Green - R.E.M.

Released on the 19th of November 1988, 13 months, in fact after the very first CD singles were released into the British charts, it wasn't just this major break in social history that was to be a heavy influence on music as a whole. For an already well established indie rock band from America, it was a calling for a specific album to be recorded to mark another turning point in world history. The summer of 1988 was, if we can remember back that far, a hot and sticky one. It was later to be recognised as the 'greenhouse summer.' Pollution across the world was high and had released onto the States a sucession of violent weather conditons. REM recorded and produced their ...  Read the complete review

After enjoying only marginal commercial success on IRS, REM signed for the more powerful Warner Brothers, and GREEN was their first album on their new label. There is a palpable difference in the feel too, with lusher, cleaner production (Scott Litt was now in sole charge), and wider instrumentation, with keyboards, cellos, and mandolins now as prevalant as guitars and drums. Around half the songs are upbeat in both tempo and content, examples being 'Pop Song 89' and the impossibly catchy 'Stand'. Yet there is also the sense of alienation and despair later embraced fully on AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE. 'World Leader Pretend' and 'I ...  Read the complete review

This was REMs first major label release after Micheal Stipe had decided to sign to Warner Brothers because of Bugs Bunny (!) After 2 rock albums the group decided to do something more gentle and acoustic. Peter Buck had recently learnt how to play mandolin which led the way for one of REMs more folk-based albums. In a way 'Green' is quite similar to its follow-up 'Out of time' in that the music is largely split between melancholy folk music and cheerful pop songs, but here the production is not so glossy with none of the string sections and backing vocals that the group were to introduce later. Although the instrumentation is often quite ...  Read the complete review

Here is REM with possibly their most understated album, generally Monster get the credit of being the best REM album, but I say that this is not true, Green comes higher on my list of REM albums than Monster, admittedly it is not top, but it does come pretty close. Each song has at least three or four great lines in it. I was told that there are never any lyrics in the sleeves of REM albums because they do not feel that they are good enough, well with the word in this album they must have some pretty high standards, which I don?t fell that many can achieve. This album is definitely worth £10, and once you have it, you wont sell it for less than £20. This ...  Read the complete review

This is possibly the best example of R.E.M. "gearing up" to their biggest hit, losing my religion. Stipe has cleared up his vocals significantly since the beginning of the group around 1981, and Peter Buck goes for a more electronic sound. It is the first time we hear the fabled mandolin (as heard on LMR) in You are the Everything, and The Wrong Child; a heartbreaking track about a disabled boy who watches other physically able children play in the grass, but "It's Okay". You have the pure bubblegum rock/pop that is Stand, which opens with a 7 second fairground organ. It even has the "wah-wah" guitar stylings of the Beach Boys!! ...  Read the complete review