying it for years based on its reputation, and when I finally got it I couldn't fathom what it was everyone hated so much about it.

You know, around the time I got into Up, maybe 2003 or 2004, it didn't quite have the cult following it has now. I remember it being pretty maligned, at least among fans within my reach of conversation. I felt similar "what's so bad about this?" feelings when I first heard it.

I bought Around the Sun the day of its release, so there was probably a lot of initial "wtf is this?" backlash that I participated in on forums, blogs, etc. that could have clouded my judgement. I remember liking AtS a more than I expected to when we did that LAL a few years ago, but I haven't listened to it since. Maybe it's time.