Paste Magazine put out what it considers the top 20 R.E.M. Songs of all-time. The best part about this list compared to all of the other lists is that this one is the right list and the others are wrong.
I thought this list was interesting that this list did not feature anything over the last 5 albums.

For some of you "Tape-Traders" out there I would assume that you might be able to relate to this story with NASA and the tapes of the first Moon Landing.
"We're all saddened that they're not there. We all wish we had 20-20 hindsight"
I am probably going to come back to this idea from time to time as it would seem that many industries, including music did not appreciate, at length, the value of "Footage".
 

I am showing my future brother-in-law how to do a podcast and thought that it would be really cool to repost this podcast from about a year ago.
So if you are in the mood for some Fables songs have a listen.

While I have purchased and listened to 'Killingsworth' a couple times, I have not had a chance to digest it as of yet. IMHO, the record is much more on the somber/sad side compared to other Minus 5 efforts.

Gone are the Beach Boys sounding records like 'Let the War Against Music Begin' or the hard rock sounds of 'In Rock' but it has a much more country feel to it.

Pitchfork gave it a slightly favorable review overall and there is a story here regarding McCaughey in the Oregon Live.

Lately, I am consumed by the fact that R.E.M. has been doing something right. Their Deluxe Editions have come out in style, received some notoriety, and even a perfect score, from the Pitchfork Crew and now they are giving us a “Tasting Menu” of some of the songs that are on the horizon.

To give all you novices, a quick Cliffs Notes version of these shows, R.E.M. decided to switch things up before the release of their last album ‘Accelerate’ and put together a set of rehearsal shows in Dublin, Ireland, while working in the studio. They picked 5 nights in the summer of 2007, to play these shows and the purpose was mainly to perform these songs in front of a live audience both for their reaction to the songs as well as the bands reaction to them.

The hope was that by “Beta Testing” these songs in front of a crowd they could figure out what worked and what didn’t. On top of performing new songs, the band also pulled out a host of older of songs they had not performed live in years. What this EP has provided however, is a more modern impression of these songs that are 25 years or even older giving depth of the offering of two guitars being played live than just one on the earlier tunes.

Ironicly, if there was a big brother to the album, “Accelerate” in the R.E.M. repertoire, ‘Reckoning’ would have to be chosen, if not for the spirit of the album as it relates to ‘Accelerate’. So it’s perfect to accelerate to ‘Reckoning’ with 4 strong songs of their own.

While Facebooking about how much I was appreciating the new EP and talking to Chuck, I figured I would gather the songs together once again.
Here is a listing of the songs that R.E.M. played in their 5 night stay in Dublin Ireland (6/30/07 - 07/05/07).
There were talks that the band would be including "Over 30" songs on this release. The band played 39 unique songs while performing in Dublin.
 
By Album
 
Chronic Town (EP)
1000000
Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)
Gardening At Night
Wolves, Lower
 
Murmur
Sitting Still
West of the Fields
 
Reckoning
Harborcoat
Letter Never Sent
Little America
Pretty Persuasion
Second Guessing
So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
 
Fables of the Reconstruction
Auctioneer (Another Engine)
Driver 8
Feeling Gravitys Pull
Kohoutek
Maps and Legends
 
Lifes Rich Pageant
Cuyahoga
These Days
 
Document
Disturbance at The Heron House
Welcome to the Occupation
 
Automatic For The People
Drive
 
Monster
Circus Envy
 
New Adventures In Hi Fi
Electrolite
New Test Leper
 
Reveal
I've Been High
 
Around The Sun
The Worst Joke Ever
 
Acccelerate

A beautiful version of Harborcoat has been posted to REMHQ for everyone to enjoy.

I always like how these songs can be reintroduced to the public after so many years and quite honestly, the song has been reinvented after its 20+ year existence.

Played in 2007, this song is part of the Olympia Theatre rehearsal shows back in July 2007, and in particular was played on July 4th of that year.

R.E.M. is planning a 2-CD live release later this year as a compilation of those nights performances. Harborcoat will also be released as  a 4 song EP on July 7th, in support of the Reckoning songs as a precurser to 'Live at the Olympia' that is coming this October.

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I was getting concerned that Pitchfork would not give 'Reckoning' its due, but it came through just before the July 4th holiday, and never too late.
Pitchfork exploded again with giving Reckoning a perfect 10 rating, making plenty of great arguments as to its place as one of R.E.M.'s best albums:
 
Declaring Reckoning to be R.E.M.'s "best" album sells short just how many different kinds of great albums R.E.M. have released. But, more so than any other R.E.M. record, Reckoning is unified and energized by the very restlessness that has driven the band to explore so many different ideas and identities. It is this paradoxical engine of transparency and mystery that has made the band so unique, regardless of the particular approach they choose to take for a given record. Any way you look at it, this is R.E.M.
 
While they surely do not have to sell me on this news, a definitive review and perfect score continue to sell the premise of the importance of this album on rock music.
 
 
 

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