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Customer Reviews of Green

I used to say that I liked half of the album, until people started asking me which songs I disliked. I can't really name any (save "Hairshirt"), so I've instead started saying I like the songs half as much as I like the typical R.E.M. song. While "Orange Crush," "The Wrong Child" and especially "Get Up" deliver what you're looking for in spades, "You Are Everything," "Pop Song 89" and "World Leader Pretend" feel like they're missing something.

There was really nothing the band could do about it, though; Green was a mediocre record that needed to be made so that the world could get Out of Time and Automatic for the People. It was my least favorite R.E.M. record, up until they released Reveal this summer. But that's another review...

"History is made to seem unfair"
"Green" is a very bizarre album - and I mean this in the best possible way. The year is 1988 and R.E.M., for the past seven years, having being the champions and yardstick for alternative and independent music, ditch their label IRS and sign with Warner Bros. Sellout? Opinion was (and still is) divided. "Green" is often measured as the end of the "old" R.E.M. and the beginning of a new, commercialised wannabe supergroup. The album features bright, bubblegum songs such as "Pop Song 89", "Get Up" and "Stand" - the last one becoming a huge hit due to its radio friendliness - something which R.E.M. had always avoided. Michael Stipe's singing has become much clearer (however this had already been underway since 1986's "Lifes Rich Pageant") and, shock horror, the entire lyrics to a song ("World Leader Pretend") are printed on the sleeve. Is "Green" the end of R.E.M. as we know it? In the humble opinion of this writer, no. Allow me to elucidate. True, the "bubblegum/pop song" factor IS prevalent on "Green", in the songs mentioned above. However, they still have that subversive touch that is true to R.E.M. The opener, "Pop Song 89" lifts ideas from The Doors' "Hello, I Love You" and seems to be a selection of platitudes and chat-up lines. "Stand" seems to be an overall, life affirming song about...well, life itself and "Get Up" is a song about the conflict between dreaming and getting out and living life - their contradictory nature, they both "complicate" and "complement" the singer's life. True, they all seem straightforward, but you can't help notice that in all these songs, Michael Stipe may be winking at us. He could be being sarcastic or sincere - perhaps both - it is this ambiguity that IS the subversion that characterises R.E.M.'s music; and it is no less present on "Green" than it is on their earlier albums. The accusations of selling out to commercialism don't seem to stick. A song like "Orange Crush" is the ultimate R.E.M. song - a song that leaves the listener asking "What the hell is this about?" while at the same time leaving an impact. It is a hard hitting song; while it may not leap out at you with answers, something clicks somewhere. Other songs on the album are similar - "World Leader Pretend" (in my opinion one of their best songs EVER) is a mellow tale of self reflection, self awareness and, ultimately, self hatred. The fact that the lyrics are printed (even though Stipe's vocals are totally understandable anyway) is almost the singer wanting to make his point crystal clear. However, the words don't make a lot of sense when simply read - when they are FELT things become clearer; another facet of R.E.M. - passion, not simply words, make the songs easier to relate to. "Green" IS a bizarre album - it is also very good; their first effort on a major label, with songs that are speciously commercial but still retain the R.E.M. brilliance. Other songs are testimony to this - "You Are the Everything" is beautiful. It's simple combination of mandolin, bass, accordion and vocals, but the song has such a haunting quality. It's inspiring and makes you want to live life in all its beauty. "The Wrong Child" is difficult to listen to; it is a cacophony of relentless singing, without any real melody to speak of. However, it is heartfelt and soulful. I don't think any other rock band has done a song about a disabled child. "Turn You Inside Out" and "Hairshirt" are probably the album's lesser moments. The first is interesting - a very nasty song about power and manipulation, but is seems very restricted and doesn't really go anywhere (LOVE the opening though!) and "Hairshirt" is a pale imitation of the album's other acoustic tracks. "I Remember California" is another haunting piece, with a simple but excellent guitar riff, while the album ends, with typical R.E.M. slyness, with a nameless track. "Green" is not just a good album; it is a great one. It is a band who have taken another step forward; signing to a huge record company after seven years with an alternative label is guaranteed to make fans wary. However, "Green" passes the test; it's an album with the same touches of brilliance as "Murmur". They have lost nothing of their old selves, but they have also become more mature. Let's hope history judges "Green" fairly.

The grass is greener on one side...
The fourth R.E.M. I have owned really was a different one. The three preceding ones I owned (Auto, OOT and Hi-Fi) all have complex, moody songs (ignoring the likes of Shiny Happy People, obviously)... but this cd is all about catchy, radio friendly tracks, and they're guaranteed to put a smile on your face, even if half of the tracks aren't too good...

The two opening tracks, Pop Song 89 and Get Up, are both fun pieces of pop... I love them both. They're catchy and they'll stick in your mind, and if you're not into overly complex songs, these will have you hooked.

Stand and Orange Crush, the two main singles of this album, are certainly very catchy, though it may alarm some fans of the IRS days (as this is a VERY big swing from, say, Fables...) But I'm sure even they are grinning whenever they play Stand!

World Leader Pretend is awesome, period. This is the best track on this album, and it should have got more recognition. I also love the heavier Turn You Inside Out. There's not much to not like about this album...

Except the remaining tracks didn't really appeal to me, they seemed a bit dry. Maybe it's because they're not bouncing off the walls like the other songs, but still, You Are The Everything just annoyed me for some reason, and The Wrong Child just leaved me uninspired. The last three tracks are good, but they just don't compare to the better songs this album offers.

So what I'm basically saying is that half of this album is great... fantastic even, if you're into the happier, poppier stuff. But half of the tracks just don't really cut it for me.

Well, try it out. It's definatly a good album that's worthy of purchase (especially when you consider how cheap it is to buy these days), but be sure to pick up their higher rated albums first, before jumping straight into the Green.