R.E.M. - Live (Warner)
4/5
By: Alex Lee Thomson
When you tell people your favourite band ever is one as currently as un-cool as R.E.M. you expect a certain teeth-drying moment of slight disbelief in return, but what's strange is that reply is almost instantly followed by an acceptance and agreed approval. The thing with REM is that they've never been cool, even in their late eighties prime I don't think the US songsmiths were described as cool; rather they're the original art-rock band for the geeks of existence to indulge in, and so championing them is brave, but so wholly worthwhile.
Anybody expecting this Live album to be a hit parade for the sake of it will surely be thwarted as although it quite rightly has the now standards like 'Man On The Moon' and 'Losing My Religion' it is more about the songs that play best live, not necessarily the ones that sound best on record. That fantastically rules out numbers from their past they would rather forget such as the awkward catastrophe of 'Shiny Happy People' while terrifically it opens the door for more extraordinary moments of music mania from the likes of 'Drive' and 'Walk Unafraid', a song so daunting it could make the Earth's magnetic field switch directions. This live ethos does however also rule out songs such as 'Nightswimming' and 'Sweetness Follows', possibly two of the most expertly written compositions of any generation which along with the exclusion of 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' are the only relatively minute flaws on this otherwise blissfully elevated record.
You don't have to look far to find songs which have come to define the bands off-the-wall lyrical intelligence, 'I Took Your Name' and 'So Fast So Numb' sneaking in lines such as, "it's all amphetamine, you're blasting yourself into the present to blur some past indignity", which Stipe amusingly throws out across Buck's now legendary guitar picking to create The R.E.M. Sound.
I have a theory that everybody likes REM in some way, and those who say they don't just haven't heard the right song yet. Most bands don't have a catalogue ranging from dabbles in hip-hop and indie to garage rock and anthemic pop y'know. Let's not forget that it was REM who were brave enough in the early 90s to include a rapper (Chuck D, no less) on a major release aimed at a white college audience. Such things at the time were unheard of outside the Beastie Boys, as was the bands rise to mainstream success from an independent label. An indie band getting big? News at the time, and in many ways they were the first band to show the masses that indie music was cool, even if they weren't.
Anyway, we digress, this album might be playing it a bit safe with its track choices, predictably including most (but not all) big hits, but there's the typical leftfield options that make it exciting enough for people who have thought about listening R.E.M. but worried about their street cred. For a band who are still making the best songs of their career, this live album showcases their range from the glorious pop to intricate rock, and can as such be picked up by anybody, even the hardcore fan out there. It's not the same track list as their 'Best Of' CDs and though the set isn't quite up to that of 'In Time', it's a wonderful display of their live talents - talents which so rarely get to show themselves in the UK. After listening to this you will undoubtedly want to go out and see them in person, which will cause frustration as they almost never play across here, but it will also make you want to rediscover your old REM albums which will always make for a fun weekend.
Stipe might come across as a bit boisterous at times, but his voice is spotless and always manages to make the hairs on the back of you knees stand on end. When the bald-headed wordsmith drops song after song of fascinating lyrics onto your lap while his band plays pop music so infectious you feel as though there should be a suppository for it, you're completely lost in their gaze and the imperishable bastion of their prowess.
Yeah, so they might never be cool, your Dad probably likes them for Christ's sake, but there's a reason people fly across oceans to see them perform live and on this record you'll start to learn why. Expect big, heavy-duty pop songs and moments of rock n roll so tasteful you could play them at the dinner table while knowing the often hidden meaning to their music makes it by far and beyond some of the best poetry around. Here's to a UK tour soon though, eh lads?
Watch the trailer to 'Live' HERE.
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