REM – Eponymous

Maybe it’s unfair to do a review of what is pretty much a “greatest hits” type album, but I just put this cassette (yes, cassette) into my car for the first time in a long long time the other day and it just made me realize how friggin’ awesome REM used to be. See, I was really on the REM bandwagon in my younger (read: 11-14) years, but lost interest when Automatic For The People came out. Really the only thing that saved Out Of Time for me were the songs “Texarkana” and “Me In Honey”. I really despised “Losing My Religion”; good song I guess but GOD was it overplayed (pun intended). Monster was pretty good, I appreciated the band’s return to form of years past.

Eponymous I think culminates the best reflection of what REM was before everyone got bulldozed by “Losing My Religion”. You want some old school poppy stuff? How about “Radio Free Europe” or “Don’t Go Back To Rockville”! Sad eerie songs? “Driver 8″ or “The One I Love” should suffice! Of course you have one of their best in “So. Central Rain” and then the overlooked “Talk About The Passion”. The low points of the album with “Gardening At Night” and “Finest Worksong” are even good listens.

REM’s releases have been spotty the last few years, especially Around The Sun which I couldn’t get into at all. Regardless, these guys have one hell of a legacy and if you even remotely dug “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” you should do yourself a service and check out their back catalog, Eponymous a great place to start.

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