AROUND THE SUN: MAKE IT ALL OKAY

   Here's another lovely ballad, or break up song, or what have you. I've always enjoyed the beauty of this song, the gentleness as it unfolds, but it always washed over me as a gateway to the rest of the album (although for me 'Final Straw' blocks that gateway). 'Make it all okay' works for me like 'Near Wild Heaven' or 'Moral Kiosk' sort of a song to get into the album proper. 'We don't have a prayer between us' and 'anything to hold on to and help me through my day' are such great lines--not sure how Jesus pops up in the story here, but maybe it has something to do with the former line--and 'I saw you at the street fair ' immediately conjures up summertime NYC for me. A lot of the criticism I find online talks of the song's simplicity, but to me there is some real conflict here--particularly because the song's singer is so adamant about not wanting to go back, but then dwell on the decision. Sometimes people have relationships that they are so invested in it takes a piece of them, which is truly a beautiful thing, but when the other person turns away the person questions everything. To me the character of this song has VERY conflicted feelings about the break-up and possible reconciliation even though the song pushes hard against getting back together.




MAKE IT ALL OKAY

You threw away the ballast and you rowed your boat ashore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You made your ultimatum too big to ignore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?

So you worked out your excuses, turned away and shut the door
The world's too vast for us now and you wanted to explore

It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your hand again I'd have to walk away

When I saw you at the street fair, you called out my name
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You said we could start over, try and make it all okay
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?

So our past has been rewritten and you threw away the pen
You'd said that I was useless, but now you'll take me in again

Well Jesus loves me fine
And your words fall flat this time
Was it my imagination or did I hear you say:
‘We don't have a prayer between us’

Didn't you believe that I have finally turned away?
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
Anything to hold onto to help me through my day
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?

Jesus loves me fine
But his words fall flat this time

It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your world, did you think I'd really stay?
If you offered me the heavens, I would have to turn away
Was it my imagination or did I hear you say:
‘We don't have a prayer between us’
Didn't you, now?

Didn't you, now?
Didn't you?

   The pejoratives of boring, lame, slow pop up online with this song a lot. But playing through it reminds me again why R.E.M. are great because there is true songcraft here. This is an album full of great songs that in some cases the band is unsure how to engineer and develop. I dare you to try playing the song below and not admiring the chord progression. I've put mostly barred chords below for ease, but the song sounds lovely in many iterations, including with an 8th fret F Chord or even capo 3 if you are so inclined to experiment. However, it's the un-capoed version gives the true dissonance on the final chorus chord.

MAKE IT ALL OKAY

Intro (Piano)

e|---------------|

B|-8--8--8--8----|

G|--10-10-10-10--|

D|---------------|

A|---------------|

E|---------------|

Verse

e|-1---5---5---3---3-3----3----|

B|-1---5---6---5---3--3---5----|

G|-2---5---7---5---3------5----|

D|-3---7---7---5---5------5----|

A|-3---7---5---3---5------3----|

E|-1---5---5---3---3------3----|

Verse Bend Riff

e|----------|

B|-5b---5---|

G|---5>7----|

D|----------|

A|----------|

E|----------|

Bridge to Chorus (x2)

e|-5------5----|

B|-5------7----|

G|-5------7----|

D|-7------7----|

A|-7------5----|

E|-5------5----|

Bridge to Chorus Slide

e|-------------|

B|-------------|

G|-------------|

D|-4>7---9>12--|

A|-------------|

E|-------------|

Chorus

e|-7------8------|-7------8---8---6---0---6---0--|

B|-8------8------|-8-----10---8---6---5---6---5--|

G|-9------9------|-9-----10---9---7---7---7---7--|

D|-9-----10------|-9-----10--10---8---8---8---8--|

A|-7-----10------|-7------8--10---8---8---8---8--|

E|-7------9------|-7------8---8---6---x---6---x--|

End on F

AROUND THE SUN: THE OUTSIDERS

   The fact that I'm starting to imagine these songs conceptually in the context of an album Michael says is political is giving me new insight on what the band is trying to communicate. This is R.E.M.'s first album since the 2000 election in the U.S. They threw 'Bad Day' onto IN TIME as a sort of protest song, but on ATS most of the songs springboard from the discontent of the entire band and upon my writing this in 2018 many in this country are in the same place now as then. 'The Outsiders' is about revolution, which is a seemingly quiet revolution, but a call to push back nonetheless--the participants are 'scared of the storm' but use MLK's quote 'I am not afraid' (he spoke specifically about 'tension' and 'conflict') to carry on. And MLK is the perfect muse for an album that symbolizes the peaceful protest he embodied. The idea for the song came to Michael during a live Radiohead show he was at during the song 'No Surprises.' The small, invited crowd silently and reverently watched the show until the line 'bring down the government, they don't they don't speak for us' when they bellowed the line and 'The Outsiders' sounds like a companion track. Michael wants to be very vocal against the Bush doctrine, but the songs coming out are quietly forceful as opposed to raucous, he's much more interested in subversion. This is not DOCUMENT, at least not aurally, but thematically perhaps it's a relative. This is a song that gets derided by some fans because of its malaise, or Q-Tip's rap, or the production value, one post I read claimed to have posted the lyrics on a wall so others could have a good laugh. I've always liked the song and considered it a strong track, I love the bloops, I love the chorus, the rap--huge Q-Tip fan--and the tone really hits me in the gut. The lyrics are surely on the obvious side, but we are blessed with a prolific and forthcoming Michael Stipe here, isn't it what we always wanted? He's letting himself fail here on a grand scale, and maybe the track feels more like a soundtrack theme, but I get a lot of feeling out of it. I think it should've been a proper single. Note: the parenthetical phrases in Q-Tip's section are moments when Michael pops up. The first time sounds like a punch in to cover a recording error, but the second sounds like Michael jumping in and emphasizing.



THE OUTSIDERS

You took me to the restaurant where we first met
Knocked a future shock crowbar upside my head
I got caught with the stop of the tick tock tick tock clock
When you told me what you knew
Lost in the moment, the day that the music stopped, and I do remember you

Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot

Where will this lead us?

I’m scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering

A new day is born

I tried to tell you I am not afraid
You looked up and saw it all across my face
So am I with you or am I against?
I don't think it's that easy, we're lost in regret
Now I'm trying to remember the feeling when the music stopped
When you told me what you knew
Lost in the moment, the day that the music stopped, and I do remember you

Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot

Where does this leave us?

I’m scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering

A new day is born

Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of thought

Where does this leave us?

I’m scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering

A new day is born
The outsiders are gathering

A new day is born

The outsiders are gathering

{Q-Tip:}
A man walks away when every muscle says to stay
How many yesterdays? They each weigh heavy
Who says what changes may come?

Who says what we call home?
I know you see right through me, my luminescence fades
The dusk provides an antidote, I am not afraid
I've been a million times, in my mind, this is really just a technicality, frailty, reality, unh
It's time to breathe, time to believe

Let it go and run towards the sea
They don't (teach that), they don't know what you mean
They don't understand, they don't know what you mean
They don't (get it), I want to scream
I want to breathe again, I want to dream
I want to float a quote from Martin Luther King
I am not afraid I am not afraid I am not afraid
I am not afraid I am not afraid I am not afraid I am not afraid

   This is one of the songs Peter did not love playing live as its a little on the boring side. He did a lot of sub-pickup strumming live and kept the lead over the chorus low. I think they could've played around with the arrangement more, but some fans prefer the song live. The riff here is fun to play, and feel free to mess with the Em-D in the verse. I tabbed it pretty straightforward, but could be done with the Em in Dm position on the 3rd fret ... or even Am position up at the 8th fret with D on the 7th in A position. The key is getting those G-F# notes from the keyboard worked in. Also, the Bridge to Chorus repeats, it's the 'I got caught ... / Lost in the moment ... ' part. On the recording Peter only does the Low Chorus Lead to accent the beginning of the riff.

THE OUTSIDERS

Verse/End

e|-3---2---3---3--|

B|-0---3---0---0--|

G|-0---2---0---0--|

D|-2---0---2---2--|

A|-2-------2---2--|

E|-0-------0---0--|

Verse Bridge to Chorus

e|-3---2---3---0---3---2---3--|

B|-0---3---3---1---0---3---0--|

G|-0---2---0---2---0---2---0--|

D|-2---0---0---2---2---0---2--|

A|-2-------2---2---2-------2--|

E|-0-------3---0---0-------0--|

  

Chorus Riff High

e|--------10-12-12-10-12---12-10-----------10---|

B|-8-10-12----------------------12-10-12-12--12-|

G|----------------------------------------------|

D|----------------------------------------------|

A|----------------------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------------------|

Chorus Riff High Cont.

e|--------10-12-12-10-12---12-10-----------------|

B|-8-10-12----------------------12-10-12-10------|

G|-----------------------------------------12-9--|

D|-----------------------------------------------|

A|-----------------------------------------------|

E|-----------------------------------------------|

Chorus Riff Low (2^nd Verse, 1^st and 4^th times through)

e|------------|

B|------------|

G|------------|

D|-5-7-5-4-2--|

A|------------|

E|------------|

Chorus Riff Low (2^nd Verse, 2^nd and 3^rd times through)

e|-----------|

B|-----------|

G|-----------|

D|-9-7-5-7---|

A|--------7--|

E|-----------|

AROUND THE SUN: ELECTRON BLUE

   Michael would preface the live version this song with its premise, in the future there's a drug made of light. I can only assume it will be blue in color. So many of his lyrics truly capture the feeling of the narrative, but I have to put 'tomorrow's gaining speed on you, it's all you want to do' up there for what it's like to be on drugs. The feeling that you're wasting time, but it's the best feeling. He claims this is his favorite song off the album and from the live version below you can tell he's feeling it. There are some clunky lyrics here: 'You found the climb' is understandable, but it's over the line more than 'never my proud.' When the narrator starts pointing out the other character 'her' there's a shifting responsibility that's understandable, but the sentiment seems to come from nowhere--out of the blue if you will. It's what creates another layer in the world of the song, but lyrically it might be too far of a leap without more context. If, say, this is an advertisement for said drug--bingo, bango, I get it--it would be like an infomercial, but our clues as usual are scanty. I'm certain Michael has built this world inside his mind, but sometimes (okay, mostly) we're not privy to that world. He has stated that he thinks he writes straightforward lyrics everyone will understand, but when people are confused he is also confounded because he thought it was so simple. He definitely has an askew view, but maybe he needs to let us in more, yeah? Also, shout out to the drums and keys on this one, this is a track where the REVEAL band and the band they are becoming meet in a nice place.



ELECTRON BLUE

You're on your ear

The ocean's near

The light has started to fade
Your high is timed
You found the climb
It's hard to focus on more than what's in

Front of you

Electron blue
Adventure rings with a page and when it
Dawns on you

It singes blue
Your buzz beginning to wane

Adventure has laid its claim on you it's

All you want to do
You

You know where to run
You run electron blue

And who am I?
I'm just a guy
I've got a story like everyone but
In your eyes
You look surprised and didn't know where to run
I look to her she's found the cure her future's already begun

Tomorrow’s gaining speed on you
It's all you want to do
You

You know where to run

You run electron blue
You

You know where to run

You run electron blue

So bide your time
You'll feel the climb
Your high it builds like a lightning storm it

Sings like pearls
You know that girl
And no one is any the wiser so as
If on cue
Electron blue

Tomorrow’s gaining speed on you
It's all you want to do
You

You know where to run

You run electron blue
You

You know where to run

You run electron blue
You

You know where to run

You run electron blue

   Here's another E-Bow heavy riff which sounds great, but if you don't have that E-Bow I've added suggestions below. The song is easy chord-wise, but I've added some other keyboard googas, including the intro 'laser' notes. Nothing's better than coming in strong on this chorus. A note on the Bridge to Verse, etc ... don't overthink it, it's a power F chord while the keyboards doodle. In addition, the 'acoustic strum' really hews mostly to the middle of the fretboard, think '7 Chinese Bros.'

Intro

e|---0--0--0--------------------|

B|-12-12-12-12-7-10-7-10-7-5-6--|

G|---------------------------5--|

D|------------------------------|

A|------------------------------|

E|------------------------------|

Bridge to Verse/ Middle 8/ End

e|-0--|-----|-----|

B|-6--|-----|-----|

G|-5--|-----|-----|

D|----|--3--|-----|

A|----|--x--|-----|

E|----|--1--|--1--|

Verse (E-Bow)

e|------------------|

B|------------------|

G|------------------|

D|------------------|

A|------------------|

E|-8---3<1---6>8----|

Verse (Acoustic Open Strum)

e|------------------|

B|------------------|

G|-5---0----3-5-----|

D|------3-----------|

A|------------------|

E|------------------|

Chorus

e|-1---1----0---0----0---0----3---3----|

B|-3-3--3-3-1-1--1-1-1-1--1-2-3-3--3-3-|

G|-2--2--2--0-----0--2--2--2--0--0--0--|

D|-0--------2--2-----2--------0--------|

A|----------3--------0--------2--------|

E|----------0--------0--------3--------|

AROUND THE SUN: LEAVING NEW YORK

   Here's the thing: I love this song. To me it's a more successful version of 'Strange Currencies' or 'Daysleeper' and I definitely put the sound and sentiment with those tracks. It's a perfect opener for this moody album and perhaps it's mixed to within an inch of its life, but it gets me every time as someone who has left New York often (but returned), even as a metaphor. The quiet opening, where he puts the Stipe-ian lyrical list, the overlapping chorus at the end--even the presence of Mike Mills on background eases us into this album. This track signifies pure R.E.M. songwriting, not the concept album feel of REVEAL, or the pastiche of UP, but classic rock sleeves rolled up studio time! However, this is about as rocking as the album gets--the tempo picks up in a couple of spots, but its clear why some outlets have labelled this a band of balladeers at this point. In fact, when I think about the phrase 'adult contemporary' I think of these three R.E.M. albums. Peter, Mike, and Michael are honing their craft here and pushing musical abilities to their edges and while there are some moments that go beyond the comfort zone, they needed this experience to get to the last two albums. After the song first came out, I remember an article shooting the 'never my proud' line on a list of dumbest lyrics. Perhaps out of context of the entire R.E.M. catalog it's odd, but consider 'Suspicion yourself,' 'Bring my happy back again,' all of 'West of the Fields.' This is what Michael does, he's searching for incongruity with his imagery and metaphors, and I think he's deserved to stretch his poetic license here. Plus it makes sense to me.




LEAVING NEW YORK

It's quiet now and what it brings is everything
Comes calling back a brilliant night I'm still awake
I looked ahead I'm sure I saw you there
You don't need me to tell you now that nothing can compare

You might have laughed if I told you
You might have hidden a frown
You might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind
Leaving was never my proud
Leaving New York never easy
I saw the light fading out

Now life is sweet and what it brings I try to take
But loneliness it wears me out it lies in wait
And all not lost still in my eye 
The shadow of necklace across your thigh

I might've lived my life in a dream but I swear it, this is real
The memory fuses and shatters like glass
Mercurial future forget the past, but it's you it's what I feel

You might have laughed if I told you

(It’s pulling me apart)
You might have hidden a frown

(Change)
You might have succeeded in changing me

(It’s pulling me apart)
I might have been turned around

(Change)
It's easier to leave than to be left behind

(It’s pulling me apart)
Leaving was never my proud

(Change)
Leaving New York never easy

(It’s pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out

You find it in your heart
It's pulling me apart
You find it in your heart

Change

I told you forever

(You find it in your heart)
I love you forever

(It's pulling me apart)
I told you I love you

(You find it in your heart)
I love you forever

(Change)

I told you forever

(You find it in your heart)
I love you forever

(It's pulling me apart)
I told you I love you

(You find it in your heart)
I love you forever

(Change)

(You never, you never)

You might have laughed if I told you
(You told me forever)

(It's pulling me apart)
You might have hidden a frown

(Change)
You might have succeeded in changing me

(It's pulling me apart)
I might have been turned around

(Change)
It's easier to leave than to be left behind

(It's pulling me apart)
Leaving was never my proud

(Change)
Leaving New York never easy

(It's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out

(Change)
Leaving New York never easy

(It's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out

(Change)
Leaving New York never easy

(It's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out
(Change)

   Another great song to play. All the hallmarks of Peter Buck--iconic picking, interesting chord structure, and no lead. So easy and fun. My favorite is the Eb/E in the verse which is the same form as the C, just slides down the fret board. Ending with the Eb to Em is nice too, reminiscent of 'One I Love.' On that ending I added the bass walk which is optional. Also be aware of Peter's picking throughout the song, I haven't specifically noted it throughout (except the D chord in the Chorus), but it follows the typical Peter pick with an emphasis on the high strings--if you've followed his work to this point it's pretty much second nature.

LEAVING NEW YORK

Intro/Middle 8

e|-3---3---6---6-----|

B|--5-5-5-5-4-4-4-4--|

G|---4---4---0---0---|

D|-------------------|

A|-------------------|

E|-------------------|

Verse

e|-0---6---3---1-0-|

B|-0---4---1---3-1-|

G|-0---0---0---3-2-|

D|-2---5---2---3-2-|

A|-2---6---3---1-0-|

E|-0---0---0---1-0-|

Chorus

e|-3---2-0-2-0-3---0--|

B|-3---3-3-3-3-1---1--|

G|-0---2-2-2-2-0---2--|

D|-0---0-0-0-0-2---2--|

A|-2-----------3---0--|

E|-3-----------0---0--|

End (w/ added Bass Walk)

e|-6-----------0--|

B|-8-----------0--|

G|-8-----------0--|

D|-8--5-7-9-10-2--|

A|-6-8---------2--|

E|-6-----------0--|

Intro to AROUND THE SUN

   I remember first seeing this album was released by swinging into Borders. I was kind of busy around this time, but it speaks volumes that I didn't even know the group had an album release. I somehow missed 'Leaving New York' hitting the radio, I wasn't really following online info, and I definitely wasn't watching TV. It seems like this era of R.E.M. corresponds with a grey area in communications, the ramp up to complete internet dominance. The songs released off this album simply didn't capture the public's imagination, perhaps it's another effort that is out of time with tastes. The band doesn't care for the album much in retrospect, with Peter faulting the band for fiddling in the studio too long and being interrupted by compiling a best of, Mike feeling they were trying too hard at times. Only Michael has a soft spot for some of the songs--his favorite being 'Electron Blue'--and when he first presented a list of his favorite R.E.M. songs to the Guardian, there were 3 off this album and none pre-1990, which they made him change. He claims not to remember which albums most of the songs are drawn from. He has also noted that the lyric to 'Worst Joke Ever' is one of his proudest accomplishments.
   So what's going on here? A lot of die hard fans malign the album and the sales were terrible. No songs charted in the U.S. (although the album did well in the UK) which is crazy to me, but looking at the releases it makes sense--I can't believe they didn't release 'The Outsiders' or 'The Boy in the Well.' There are some rough moments on the album, but overall the songs are solid, it's more accessible than REVEAL, and the band seems pretty settled in without Bill--maybe too settled, perhaps there's a malaise that creeps into the songs. It's clear that the group needed to make this album in order to get to their last two rockers, and ATS is such a growing pains album--UP was pastiche, REVEAL thematic, and ATS combines something in between. Perhaps it's just an odd collection of songs without focus.
   Personally, I was going through a very tough period and this album was my constant companion. When I listen to the tracks I can remember a bittersweet time and thank the album for keeping me afloat during 'that sinking feeling.' The songs are not among their very best, there are seeds that could've evolved into something and although they mean something to me I can understand why the album is given short shrift. However as I often have posted here, if you are a die hard fan of the band you have to take this album with the rest and I like most of the songs because R.E.M. just does it for me. I suspect a lot of fans have the same experience--how can anything be as good as MURMUR or NAIHF? They've created the expectations and I've enjoyed the heights of their creative power, for that reason I'm into anything they do creatively.
   Pre-diving into the album I'm looking forward to finding depth where I might have overlooked it as I did with tracks from UP and REVEAL, particularly personally out of favor songs like 'Final Straw,' 'Wanderlust,' and the title track. Incidentally, R.E.M. only wrote two title track songs in their oeuvre, this one and ACCELERATE. It's hard to see the band you love fail on a grand scale (and by fail I mean more of a commercial drop than aesthetic) but in a sense they were able to work under the auspices I first found them, a sense of under the radar, alternative thought takes hold after this and the band hits the road to find themselves and sail into the sunset after finding something they lost. After this there is an edge to the band, but for now (like the blurred image of Michael on the album cover) we have a hazy focus. I hope my fondness for the album holds.

IN TIME: ALL THE RIGHT FRIENDS

   I wish I could convey how thrilled I was when the band remade this ancient song for the movie Vanilla Sky. As a fan who reveled in old bootlegs, I wanted the band to pick up these old tracks again, but it seemed that they would never go back. However, because it was a song they had thought of putting on albums from time to time, when they were approached for a soundtrack song with a rock edge and an eight day deadline, this song seemed to be the right fit as no outtakes from REVEAL had a rock feel. What's great about the song is it has retained the basic lyrics from day one, aside from ditching the middle 8 improv Michael would throw out in the early days. Michael has said he didn't write a lot of the earlier lyrics, but it's also been noted this song was originally put together by Peter and Michael, so this could be an early insight to his train of thought. In addition, the song retains the dance feel the band leaned toward in the beginning. The song is a pretty straightforward break-up song which is probably why it never fit the feel of an album.



ALL THE RIGHT FRIENDS

I know you say
Maybe someday
I need never be alone
I know I say
It's the right way
But you'll never be the one

I've been walking alone now
For a long, long time
I don't wanna hang out now
With the friends that just aren’t mine

Party to party
You've been looking
But your search will never end
You've been hanging
With the wrong crowd
You've got all the right friends

I've been walking alone now
For a long, long time
I don't want to hang out now
With the friends that just aren't mine

I said

I don't wanna be with you anymore
I just don't want you anymore
I don't wanna be with you anymore
I just don't want you anymore 

I don't wanna be with you anymore

(I just don’t, I just don’t want you)
I just don't want you anymore

(I just don’t, I just don’t, I just don’t want you)
I don't wanna be with you anymore

(I just don’t, I just don’t, I just don’t want you)
I just don't want you anymore 

   Really fun song to play which has been compared to Cheap Trick's 'Way of the World' and it's close which might again be a reason it was never an official album track. The picking below seems strict, but it can be played freely. In fact, the verse pick probably hangs more on the 11 note on the G string, but I've followed the vocal line a little. 

ALL THE RIGHT FRIENDS

Verse

e|--------------------------|-2---2-2---|

B|--------------------------|-2---2-2---|

G|-6-6-6-6>8-11--8--9--8----|-3---4-3---|

D|-7-7-7-7>9---9--9--9------|-4---4-4---|

A|-7-7-7-7>9--------------x3|-4---2-4---|

E|-5-5-5-5>7----7--7--7-----|-2---2-2---|

Bridge to Chorus

e|-4---4---4-4-4-4---4---2--|

B|-4---6---7-6-4-6---4---2--|

G|-4---6---6-6---6---4---3--|

D|-6---6---6-6---6---6---4--|

A|-6---4---4-4---4---6---4--|

E|-4---4---4-4---4---4---2--|

Chorus

e|-0---2---4---|

B|-0---2---4---|

G|-1---3---4---|

D|-2---4---6---|

A|-2---4---6---|

E|-0---2---4---|

Middle 8

e|-2-2--2--2-2--2--2-2--2------4---|

B|-2--2--2----2--2----2--2-----4---|

G|-3---3--3----3--3----3--3----4---|

D|-4---------------------------6---|

A|-4---------------------------6---|

E|-2---------------------------4---|