Dear Readers,
I'm looking for advice about the R.E.M dilemma.
It is an undisputed fact that anything they released after New Adventures in Hi -Fi is generally rubbish.
However this means that they are readily available in charity shops leading me to pick up Up and Reveal cheaply.
Last week for 50p I picked up Around the Sun rated by the Robster ,the expert on all things R.E.M, as the worst of their 15 studio albums.
He has a point. It is pretty poor.
The dilemma is that as a completist do I hoover up these albums for the sake of completeness or should I should I leave them gathering dust on the charity shop shelves?
I was tempted to post the song The Ascent of Man if only for the line I'm a cactus, trying to be a canoe but it is so awful that I couldn't bring myself to it.
R.E.M. - Electron Blue
R.E.M. -Aftermath
I vote for dust
ReplyDeletePut it this way - nothing they ever did is as bad as Around The Sun. You've picked up Reveal already which is their second-worst, so everything gets better from here on in. For the record though, Accelerate - their penultimate album - is a corker!
ReplyDeleteI was once a bit of a completest, particularly with respect to the artists I truly love. Then one day I looked at the Clash section of my collection and wondered why on Earth I had a copy of 'Cut the Crap' filling up valuable space on my shelves. I feel much the same about those latter REM albums. Even though they may each contain the odd good moment, I know I'd never sit down and listen to any one of them end to end ever again. Life's too short and there are too many other records I want to hear - and own.
ReplyDeleteWorth keeping for "This is England"?
DeleteI kept the single. Looking forward to hearing the un-Bernied version on the new Strummer box set.
DeleteYup -the single should suffice.
DeleteThe Strummer stuff looks interesting
I struggle to let thinks go.
ReplyDeleteHowever from both a space and quality perspective a fairly large clear out is probably required
Are you going to be getting rid of some your collection????
DeleteProbably not(apart from the odd one or two) but certainly need to be a bit more discerning
DeleteThese two tracks are, to say the least, underwhelming. I'm not sure you should be investing any more money on REM. But I would say that anyway, I have none of their albums.
ReplyDeleteLike The Swede, I'm a completist when it comes to certain performers. When I started blogging, it was to post the best examples of 20th century vintage pop music in my collection. I've tried to never post the dross, except occasionally for illustrative purposes. As long as you have room on your shelves, where's the harm in collecting the best and the worst output of a few of your favourites?
ReplyDeleteI love Up. There are some great songs on there. Reveal is bland but OK. Accelerate is pretty good.
ReplyDeleteLatter period REM is generally average. But... get rid of albums? Don't tell my wife this even exists as a concept
ReplyDelete