Intro to GREEN

'Green is everything that you want, youth, maturity, growth, strength.  And also it's

money, and the other kind of nasty, grubby things.'

-Peter Buck

  With the release of 'Document,' R.E.M. officially finished their initial record contract obligation with IRS records.  They naturally looked elsewhere just to see what would be offered.  Did they think something as amazingly huge as Warner Bros would come along?  Perhaps, but a change like that meant changes for a band whose comfort level was extremely high.  The band liked being with IRS.  They could do whatever they wanted.  The positives of Warner however, outweighed the negative.  Larger distribution, larger tours, more money, more studio time, and of course a huge signing bonus that transformed each member of the band into millionaires or very nearly.  The band liked the deal, but insisted on producing, owning, and turning in their albums on their own terms.  Their ideal was to record the record, deal with the artwork, guide the music videos and the tours and simply hand it in to Warner like homework.  Warner was totally cool with that.

  So, in 1988 the band parted ways with IRS, leaving behind the compilation 'Eponymous' as a thank you to IRS and signed a deal with Warner that high estimates put at 10 million dollars.  To put that in perspective, Michael Stipe is 28 years old, and the rest of the band is right around 30.  These are young guys who now have to deliver five albums (this deal becomes important later on) for a major record label or be thrown to the wolves.  As is characteristic of the band, they decided that the best path would be to get out of their comfort level and switch up the instruments they played and what instruments they used.  Is it strange that a rock band sign a huge deal that guarantees arena tours and pull out ... a mandolin?  Sure.  But this is the land of R.E.M. a place where to be challenged is to be interesting.  Bill wrote 'Hairshirt' on mandolin, Peter played drums on '11,' Michael was writing lyrics during songwriting instead of after, Mike has an accordion.  Get back in the studio and find your guitars!

  Well, they did that too.  The original idea for the album was to have an acoustic side and an electric side, still evidenced by the album sides with the titles 'air' and 'metal' respectively, this fell by the wayside but the seeds were sown.  This album also provided the band with enormous success.  Two number 1 modern rock singles: 'Orange Crush' and 'Stand,' and a ranking of 12 on the US Billboard charts.  Simply put, the band delivered to Warner and vice versa.  R.E.M. made the music and distribution made the album and guaranteed the future of the group.  But is the album good?  Well, of course it is but ...

  This is where I come in to the story.  I was in middle school and listening to a mix of dance, hip-hop, and hard rock ... eclectic I know, very MTV gen right?  Then 'Stand' happened.  One listen and that was it.  The video was a bunch of yahoos dancing around in a studio, shown with alternating shots of the world around us.  The song is so simple it is brilliant, much like 'Pop Song 89.'  Did the band dumb it down for the world a little with these song releases?  Perhaps, but they more than balance it out for the rest of the album.  This is also where I blew it as far as the band is concerned ... I bought the single for 'Stand' with 'Memphis Train Blues' on the flip side, which I also listened to religiously.  Why did I not buy the entire album for another 2 years and then at the insistence of a friend?  There is no telling.  Perhaps the moment was eclipsed by the following releases: GNR 'Appetite for Destruction,' Bon Jovi 'New Jersey,' U2 'Rattle and Hum,' and especially Def Leppard 'Hysteria' a cassette I had to buy twice because I wore it out.  Plus, Bobby Brown, Paula Abdul, Aerosmith ... it was a crazy year!

  Looking back, it could be because of the amount I listened to it when I bought the album, but it is my second least listened to R.E.M. album ... sorry 'Around The Sun,' but you know what you are.  I am not the biggest fan of 'World Leader Pretend,' 'Turn you Inside-Out' is great live, but a little boring and 'I remember California' is just so dark it's frightening.  'The Wrong Child' is heartbreaking and I often skip it.  The album is solid, particularly as a whole and it flows very nicely, but I can't wrap my head around it.  Perhaps it's too visceral and personal at times, a bit too mysterious.  Whereas 'Murmur' was a mysterious album with interesting characters, this album is mysterious with dark characters and undertones.  There's something dangerous below the surface here and I don't want a part of it.  That said, I look forward to the next month or so as I delve deeper into each song.  So, tune up the mandolin ... we're going in.

First up: Pop Song 89!