ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 76 R.E.M. - LIFES RICH PAGEANT (1986)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: R.E.M.

Album: Lifes Rich Pageant

Producer: Don Gehman

Band Members: Bill Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe

Singles: Fall On Me/Superman

Best Single/Best Hidden Gem: Superman/Begin The Begin

Best Of The Rest: These Days/Fall On Me/Cuyahoga/The Flowers Of Guatemala

RIAA Certification: Gold

Album Cover: 2/10

 

This week we'll pay a bit of tribute to a band that retired/disbanded earlier this year.  That, of course, would be R.E.M., the band from my old stomping grounds of Athens, Georgia.  The strange thing for me is that I never really listened to them much, even when I was attending UGA.   I'm certainly familiar with their big radio hits, but this is the only album that I really like.  Lifes Rich Pageant was the band's fourth studio album, and while charting at number 21 on the Billboard chart, managed to earn the band a Gold Album Award. 

 

My favorite song on the album is Superman, and I only recently learned that it is a cover.  Begin The Begin, These Days and Fall On Me are also outstanding songs.  The thing I really remember about this album is going on a trip with a friend years ago.  He had this on cassette, and we listened to it (specifically the four songs mentioned) over and over.  He also had Led Zeppelin IV on cassette, and we wore out side one and Misty Mountain Hop on that trip.

I'll add that I do like the (mostly) instrumental The Flowers Of Guatemala as well.

 

It's still available for less than 10 dollars on Amazon.  And I must say that the album cover is not good.

 

Did You Know: (from Wikipedia) The source for the title of the album is based on an English idiom. Its use is very old, but R.E.M.'s use is, according to Peter Buck, from the 1964 film A Shot in the Dark, minus the apostrophe:

Inspector Clouseau opens car door and falls into a fountain.

Maria: "You should get out of these clothes immediately. You'll catch your death of pneumonia, you will."

Clouseau: "Yes, I probably will. But it's all part of life's rich pageant, you know?" 

The missing apostrophe in the title is deliberate. Nearly all contractions used by R.E.M. lack apostrophes, though "life's" in this case is a possessive.

 

 

1. Begin The Begin

2. These Days

3. Fall On Me

4. Cuyahoga

5. Hyena

6. Underneath The Bunker

7. The Flowers Of Guatemala

8. I Believe

9. What If We Give It Away

10. Just A Touch

11. Swan Swan H

12. Superman

[Scott]

You know.. . Maybe if this had "Shiny Happy People" on it, I could get into it, but it doesnt so I gotta go Thumbs down...

[Jon]

I am very frightened that I'm going to have to listen to this. I have to breathe deep, go to my happy place and press the play button. But not today. No, not today. I'm very vulnerable today and having to listen to this would not be good.

 

Another day this will have to be.

 

 

Another day....

[Jon]

Oh man...time is running out for me on this one....

[Jon]

I finally manned up, drank some Drano to settle my stomach and gave this a listen at work today.

 

I enjoyed it! Well, I started to enjoy it and then checked to see how many songs were left and there were something like 80 left and something like 300 had played and it had only taken 22 minutes of my life. Then everything started sounding the same and another 20 minutes or so later it was finally done and IU can honestly say I do not like R.E.M., that enjoyment I felt must have been something I drank and I will hopefully never, ever have to listen to an R.E.M. album ever, ever, EVER again.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Scott, there's another one for your next SHT.