R.E.M. - Green (1988) - CD

R.E.M.: Mike Mills (vocals, accordion, bass); Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitar, mandolin, drums); Bill Berry (mandolin, drums). Additional personnel: Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Keith LeBlanc (percussion). The album that found the band sandwiched between being an important cult band on the verge of major success and being the world's most successful rock band of the 90s. A tricky situation, but this album made the breakthrough and mighty Warner Brothers were behind it. R.E.M. were able to get their folky mandolin material like 'You Are The Everything' accepted on an equal footing with great pop such as 'Stand' or 'Pop Song 89' (which could have been written by Jim Morrison and titled 'Hello I Love You'). 'Orange Crush' is already an FM radio favourite, and the rest is all recent history. As far as major-label debuts by underground bands go, Green is fairly uncompromising. While it displays a more powerful guitar sound on "Get Up," "Turn You Inside Out," and "Orange Crush," it also takes more detours than Document, whether it's the bizarrely affecting contemporary folk of "The Wrong Child" and "You Are the Everything," the bubblegum of "Stand" and "Pop Song 89," or the introspection of the lovely "Hairshirt" and "World Leader Pretend." But instead of presenting a portrait of a band with a rich, eclectic vision, Green is incoherent. While its best moments are flat-out great, the band has bitten off more than it can chew; many of the songs sound like failed experiments, and its arena-ready production now sounds slightly dated. Nevertheless, half of the record is brilliant, and it certainly indicates that R.E.M. are continuing to diversify their sound. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.
1. Pop Song '89 2. Get Up 3. You Are the Everything 4. Stand 5. World Leader Pretend . Wrong Child, The 7. Orange Crush . Turn You Inside-Out 9. Hairshirt 10. I Remember California.
CD in very good condition.