This is now, this is here, this is me - this is what I wanted you to see

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

29/09/96 : New Adventures In Hi-Fi - R.E.M.


This is our fourth visit with the dudes from Athens, Georgia - and this album is the one after Monster (the one that people didn't like), which is the one after Automatic For The People (the one that everyone liked), which is the one after Out Of Time (the one with all the singles that people liked).  It's fair to say I'm a BIT of a R.E.M. fan, so this is the first album in quite some time I didn't have to listen to (but I did anyway).

Because it's the one after the one that people didn't like, a lot of people didn't bother listening to this - which, in my opinion, is a shame because there are some fine tracks on it and a lot of variety across them.  The first side is particularly high quality with personal favourites being "The Wake-up Bomb", "E-Bow The Letter" and "New Test Leper" but I think "Leave" is the top track for me - it sounds ACE turned up loud.  If you were scared off R.E.M. by Monster, then maybe check this out - I think it's an interesting and under-rated listen.  And it probably won't surprise you to hear that I own it (it's definitely an "I" rather than a "we") - 3/14, which means that for the first time this year we've crossed the 20% barrier.

We're at #5 in the charts this week in its third week of a 21 week run, having debuted at #1.  Above it in the charts were Kula Shaker, The Fugees, Jamiroquai and Alanis - that's a better looking top five than we've seen most weeks so far this year, isn't it?  No new entries in the top ten this week, but two just outside - Belinda Carlisle at #12 and The Moody Blues at #13.

Wikipedia has more on the album than I was expecting (180 milliPeppers) - a lot of which is saying "well, this was the beginning of the end, wasn't it?" and then also, for no obvious reason, giving a breakdown of the musicians and the recording date and location of each track.  It also gives me a few fun facts - unlike most R.E.M. albums, the vinyl version doesn't feature named sides and it's Michael's favourite album of theirs.  I was also surprised to learn that "E-Bow The Letter" was their most successful UK single to date, getting to #4.  And I was then even more surprised to hear it's only been beaten since by "The Great Beyond" which reached #3 - and I reckon both of those would be Pointless answers for R.E.M. singles.  They've actually never had a #1 single here or in the US - "Losing My Religion" is their highest charting single over there at #4.

"Customers also listened to" U2, Semisonic, World Party and Buffalo Party - who, with the exception of U2, I'm not overly familiar with.  But for me, everyone else pales into unfamiliarity compared with R.E.M. - this isn't quite top tier for me (AFTP, Document, Reckoning and Life's Rich Pageant, since you asked) but I still think it's a fine album which is unfairly overlooked as part of their canon.  So, go check it out!

22/09/96 - An older and wiser George
06/10/96 - I just hope he's enjoyed it all

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