college rock Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

R.E.M. “Lifes Rich Pageant”

sfilzen — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 16:51:22 +0000

R.E.M. “Lifes Rich Pageant” released 35 years ago today, July 28th, 1986. Ranked as one of the best alternative rock albums of the 80′s, Lifes Rich Pageant was R.E.M.’s fourth LP; it hit #21 on the US album charts and went to #43 in the UK. It’s one of my favorite R.E.M. albums as well, with so many great tracks, mostly with enigmatic lyrics about history (Miles Standish, Martin Luther on “Begin the Begin,” the Civil War on “Swan Swan H” – one of my faves) and environmentalism (the burning of river pollution on “Cuyahoga,” acid rain on “Fall on Me”). R.E.M. released two singles from Lifes Rich Pageant: “Fall on Me” which went to #94 in the US (and to #5 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart) and “Superman.” “Superman” does not appear on the cover’s track listing (nor does the cha-cha-cha instrumental “Underneath the Bunker”) – it’s a cover of the 1969 song by The Clique. R.E.M.’s version went to #17 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and is sung by Mike Mills rather than Michael Stipe. “Superman” remains one of my all-time R.E.M. songs, cover or not, and I also love “These Days” and “I Believe.”

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Hüsker Dü “Candy Apple Grey”

sfilzen — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 13:25:51 +0000

Hüsker Dü “Candy Apple Grey” released 35 years ago this month, March 1986. Today, March 18th, would have been Hüsker Dü’s drummer and co-songwriter Grant Hart’s 60th birthday (b. 1961). Candy Apple Grey was Hüsker Dü’s fifth album and their first on a major label (Warner Bros.), kind of officially marking their final break from punk to power pop/alternative rock. It’s still hard-rocking and a bit thrashy but way more melodic and poppy; even the acoustic guitar and orchestral forest sounds (“Too Far Down” written by Bob Mould) make an appearance. The album went to #140, though despite its poor showing on the charts, singles like “Sorry Somehow” and “Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely” (both written by Hart) got play on college radio, the video for “Don’t Want to Know…” even aired on MTV. Those two tracks are some of my favorites on the album, plus I also like the Hart-penned “Dead Set on Destruction” and Mould’s “Eiffel Tower High.” But, not to speak ill of the dead, I really do not like Hart’s “No Promise Have I Made” – it’s super-whiney-goes-screamy and overblown with emotionality.

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R.E.M. “Fables of the Reconstruction”

sfilzen — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 18:37:58 +0000

R.E.M. “Fables of the Reconstruction” 1985. Today, January 4th, is Michael Stipe’s birthday (b. John Michael Stipe, 1960). Fables of the Reconstruction was R.E.M.’s third LP and the one I’m least familiar with (of their early stuff anyway, I kinda lost interest in them from the mid-90′s on); in fact, I didn’t realize we had it in our collection until I went looking for an R.E.M. record to spin today. Anyway, it went to #28 in the US and #35 in the UK. It’s a loose concept album, an exploration of “southern gothic” and pastoral American imagery. The only songs I know from the album are a couple of the singles that would appear on later R.E.M. comps: “Cant Get There From Here” (which sort of charted – it went to #10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart), a phrase used by folks giving (un)helpful directions to travelers, and “Driver 8″ (#22 Mainstream Rock chart) about a railroad line. R.E.M. also released “Wendell Gee” (a song about an actual person, I guess, a name that definitely has a Southern ring to it) as a single in Europe. Other tracks overtly representing the album’s themes are “Maps and Legends,” “Green Grow the Rushes” and “Auctioneer (Another Engine).” It’s definitely not one of my top R.E.M. albums but is distinctly their sound: jangly, kinda sad and opaque, heavy use of acoustic instruments like the banjo, etc.

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Soul Asylum “Hang Time”

sfilzen — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:59:23 +0000

Soul Asylum “Hang Time” released 30 years ago today, April 25th, 1988. Pre-grunge, Midwestern melodic punk, their first major label release (on A&M with support from their previous Minneapolis-based label, Twin/Tone). I saw Soul Asylum perform a gazillion times in the 80′s and early 90′s – they toured constantly and hit the Appleton/Green Bay all-ages venues a lot (I used to have a photo of them in front of that damn owl mural at Kutska’s Hall) plus I saw them at least once or twice at the UW-Madison Memorial Union – but I am not overly fond of Soul Asylum. I loathe their Grammy-winning 1993 hit single “Runaway Train” with a vengeance and thought Dave Pirner’s appearance in Reality Bites was hilarious, ridiculous (he was dating Winona Ryder when it was filmed). That said, Hang Time is really alright and even though it’s probably been close to 30 years since I’ve listened to it, I’m remembering how much I like many of the tracks, including “Little Too Clean,” “Sometime to Return,” “Cartoon,” “Beggars and Choosers,” “Ode,” “Jack of All Trades” and the foot-stomping bluegrass-goes-punk “Twiddly Dee.” “Soul Asylum made a number of albums that sold a lot more than Hang Time, but in most respects they never got better than this – it hits the ideal balance between their snotty roots and their more ambitious later recordings and shows these two sides of their personality could have easily coexisted under the right circumstances.” (Allmusic)

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R.E.M. “Chronic Town”

sfilzen — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 17:24:38 +0000

R.E.M. “Chronic Town” 1982. Today, January 4th, is R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe’s birthday (b. John Michael Stipe 1960). The five song EP Chronic Town was the band’s first release (after the ‘81 single release of “Radio Free Europe”) and it demonstrated R.E.M.’s signature jangly sound and Stipe’s unique mumbled singing style, though over the years his delivery became more confident; on Chronic Town there is a hesitancy to his vocals making him sound quite young (which, of course, he was). The EP did moderately well, selling 20,000 copies in 1982 and while I.R.S. Records did not release an official single, R.E.M. did make their first video for the track “Wolves, Lower,” which is also one of my favorite tracks – soaring harmonies, an upbeat rhythm and an anthemic bridge. “Gardening at Night” is another great song, which also appears, with revised recordings, on Dead Letter Office; And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987; Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011; And I Feel Fine, and Eponymous. Apparently “gardening at night” refers to pissing outside.

I see your money on the floor I felt the pocket change.
Though all the feelings that broke through that door
Just didn’t seem to be too real.
The yard is nothing but a fence the sun just hurts my eyes.
Somewhere it must be time for penitence. Gardening at night is never where.
Gardening at night. Gardening at night. Gardening at night.

The neighbors go to bed at ten.
Call the prayer line for a change.
The charge is changing every month.
They said it couldn’t be arranged.

We ankled up the garbage sound, but they were busy in the rows.
We fell up, not to see the sun, gardening at night just didn’t grow.
I see your money on the floor, I felt the pocket change.
Though all the feelings that broke through that door
Just didn’t seem to be too real.
Gardening at night. Gardening at night. Gardening at night

Your sister said that you’re too young.
They should know they’ve been there twice.
The call was two and fifty one.
They said it couldn’t be arranged.

I see your money on the floor, I felt the pocket change.
Though all the feelings that broke through that door
Just didn’t seem to be too real.
We ankled up the garbage sound, but they were busy in the rows.
We fell up not to see the sun, gardening at night just didn’t grow.
Gardening at night. Gardening at night. Gardening at night

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10,000 Maniacs “In My Tribe”

sfilzen — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 18:44:51 +0000

10,000 Maniacs “In My Tribe” 1987. Today’s pull mainly an excuse for me to listen to “Like the Weather” because it’s been stuck in my head all day as the weather basically sucks (freezing rain nastiness). Though the album was released in ‘87, listening to it takes me back to ‘89 when I was a freshman at UW-Madison, living in the tiniest of tiny dorm room with a truly awful roommate (her music collection consisted of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits, Skid Row and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. On cassette. There may have been some Air Supply in there too, can’t remember). I’d lay in my loft bed until 2:00 in the afternoon, staring out the window and singing (in my head) “Like the Weather”

The color of the sky as far as I can see is coal grey
I lift my head from the pillow and then fall again
With a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather
A quiver in my lip as if I might cry

Well by the force of will my lungs are filled and so I breathe
Lately it seems this big bed is where I never leave
Shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather
Quiver in my voice as I cry

What a cold and rainy day
Where on earth is the sun hid away?

Apparently I was not alone in my college-age attraction to this album and its various social commentary on issues like child abuse (“What’s the Matter Here?” – a popular theme in the late 80′s i.e. “Luka” by Suzanne Vega, also from ‘87) , illiteracy, alcohol addiction, war and the environment. Allmusic reviewer Chris Woodstra observes “In My Tribe has served as one of the soundtracks for P.C. living and was required listening on college campuses in the late ‘80s.” A certain fascination with the Beat generation was also popular, at least with my friends, and 10,000 Maniacs had us covered with “Hey Jack Kerouac,” another favorite track of mine from this album. Those were also my days of trying on the neo-hippie label so I also loved 10,000 Maniacs cover of Cat Stevens “Peace Train,” a track that was removed in ‘89 from the U.S. CD version after comments made by Stevens (by then a Muslim convert and known as Yusuf Islam) that were perceived to be supportive of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie.

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