Customer Reviews

Green

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"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.

After the success of Document, R.E.M. moved from college radio giants to mainstream stars. They made the move from the independent IRS label to corporate rock giant Warner Brothers. Green is their debut release for Warner Brothers. While many diehard fans felt the band sold out, R.E.M. proved that you could work in the mainstream and still maintain your integrity. Green does have a more commercial sound than their previous efforts, most notably in the big hit "Stand". With the chance to reach a larger audience, the lyrics take on a more a socially active approach. The album's title is about trying to become environmentally friendly and many of the song's deal with the government's and big business' pollution of the environment and its people. "Orange Crush" is about the damage Agent Orange caused soldiers in Vietnam and "You Are The Everything" voices concerns about the ecology. "Get Up" is a call for activism. "Pop Song 89" is a sarcastic take on their new found chart success. "World Leader Pretend" is a great song and it also marked the first song the band ever printed lyrics to. It is the only song from the album to have the lyrics included, but it such as masterful song, that aspect only enhances the power of the words. Green was a big move forward for R.E.M. as they left behind their roots and started to grow towards bigger and greater commercial and critical successes.

I was in college when this album first came out, and I remember being disappointed overall at the effort -- GREEN was a real departure for REM at the time, insofar as that it largely left behind the jangle and obfuscation of earlier albums in favor of a big, clear and mainstream-friendly "rock" sound. I remember being turned off by what seemed (at the time) like too-obvious bids for airplay, like "Pop Song 89" and the awful "Stand." I remember the stark contrast between the gentler, more thoughtful songs - "Hairshirt," "The Wrong Child," "You Are The Everything" and the goofy, charming "Bonus Track 1" - and the rest of the album.

And, soon enough, I put the album (or, more accurately, I put the cassette) aside and largely forgot about it.

Fast forward to 2006. I'm looking through some used CDs and find a cheap copy of "Green." I figure I might as well pick it up and take a step toward completing my REM CD library. The next day, as I'm driving to work, I slip it into the car stereo.

And, halfway in, I find myself weeping uncontrollably.

In 1990, when this album was released, I'd heard "The Wrong Child" as a truly poignant and sad piece of music -- powerful enough to strike a resonant chord with me, but not one that actually related directly to my life as a college kid. In 2006, hearing "The Wrong Child" again for the first time in years, I find myself reacting as a father of a child with special needs... and I almost wish I hadn't purchased the album. It hurts that much to hear Michael Stipe offering the perspective of a chronically-ill or special needs child, yearning in the most impossible and innocent way to do the simplest things that 'normal' kids do. While he watches other kids "jump in the tall grass, leap the sprinklers," ride their bikes and play on swingsets... he is alone. Always, always alone. And isolated. And left to try to find his own kind of solace: "I will try to sing a happy song. I'll try to make a happy game to play."

I'm sitting there in my car, listening to this, and tears are suddenly streaming down my face, and I'm doing a less-than-successful job of just trying to blink them away, and then Stipe gets to the chorus:
"I'm not supposed to be like this."

And I just lose it. I completely lose it. I have to pull over to the side of the road, because I'm crying so hard. Because this isn't just a song anymore: this is something real and painful in a way I'd never hoped to experience -- these are the words of a kid who could be my kid, self-aware of his 'difference' from other kids and so, so very isolated because of it. And, despite that, a kid who still tries to "sing a happy song," because that is what kids do.

I'm a different person now than I was when I first heard this album. And I still don't like "Stand" or "Pop Song 89." But "The Wrong Child" resonated for me then, and now... I don't even know the words to describe how it makes me feel now. I'm not even sure it was a good thing to bring that song back into my life. But anything that can affect you on that deep and profound a level is the kind of art that should be recognized - and respected - as a real achievement.

This was my 1st R.E.M. lp although I'd heard the early 90s singles on the radio, & along w/ Nevermind, the 1st step into the interesting music world that lead me to the great depth of the underground. Pop Song 89, Stand, Get Up & the 11th Untitled song ae all upbeat pop but in a good way instaed of the tripe that usually gets a lot of airplay. Orange Crush, I Could Turn you Inside-out, & I Remember California are all big stomping or dirgey angry rock songs. the others are instrospective acoustics. I just went & played The Wrong Child to check since I hadn't heard it in a while & there was the mulitlayered vocals "hey those kids are looking @ me, I told my friend myself, they're laughing & they're running over here", a little uneasy like the subject matter. World Leader Pretend was famous for being the only song to have full yrics printed in a REM sleeve, although I think Up has done that now. Hairshirt was improvised & I don't think it's annoying, very deep stuff actually. Most people here have praised You Are The Everything & rightly so. Stand is joyous w/o being genrically annoying like its sequel Shiny happy people was. This is my favourite of theirs along w/ the outstanding Murmur. More consistently great than Out Of time I reckon.

If I am nothing else, I am an R.E.M. fan. Although I wish I could say I listened when they were still a college band, I was just too young. This was the album that made me a fan; when it came out, I was 10. But every one of these songs means something to me: "Stand" made junior high dances really fun, "You Are the Everything" fills me when I feel empty, and "I Remember California"...well, it makes me remember California. Environmental activism is good and all, but the songs here are REM's best.

This was a transitional album for REM- not only were they making the change from indie-label artists (with IRS) to major label artists, but they were also in the process of changing their sound. For the first time, we hear mandolin as the lead instrument on the songs "You Are the Everything", "The Wrong Child", and "Hairshirt"- three of the album's best and most poignant songs. In the midst of all this change, however, we end up with a rather uneven album- some great songs, some pretty good songs, and a couple that are not so good. "Document" had been a hard rocking, sometimes harsh sounding album. Here they maintained some of the high noise level while adding on some catchy hooks and pretty harmonies on "Bubble gum heavy metal" songs like "Get Up" (the first REM song with clear Beach Boys influence, plus music boxes for a bridge!), "Orange Crush" (a great rocking tune, sounds a bit like U2) and, less interestingly, "I Rembember California". The album ends on an upbeat note with an untitled song which is quite catchy.

This is how I like to remember R.E.M. I believe that they reached their top form during the 80's and early 90's. The reason I believe that this album is so great is because its not perfect. Unlike recent R.E.M. albums "Reveal", "Up", "Hi-Fi", this one is filled with imperfections. Michael Stipe's vocals crack all over the place, conveying the pure emotion he sings with. Mike Mill's bass isn't anything impressive and Bill Berry's drum parts are incredibly simple. When all this is put together though just right, the 4 boys from Athens have the ability to create something beautiful, and the album "Green" is that something. You can listen to this album straight through without skipping a song. "Get Up", "Pop Song 89", "Orange Crush", "Stand", "World Leader Pretend", "I Remember California", the list goes on. If you are looking to get into R.E.M., this is a great album to start with. "Dreams they complicate my life"

This CD has received a lot of labels from various critics and fans alike. Sellout, suberb and pop are just a few of them, and true to that, the first song is titled "Pop Song 89". Where REM really shines on this CD is with songs like "You Are The Everything", which is hauntingly beautiful and makes the most of Michael Stipe's celebrated, unique voice. But the song that really, really needs to be recognised is, ironically enough, the hidden track; Untitled, Eleventh Song. This song is amazing. The first time I heard it I was astounded. It's got Everybody Hurts-style overlapping of the chorus and the verse, with a simple drum. If there is only one song to be heard on Green, this is it. And if there is only one REM album, Green is it.

For a brief moment, we had music you could dance to which didn't numb your brain, unabashed pop songs which pushed you up onto the dance floor and which you could always find something new in. Yes, the album is polished and catchy and full of hooks -- especially the overplayed "Pop Song 89" and "Stand" which had a truly dreadful video, but surely it's not a crime to make music that just sounds, well, good -- and "You Are the Everything," "World Leader Pretend," "The Wrong Child," "Hairshirt," "I Remember California," and the untitled 11th track haunt you long after the CD has finished playing. Buy it and forget for at least an hour that Kurt is dead and we're back in the land of bubblegum teenybop with Britney.

This is personally my favorite album (and I own all R.E.M.'s albums)as it is the album that got me into this group. This is an excellent album to start out with if you are not too familiar with R.E.M. Songs like Stand, Orange Crush, and Pop Song 89 make this album utterly amazing. Not to mention a great untitled hidden track (which I am still waiting to hear live). This is a must for anyone who likes R.E.M. the slightest bit.