Being an unapologetic iPod\/iTunes addict, I’m not too ashamed to announce I just finished ripping all of my R.E.M. cds. So this is blogworthy exactly how, you ask? Well, I was moved to post here because, all told, it amounts to over 28 hours of music. 28 HOURS! Isn’t that amazing? On second thought, I suppose one could say that a day’s worth of songs isn’t that much considering the band’s recording career is at least 20 years and running. But I’m sure there’s a completist out there with every soundtrack, b-side, and bootleg whose pile o’ R.E.M. MP3s reaches into not days but weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of my iTunes obsession involves rating every track (seeing as how I’m constantly ripping more cds, it’s also a sisyphusean Big-Dig-type job). So a quick glance at my track-by-track ratings betrays my favorite albums, in rough order: Document<\/em>, Lifes Rich Pageant<\/em>, Up<\/em>, Monster<\/em>. Least favorites? The two most recent: Reveal<\/em> and Around the Sun<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happened after Up<\/em>? I know that album isn’t well-regarded, but personally I love it for its flaws and honestly, its weirdness. It’s their first album after drummer Bill Berry left the band, and it shows them reaching for a new sound. Perhaps the touches of electronica are a bit dated (David Bowie<\/a> and U2<\/a> have also left much of that behind by now), but I like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, the identity they chose is to follow up on the tone set by the most bland song on Up<\/em>, “Daysleeper”. It’s the sort of jangly ballad R.E.M. can dash off in their sleep. It lets the album down, and it’s a real bummer for the next two whole albums<\/em> to share that feel. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll buy the next one to see if they jump off the cliff again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Being an unapologetic iPod\/iTunes addict, I’m not too ashamed to announce I just finished ripping all of my R.E.M. cds. So this is blogworthy exactly how, you ask? Well, I was moved to post here because, all told, it amounts to over 28 hours of music. 28 HOURS! Isn’t that amazing? On second thought, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[107,1260,534],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-anton-corbijn","tag-michael-stipe","tag-rem"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/09\/rem_corbijn.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-B","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1802,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/decemberists\/","url_meta":{"origin":37,"position":0},"title":"The Decemberists Live at Radio City Music Hall, June 10, 2009","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"June 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 (including Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Bill Rieflin of Ministry, R.E.M., and The Humans) opened with an enjoyable 30-minute set. 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I own (or once owned) a whopping 26% of these overrated (so they say) canonical classics! Hey, Chalkhills, what did\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"100 albums","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/100albums1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":412,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-for-september-13-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":37,"position":2},"title":"Notes on Apple’s “It’s Showtime” special event","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"September 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Time for some obligatory mouthing off about Apple's latest iFiesta, the \"It's Showtime\" special event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. iPod with Video (such an ungainly name): enhanced with more storage and brighter screen. iPod Nano: totally redesigned. Or rather, it's just like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tech"","block_context":{"text":"Tech","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/tech\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/apple-showtime.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/apple-showtime.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/apple-showtime.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/apple-showtime.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/apple-showtime.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1439,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/joy-division\/","url_meta":{"origin":37,"position":3},"title":"There’s Nothing Pretty: Grant Gee’s Joy Division","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Grant Gee's documentary Joy Division covers the all-too-brief history of the eponymous post-punk band from Manchester. Joy Division was tragically short-lived, only completing two albums before lead singer Ian Curtis' suicide in 1980, but disproportionately influential. Their sound is all over the early U2 albums Boy and October, and Interpol\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Joy Division","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/joy-division-kevin-cummins.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/joy-division-kevin-cummins.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/joy-division-kevin-cummins.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/joy-division-kevin-cummins.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/joy-division-kevin-cummins.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8591,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/peter-gabriel-pioneers-a-new-album-release-strategy-whether-his-fans-like-or-not-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":37,"position":4},"title":"Peter Gabriel pioneers a new album release strategy, whether his fans like or not (I do)","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"April 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Peter Gabriel has been releasing a bevy of new singles and rare archive material throughout 2023, so why are some of his fans complaining?","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Peter Gabriel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gabriel-io-portrait.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gabriel-io-portrait.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gabriel-io-portrait.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gabriel-io-portrait.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gabriel-io-portrait.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":414,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-special-edition-my-itunes-7-nightmare\/","url_meta":{"origin":37,"position":5},"title":"My iTunes 7 Nightmare","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"September 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"As Engadget reports, iTunes 7 may be more than a little flakey, and I have a nightmare story of my own. 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