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Post by chisel93 on Feb 18, 2014 11:58:33 GMT -5
stoneslidecorrective.com/?p=314Well duh! Research shows wide gap in incomes and happiness of fans of the band The Replacements compared to fans of the band R.E.M. "Replacements fans exhibit far greater levels of happiness, shaped by what the authors called “their ability to see everything that is bad, and good, be aware of all that, and realize that life is what obtains, not what should obtain. This realism of the Replacements fan appears to free him or her from pathological levels of depression, and also fosters a joyful, wry humor."
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Post by Stegman on Feb 21, 2014 16:45:54 GMT -5
Cool link. And an even better avatar. Long live the Top!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2014 17:04:38 GMT -5
What if you're a big fan of both, like me?
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bside
Star Scout
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Post by bside on Feb 21, 2014 17:50:07 GMT -5
What if you're a big fan of both, like me? Middle class? |
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Post by TomT on Feb 22, 2014 8:29:43 GMT -5
I got into both bands at the same time around 1984. they were my go to music with REM the favorite until about '87 when Plesed To Meet Me came out. Then my Mats obsession took hold and REM, for the most part, fell by the wayside in the mid 90's. Mats obsession still going strong.
I don't know if that study matters any or is accurate but there is a lightheartedness with the Mats alongside very meaningful subjects in the songs. REM didn't have the Mats humor with their stuff and seemed pretentious at times. I DO love the 80's REM though. Some really great albums in there.
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bobb
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Post by bobb on Feb 22, 2014 9:00:49 GMT -5
1987 was the year for me first hearing and getting into both bands. They were pretty even on my favorite bands list for a few a while but, like TomT, the Mats passed them by. Now, the Replacements are easily my favorite band of all time while I still like REM but no longer love REM. Honestly, Shiny Happy People nearly killed them for me (the song is bad enough, but the video... jeez). Listen to the Replacements all the time, REM once in a while.
Really though, the Mats are way more fun and exciting as a band and about 99% more charismatic.
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Jer
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Post by Jer on Feb 22, 2014 11:26:39 GMT -5
I was turned onto REM very shortly after hearing The Replacements for the first time in 1984. I always related more to the alcoholic, Upper Mid-western, more aggressive (at times punk/metal even) sensibilities that the Mats brought to to the table, but I loved the way REM approached it as more of a craft and delivered fantastic records too. Like bobb, Shiny Happy People killed REM for me. I couldn't relate at all - I was in my mid-late teens and anything but shiny and happy. And Stand was terrible too (except it was the opening theme for the short lived awesome TV show Get A Life). Document was tolerable, and Green had it's moments, but Got I hated those stupid, happy songs. It was around then that I realized that for me, anyway, there was no such thing as a good happy song. I've come around a little on that (not much) but still feel that way for the most part. REM ended on 2 great records I thought. Accelerate was way better than anything since Life's Rich Pageant. I don't think The Replacements went out on such a high note, but I'd still take their catalog over REM's.
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Post by monkeytot on Feb 23, 2014 6:56:52 GMT -5
Same as some of youse guys-got into both bands in 84. Rabid fan of both until the mid 90s-REM put out Monster and I just gave up on them and Pavement and GBV took over my 'Mats love. Now when I listen to REM I am astounded at how boring they are, except for the first 3 lps. I got back into the Mats last year in prep for the reunion tour and have rediscovered my love. I'm sorry guys! I apologize! Please please take me back...
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Post by monkeytot on Feb 23, 2014 6:57:28 GMT -5
Oh, also I'm guessing REM fans masturbate more. a lot more.
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Post by TomT on Feb 23, 2014 9:42:27 GMT -5
I wouldn't be that hard on REM Monkeytot, you have to consider what else was coming out in those years. The '86 album Life's Rich Pagaent followed by Document, Green, Out of Time, and Automatic For the People was a pretty good string of creativity. They progressively got mellower but except for the previously noted stabs at commercialism (Shiny Happy..., Stand) those albums were pretty good and got my ear over other crap that was out then. REM was still "different".
In retrospect, if they hung it up after Automatic.. they would probably be more revered today. It's possible they hung around about 20 years too long. At least the Mats knew when to quit.
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 23, 2014 10:53:45 GMT -5
.... I was in my mid-late teens and anything but shiny and happy. And Stand was terrible too (except it was the opening theme for the short lived awesome TV show Get A Life). Loved that show, possibly the most bizarre comedy show I've seen in which the lead role was a really annoying and unlikeable character. And yeah, I think most people in their mid-late teens experience a kind of melancholy or frustration of their place in life, so Shiny Happy People is/was the last relevant song to your life if you felt lost and out of place. am curious what you and others think is Paul's most "happy" song? Does he really have one? I was thinking maybe "My Daydream"? Otherwise, I'm drawing a blank! |
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Post by chisel93 on Feb 23, 2014 11:27:33 GMT -5
I can't vouch for the authenticity of the study, just thought it was interesting. I loved REM up until "Document"....I have remember watching "Orange Crush" during it's world premiere and thinking to myself "what happened?"
I didn't get into the 'Mats until 1989 but have listened to them extensively since then.
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Post by TomT on Feb 23, 2014 13:05:57 GMT -5
am curious what you and others think is Paul's most "happy" song? Does he really have one? I was thinking maybe "My Daydream"? Otherwise, I'm drawing a blank! When It Began has a happy melody to me. |
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Post by anarkissed on Feb 23, 2014 15:03:53 GMT -5
I started listening to R.E.M. with "Fables of the Reconstruction"; the Mats a little later with "Tim"...Started losing interest in R.E.M. with "Out of Time", even more with "AFTP"...I just found those albums boring..."New Adventures in Hi-Fi" is actually one of the better albums they had, but I didn't realize this until years later, because I didn't really listen to it when it came out...I was never a fan of the post-Bill Berry era, but those last two albums they had were pretty good...I think it's always kinda presented like you had to be a fan of one of these bands or the other, and hate the other one...In the circle I was running around in the mid-to-late 80's, we were pretty big fans of all of those sorta indie/college rock bands: Husker Du, The Cure, The Smiths, The Reivers, 10,000 Maniacs, Camper Van Beethoven, Hoodoo Gurus, The Smithereens...And I don't remember ever having any big intellectual argument about who was "better", or remember anybody absolutely hating one of those bands...
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Post by TomT on Feb 23, 2014 18:34:28 GMT -5
"New Adventures in Hi-Fi" is actually one of the better albums they had, but I didn't realize this until years later, because I didn't really listen to it when it came out.... Yeah, I really liked this one a lot too and played the shit out of it for awhile. It was the last one I liked until Accelerate came out. But to tell you the truth, it was Michael Stipe and his weird antics of painting blue stripes on his head and his self conscious way of being precious that turned me off to the band. I much preferred the Replacements everyman approach. Paul was putting out straight rock and pop records while REM went into some weird netherworld after 1997. |
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Jer
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Post by Jer on Feb 23, 2014 20:34:55 GMT -5
Everyone I knew really liked both bands in the mid 80s, but it seemed like the kids coming from punk and metal gravitated towards the mats while those a little older tended to prefer REM. The high school kids liked the distortion, boozy-humor and energy while the college kids liked the more introspective, folksy stuff. Of course there was a lot of crossover both ways.
There was always more of an art to REMs whole approach than there was for The Replacements, but for the first few records it was definitely not a put-off. When Stipe started acting weird, which coincided with their popularity, it got old for us quick, but we would have put up with all of that shit if we thought the records were still as good as other stuff coming out No one I was hanging out with was listening to REM in the early 90s over Superchunk, Uncle Tupelo, Nirvana, Afghan Whigs and even older bands hitting a great stride like Soul Asylum, Social Distortion, and Bob Mould/Sugar. It didn't help that we could see these great bands in clubs but we had to go to arenas and sheds to see REM.
I always kept tabs on REM over the years. I always made sure to give their new singles a chance, and even though I just couldn't relate, I was still happy for them and their success because I thought it was cool that a once-indie band I used to like was still just the 4 dudes and their guitars. Those first few records sure were great though.
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Post by monkeytot on Feb 24, 2014 7:11:00 GMT -5
TomT: yeah, I was being a little snarky on Really Enthusiastic Masturbators. My main problem was the drastic change in sound-specifically when Stipe stopped mumbling and Buck started playing barre chords. Yes they had a great run of lps. anarkissed I don't think I ever listened to ne Adventures in its entirety-maybe I should revisit it. Oh, but their second to last lp-Accelerate was pretty amazing. I was all set for a new era of coolness but short lived with the follow up lp that sucked. They shoulda gone out with accelerate. To this day 30 yrs later I put on Murmur and it still sounds fresh. That alone makes REM one amazing band.
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bobb
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Post by bobb on Feb 24, 2014 19:53:44 GMT -5
am curious what you and others think is Paul's most "happy" song? Does he really have one? I was thinking maybe "My Daydream"? Otherwise, I'm drawing a blank! When It Began has a happy melody to me. It has to be "I Will Dare" |
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Post by monkeytot on Feb 25, 2014 6:35:54 GMT -5
Solo PW song gotta be "Trumpet Clip".
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 25, 2014 14:36:27 GMT -5
Damn, how did "I Will Dare" slip my mind???!! Yeah, that's a really optimistic, hopeful tune.
"Trumpet Clip" ---wow, haven't heard that one in awhile. I might just have to break that one out.
"When It Began" is a nice, bouncy melody. And then Paul goes and kills you with those melancholy tinged lyrics:
and I'll play you a tune at your command
and if you say nothing
then that's something
I'll understand....
jesus, what a metaphor about the Mats lack of mainstream success.
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