Anyone Hate R.E.M.
David McGlashan
> I get so sick of hearing people who say R.E.M is actually good. Peter Buck
> is a decent guitarist, but as songwriters they are terrible, and even bad to
> the point where they are annoying. And since they've gotten big, well....
30 million album sales can't be wrong now can it? I would actually rate
Buck as the least talented musician in the group. Bill Berry is a strong
drummer and bassist and he composed the riff for Star69. Mike Mills can
play guitar, bass, piano, organs etc. all excellently.
When you say that they are terrible song-writers do you mean lyrically,
musically or both? REM have a tremendously diverse sound for the dreamy
guitar sounds of their early days, the Pop/Rock of Green and Life's Rich
Pagent, the acoustic and mellow sounds on Out Of Time and Automatic for
the People and the guitar-driven noise of Monster and Document. They
have reached a lot of people through their music over the last 12 years.
Michael Stipe's lyrics can at times be very obscure, but that is his
style and a lot of people enjoy looking for meanings in his words.
He has covered a lot of serious issues across their albums as well as
the more light-hearted songs like Stand and Shiny Happy People.
> Songs in question.. Does anyone hate the song that goes "I am Superman, I
> can do anything?!!" It's one example of many annoyingly self-absorbed 90's
> alternative nation. Stipe makes the band really annoying with his alterna-guy
> style and the music is really overhyped.
Well REM didn't write Superman. It is a cover of a song by The Clique so
you can't really slag their songwriting there. As for Superman having an
"annoying self-absorbed 90's alternative nation", well it was written a
long time before REM covered it in 1987 so maybe it goes to show how ahead
of their time they were?
> Just what is R.E.M.'s musical value? Why are they so annoying? It's hard
> to pinpoint why, but I just know they are being mistaken for good musicians.
> Average yes, spectacular and worth the hype, NO!!
REM's musical value is the same as for anyone else. They bring pleasure
to other people through their work, just like The Beatles, The Stones,
Guns'N'Roses, anyone. Pinpointed for being good musicians because they
are good musicians. Above average and spectacular. Nobody is ever worth
any hype, that's down to any media bandwagon.
> Remember, don't mistake lack of talent for genius.
I'll be certain not to.
> Ben
> --
> Ben Lauter bl0...@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
>
> "Sometimes in my bed at night, I curse the dark and I pray for the light,
> but sometimes, the light's no consolation..."
> -Huey Lewis and the News
What ever happened to Huey Lewis and the News anyway?
--
David McGlashan
EMail: se2...@dmu.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.cms.dmu.ac.uk/~se2dmg
Charles Held
se2...@dmu.ac.uk (David McGlashan) wrote:
=Ben Lauter writes:
=> I get so sick of hearing people who say R.E.M is actually good. Peter Buck
=> is a decent guitarist, but as songwriters they are terrible, and even bad to
=> the point where they are annoying. And since they've gotten big, well....
=
=30 million album sales can't be wrong now can it?
It is in Bon Jovi's case.
J
Good point!
---------------------------------------------
He gathered all his loved ones and he brought
them all around to say "Goodbye". Nice Try.
---------------------REM Let Me In----------
gdu...@wolfenet.com
> =Ben Lauter writes:
> => I get so sick of hearing people who say R.E.M is actually good. Peter Buck
> => is a decent guitarist, but as songwriters they are terrible, and even bad to
> => the point where they are annoying. And since they've gotten big, well....
>>>>
I would like to revise your subject heading. How about: "Anybody hate those clueless dickheads who troll the newsgroups that pertain to bands they hate?"
There, that is more appropirate.
---------M.D
John Sheehy
ch...@clt.mindspring.com (Charles Held) writes:
>In article <4liqj1$p...@macondo.dmu.ac.uk>,
> se2...@dmu.ac.uk (David McGlashan) wrote:
>=Ben Lauter writes:
>=> I get so sick of hearing people who say R.E.M is actually good. Peter Buck
>=> is a decent guitarist, but as songwriters they are terrible, and even bad to
>=> the point where they are annoying. And since they've gotten big, well....
>=
>=30 million album sales can't be wrong now can it?
>
>It is in Bon Jovi's case.
The real question is "Wrong about what?". Sales figures are certainly
good indicators that a lot of people like something, and that's all it
is supposed to mean. Whether or not it reflects the qualities that you
or I look for in music is another issue entirely. Personally, I find
Bon Jovi to be extremely boring, like a bad western where someone takes
five minutes to drop to the floor after being shot, but I know people
who are enraptured singing along. Are they wrong? Are these people
really "supposed" to be listening to David Torn?
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>
John P Sheehy <jsh...@ix.netcom.com>
><<> <>>< <>>< ><<> <>>< ><<> ><<> <>><
Mr T S Edmonds
On 23 Apr 1996, David McGlashan wrote:
Dickhead
Steve Trimmer
It's ashame that some people have such a warped view of talent. What does
this chump consider talent, being able wank off on an overly indulgent
guitar solo for three days? Music is music, you obviously know nothing
about listening to music. There is no need to "rate" musicians by how well
they can wank. It's what the music says to you. It's what the music makes
you feel. Music can be about dancing and having fun.
Now that I'm done you can put the cotton back in you ears and be as
critical you like. It's ashame that you don't like music for being music.
Good wanks!
RONNIE
On Tuesday, April 23, 1996, David McGlashan wrote...
> Ben Lauter writes:
> > I get so sick of hearing people who say R.E.M is actually good. Peter
Buck
> > is a decent guitarist, but as songwriters they are terrible, and even
bad to
> > the point where they are annoying. And since they've gotten big,
well....
>
> bad song writers? i dont know i think that the awards, fans and
the records speak for them selves,
mIChAEl DAvies
>> Songs in question.. Does anyone hate the song that goes "I am Superman, I
>> can do anything?!!" It's one example of many annoyingly self-absorbed 90's
>> alternative nation. Stipe makes the band really annoying with his alterna-guy
>> style and the music is really overhyped.
Yep, that's a great song to use as an example of REM's bad songwriting and Stipe's
bad singing. It was written by a group called "The Clique" about twenty years
before REM did it, which was in 1986 so it's not a shining example of the 90's
alternative nation. Stipe can't make the band sound really annoying with
his alterna-guy style because Mills sings lead on that one. Maybe Stipe's
bkgd vocals are irritating and cause nausea.
>30 million album sales can't be wrong now can it? I would actually rate
>Buck as the least talented musician in the group. Bill Berry is a strong
>drummer and bassist and he composed the riff for Star69. Mike Mills can
>play guitar, bass, piano, organs etc. all excellently.
Buck was no good when they started the group, but I know he got a lot
better by 1986. Just listen to "Underneath the Bunker". Yep, Mills is
classically trained in 600+ instruments or so; why doesn't he have
a solo album out? He is the best one in the group. Re Berry, I hear
he also inspired "Everybody Hurts" and wrote "Driver 8".
Michael davies
mis...@epix.net
Brian Cook
-> bad singing. It was written by a group called "The Clique" about
-> twenty years before REM did it, which was in 1986 so it's not a
-> shining example of the 90's alternative nation. Stipe can't make
-> the band sound really annoying with his alterna-guy style because
-> Mills sings lead on that one. Maybe Stipe's bkgd vocals are
-> irritating and cause nausea.
-> Buck was no good when they started the group, but I know he got a lot
-> better by 1986. Just listen to "Underneath the Bunker". Yep, Mills
-> is classically trained in 600+ instruments or so; why doesn't he
-> have a solo album out? He is the best one in the group. Re Berry,
-> I hear he also inspired "Everybody Hurts" and wrote "Driver 8".
->
I don't understand why you've actually paid attention and done what
appears to be significant amounts of attention to a band you reputedly
hate.
No offense, but you need something better to do with your time.
- Yours Courtesy Of -
- Brian Cook -
- brian...@theummel.com -
I can't believe my dilemma is real..I'm competing with the Man of Steel.
Amiga lover / CHASE OUT
David McGlashan (se2...@dmu.ac.uk) wrote:
: Ben Lauter writes:
: > I get so sick of hearing people who say R.E.M is actually good. Peter Buck
: > is a decent guitarist, but as songwriters they are terrible, and even bad to
: > the point where they are annoying. And since they've gotten big, well....
try posting to alt.billy-goats-gruff next time, mr trolL
--
================================
Daniel Roach
Cm2b...@bs47c.staffS.Ac.uk
Amiga owner, Rem and Indie music fan!
"Thunder only happens when it's raining"