Lifes Rich Radishes
Overall Album Score: 9.7 out of 10 I have one word to say about Lifes Rich Pageant, and that word is WOW! This one was thoroughly entertaining for me to sit through about the four or five times that I did ... heck ... I'd imagine that I'm going to buy this eventually! (I listened to it on Music Rhapsody music service.) Yeah ... this album got a 9.7 from me ... ... Interestingly enough, Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding also got a 9.7, which I'd say is sort of a related album. Albums like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Elton John's Captain Fantastic sort of achieved a score of 9.7 and 9.8 by being pompous and grandiose. But good ole' Bob Dylan and R.E.M. have achieved such scores by sitting back in the easy chair and delivering us a bunch of immaculate and usually understated tunes. Although in R.E.M.'s case, I'm almost certain that the band was next to incapable of being something other than understated. I must point out that if you pay close attention to "Just a Touch," lead singer Michael Stipe appears to be trying to give us a PASSIONATE and DRAMATIC vocal performance ... but you can't really tell that! Just the same, the band accommodates perfectly well with Stipe's voice (...who, especially after listening to this album, he's become among my favorite singers...) He was lucky enough to be born with a unique and smooth voice that is simply pleasant to the ears. And, of course, the rest of the band is absolutely top-notch. It is really difficult for me to sit down and try to come up with a favorite song on this album. There was really no definite highlight for me here, because every song is a highlight! ... I highly recommend that you purchase (or listen to) this album ... and you will be sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying EVERYTHING from this wonderful band that's named after a psychological phenomenon. Overall Album Score: 9.7 out of 10 (This is certainly one of the greatest albums of the 80s decade! ALL of these songs are great in nearly every aspect. ...And I personally never thought that R.E.M. could even vaguely surpass Murmur, but they do it here with flying colors.) Average Song Score: 9.5 (Everything here scored between a 9 and a 10! These are some *pritty* good songs!) Album Tilt: 9.5 (This is nothing short of a minor masterpiece. Although, I won't be so bold to call it a *major* masterpiece ... if it were that, then this score would be a 10.) Artist Rating: 10 (This is thoughtful music that is both stimulating and highly entertaining. What more could you possibly want? ... ...) Track Reviews Begin the Begin 10/10 YES!!! Now this is a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry nice, tuneful, and on-fire alterno-pop song! Really, this isn't fundamentally different from previous R.E.M. songs. This time, however, it has the tuneful thoughtfulness of Murmur and they managed to keep the lusher arrangement sensibilities that was leftover from Fables ... and they made one mightily rockin' song with it. It's even more fun to listen to than much of the stuff from Murmur was. These Days 9.5/10 Boy! Are we absolutely kicking or what? This is like ... oh man! After that kinda lackluster Fables album, I'm soooooooooo glad to see that R.E.M. managed to get out of that rut faster than they delved into it. (Although, it still has that "muffled passion," as such is their signature.) But this is totally fun, and I like it totally! Fall on Me 10/10 Holy bugger! This is a slower song, but it's hella loud and dynamic (and a little bit anthemic, too) ... and it's yet another wonderfully written song that's smart as well as being pure entertainment. Cool! Cuyahoga 9/10 CUYAHOGA?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?! ... mmm hmmm ... Again, this is a tremendously well-done song (like steak) that displays a great sense of melody and arranging. I also greatly prefer this to most of the songs from Fables ... but this one doesn't strike me as being quite as special as the other songs in here. Perhaps it's because this one isn't quite as succinct as the previous ones ... I don't know. Still ... a 9-scoring song. It's got to be great! Hyena 9.5/10 Yikes! The instrumentation here just strikes me as being PERFECT! Everything from that piano thing to that rapid riff ... whoah! And, yet, this is another totally entertaining song from this album. Another keeper! Underneath the Bunker 9.5/10 And when the album might have threatened to become boring (because all of the songs might sound kinda the same if your not paying attention to them), R.E.M. delivers the most unique song of their careers so far. With a Hugo Montenegro-type beat (that's more rapid) and funnily-delivered French vocals, what's not to like about this? ... It's not even two minutes long, and it has me talking. The Flowers Of 10/10 This is a nice, slow jangly-type song. It's not nearly as exciting as the other songs from this album ... but it doesn't have to be! The fact that it's thoughtful (as well as significantly picks up its dramatics as it moves along) makes "The Flowers Of" a stand-out in this particular album where every song seems to stand out. Yet, this is another classic. I Believe 9.5/10 This one starts off sounding like it'll be a hillbilly song ... but pretty soon, it turns into an up-tempo, regular R.E.M. song. Of course, since R.E.M. is on a remarkable songwriting roll with this album, "I Believe" is nothing short of another 100 percent enjoyable song ... I ask ya ... will they ever cease? What if We Give it Away? 9.5/10 OH MY GOSH!!!!! WHEN R.E.M. HAS IT, THEY HAVE IT. This might be another normal-sounding R.E.M.-type song, but it's completely wonderful and it doesn't deter at all in quality, nor am I growing tedious in the slightest bit of listening to it. Yeah ... many of these songs sound fundamentally the same ... and they're all GREAT. (I'm sure glad that they decided to bring back the choruses ... R.E.M. doesn't sound nearly as nice without 'em.) Just a Touch 9.5/10 After listening to this for about fifteen seconds, I thought that perhaps now would be a good time to give one of these songs a 9 ... but when that exciting chorus strikes up ... man ... I just can't do it. In fact, this is one of the most exciting songs on the whole album ... HECK ... Michael Stipe almost sounds normal on this, seeming like he's trying to give a "real passionate" performance! This is yet another magnificent keeper! Swan Swan H 9/10 Here's a 9! ... But it's a good 9! 9's are still really good and stuff. This time, R.E.M. gives us a song reminiscent of an old sailor's song. For old sailor songs cum 80s alternative, this is pretty much tops, I expect! Superman 9.5/10 This is a cover, actually, of a very little known 60s psychedelic band called The Clique. I have not heard the original song, but however it sounded like, R.E.M. does a super job with it! The melody isn't exactly complex (which says a lot about R.E.M.'s great level of songwriting), but it's a fun, simple song to listen to. The pageant wants you to send your comments about this album here! |
All reviews are copyrighted by Michael Lawrence. He really needs to get a life.
