Customer Reviews

The Great Beyond

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the release of this single ( and I recommend getting the Maxi-Single ) R.E.M. is definitely getting back to the music that made them one of the greatest bands in the last decade or so.

The Great Beyond has all the qualities that made many of the tracks on Green, Out of Time and Automatic special. It appears to be complex lyrically, but upon closer inspection has beautiful images and glimpses into Andy's life. On the maxi it is a pleasure to hear Everybody Hurts and in particular The One I Love performed live in the UK.

I believe that R.E.M. have a great song here. Get it.

After tuning my car radio frantically searching for this song, and then driving a mile out of my way and back to my house just so I could hear it, I finally gave up and bought the CD. "The Great Beyond" is a wonderful example of musicality - especially the refrain's continuation of a single syllable over two half-step notes - that mystifies the listener. Were "The Great Beyond" the only recording on this single, I'd be happy and would have bought it. But the Maxi-CD recording also boasts three classic songs from a live recording. In their infinite wisdom, "The Great Beyond" and "Man on the Moon" are placed as tracks one and four, so that the listener will not mistake the one song for the other. A good addition to anyone's musical library.

The Great Beyond is an upbeat, catchy song (true, it does take a few listens). It's reminiscent of the material on Up; it sounds vaguely similar to Daysleeper. However, the real treat of this single are the live songs. If you liked the album versions of One I Love, Everybody Hurts, and Man On The Moon, you will be blown away by the impassioned performances of these three songs. Absolutely a must for R.E.M. fans.

A magnificent song can really bring in a whole new audience, and for R.E.M., they finally launched their straight stardom into the movies again. This time, they finally scored a hit with The Great Beyond from Man On The Moon with Jim Carrey. The song is just one of those songs that really scores a hit at the box office. It is just a shame that they'll never score a movie hit like that anymore, never.

Two words - BUY IT - it have been quite some time since I became this happy of a single pop-track.

I've been an R.E.M. fan for many years now, and think highly of "The Great Beyond". I can always seem to hear Automatic's "Man on the Moon" whenever the song is played, so for those who miss R.E.M.'s "Automatic" sound, you'll be more than satisfied with "The Great Beyond". And even though I'm very excited to see what comes after "Up", it's nice to see the band come out with a song that sounds like their older stuff.

The great and worthwhile surprise of this single is the 3 LIVE tracks recorded in England during last summer's tour. It makes for a great souvenir for anyone who saw R.E.M. on tour last year - or wanted to! The CD has One I Love followed by a lengthy version of Everybody Hurts (with audience singalong) and the closer Man On The Moon. The live version of MOTM is much better and so much more energetic than the original studio version from the album Automatic For The People. If this appeals to you, then I recommend this CD.

Of course, the CD also includes the title track Great Beyond, which I think sounds like the Automatic For The People album. But the Great Beyond, in my view, is less enjoyable than the 3 live tracks.

Be sure to get THIS version of the CD with the 3 live tracks and NOT the version with only 1 extra track. Note that on my CD, it doesn't say that the 3 extra tracks are live - but they are indeed live.

This is an amazing, catchy, beautiful, wondrous, powerful song. Michael Stipe's voice has never sounded stronger. The arrangement is terrific. The chorus is haunting, tearful, especially if you juxtapose it with the tragedy of Andy Kaufman. Listening to this song wants me to see Jim Carrey's best performance again.