Green | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 7, 1988 | |||
Recorded | May–September 1988 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Experimental rock [1] | |||
Length | 41:01 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer |
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R.E.M. chronology | ||||
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Singles from Green | ||||
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Green promo cover | ||||
Green is the sixth studio album by American rock band R.E.M.,released on November 7,1988,by Warner Bros. Records. The second album to be produced by the band and Scott Litt,it continued to explore political issues both in its lyrics and packaging. The band experimented on the album,writing major-key rock songs and incorporating new instruments into their sound including the mandolin,as well as switching their original instruments on other songs.
Upon its release,Green was a critical and commercial success. To promote Green,the band embarked on an 11-month world tour and released four singles from the album:"Orange Crush","Stand","Pop Song 89",and "Get Up".
With the release of Document in 1987,R.E.M. fulfilled its contract with I.R.S. Records. Frustrated that its records did not see satisfactory overseas distribution,in early 1988 the band told I.R.S. head Jay Boberg that it was leaving the label. [2] Guitarist Peter Buck also explained that his group felt it was being pressured to sell well by I.R.S.,yet felt I.R.S.'s distributor MCA Records did not consider the ensemble a priority. [3] R.E.M.'s management then approached any record companies that expressed interest in the band. [4] Though other labels offered more money,R.E.M. ultimately signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records—reportedly between $6 million and $12 million—due to the company's assurance of total creative freedom. [5] In light of its move to a major label,the band became defensive in interviews against accusations from some fans who claimed it was selling out. [6]
R.E.M. began the album process by recording demos at Robbie Collins' Underground Sound Recording Studio in Athens,Georgia in March 1988. Bill Berry,Peter Buck and Mike Mills recorded the basic tracks in two configurations:(1) drums,guitar,and bass,and (2) percussion,mandolin,and accordion. The demos were mixed by Robbie Collins,Buren Fowler (guitar tech for Peter Buck and later member of Drivin N Cryin),and David LaBruyere (later bassist for Vic Varney,Michelle Malone,and John Mayer) and presented to R.E.M. management. Two songs were recorded at the 1st of 2 sessions:“Song 1”(I Remember California) &“Song 2”(Eleventh Untitled Song). In April 1988 the band recorded more demos at John Keane Studios in Athens,GA,&some of these demos,including "Title," "Great Big," "Larry Graham" and "The Last R.E.M. Song," have never been commercially released. The demo "Larry Graham" was named for Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham,who was famous for his slap-bass style. "Larry Graham" has many similarities musically with Out of Time opener "Radio Song. "Title" was an older song which had been performed often on the Work Tour,but when demoed,was only recorded as an instrumental.
Just one month after signing with Warner Bros.,the band recorded the basic tracks for Green at Ardent Studios Studio A in Memphis,Tennessee from May 24 through July 5,1988,with Scott Litt producing. Recording and mixing resumed later that month at Bearsville Sound Studios in Bearsville,New York. Two new songs were recorded in Bearsville,one which became “Turn You Inside-Out”&one unreleased song. “Untitled”or “The Eleventh Untitled Song”was recorded under the working title of “Carnival" &even after the songs were mixed,still had the “Carnival”working title as late as 6 September 1988 before the band decided it wasn’t to have a name on final release. "The Wrong Child" was recorded and mixed under the working title "Mozart." The Bearsville sessions continued until September 3,1988—barely two months before Green's release.
Green marks the departure of the jangle pop and college rock styling of the band's previous albums. [7] In a 1988 interview,Peter Buck described Green as an album that didn't feature any typical R.E.M. songs. Describing the band's standard output as "Minor key,mid-tempo,enigmatic,semi-folk-rock-balladish things",the guitarist noted that for Green,"We wrote major key rock songs and switched instruments." [8] Singer Michael Stipe had reportedly told his bandmates to "not write any more R.E.M.-type songs". Bassist Mike Mills argued that Green was an experimental record,resulting in an album that was "haphazard,a little scattershot". Band biographer David Buckley wrote,"[S]onically,Green is all over the place,the result being a fascinatingly eclectic album rather than a unified artistic move forward". [1] In a RTÉ review of the 25th anniversary edition of the album,R.E.M. stated the album was full of "big dumb bubblegum pop songs." [7]
Green was envisioned as an album where one side would feature electric songs and the other,acoustic material,with the plan failing to come to fruition due to a lack of acoustic songs deemed fit for release. David Buckley highlighted three main musical strands on Green:"ironic pop songs" like "Stand" and "Pop Song 89",harder-hitting tracks such as "Orange Crush" and "Turn You Inside-Out",and "pastoral acoustic numbers" that had Peter Buck playing mandolin,with track 11 singled out as an anomaly. Buck had become fond of playing acoustic music with his friends in that period,and thus purchased an "oddly-shaped Italian mandolin-cum-lyre" in 1987;he would play the instrument on three of the tracks on Green. From this period onward,R.E.M. would swap instruments among members,and on Green the group also incorporated accordion,cello,and lap steel guitar. [9]
The cover art was painted by New York City minimalist line painter Jon McCafferty. Promotional copies of the album were housed in a mauve, cloth-covered Digipack, with the title and artist debossed and a number "4" embossed over both of the "R"s. The color and texture are made to imitate tree bark.
The original pressings of the album and cassette tape covers had the number 4 spot varnished over the R in both "Green" and "R.E.M." In return, "R. Stand" appears instead of "4. Stand" on the track list on the back cover. Allegedly, this was a product of an early typing mistake: due to "4" being a number very close to "R" on the keyboard, "Green" was once misspelled "G4een", and the mistake was adopted this way. The album was the first by the band to feature printed lyrics, although only the lyrics to "World Leader Pretend" appeared.
Green is the first R.E.M. album to also be released in a special edition version, though it was only released as a promotional CD. R.E.M. would go on to create a special edition version of each subsequent album they released, with the exception of their final studio album, 2011's Collapse into Now .
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
Chicago Tribune | [11] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [12] |
Los Angeles Times | [13] |
NME | 9/10 [14] |
Pitchfork | 8.4/10 [15] |
Q | [16] |
Rolling Stone | [17] |
Uncut | 9/10 [18] |
The Village Voice | B+ [19] |
Green was released on November 7, 1988, in the United Kingdom, and the following day in the United States. R.E.M. chose the American release date to coincide with the 1988 presidential election, and used its increased profile during the period to criticize Republican candidate George H. W. Bush while praising Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis. [20] With warm critical reaction and the conversion of many new fans, Green ultimately went double-platinum in the US, reaching number 12, and peaked at number 27 in the UK. "Orange Crush" became R.E.M.'s first American number one single on both the Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was the band's first gold album in the UK, making it the quartet's European breakthrough. "What I love about it is the immensely unlikely lyrics," remarked Neil Hannon, frontman of The Divine Comedy, "and, in the mandolin on 'You Are The Everything' and 'The Wrong Child', it's got a bit of what comes later but in a much purer way. It's so small and intense, it's amazing." [21] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau praised the first half of the album, calling it "rousing, funny, serious, elegiac" while panning the second half for "dubious poetry and heavy tempos." [19]
Some advance promo cassettes of the album, dating from September 1988, contained alternate mixes of "World Leader Pretend" (with different intro), "Turn You Inside-Out" (with different ending), and the untitled eleventh track (different drum mix). All of these mixes are otherwise unreleased.
The band would tour extensively in support of the album throughout 1989, before beginning work on 1991's Out of Time . Green has gone on to sell four million copies worldwide. [22]
R.E.M. supported the album with its biggest and most visually developed tour to date, featuring back-projections and art films playing on the stage. [23] The tour was much larger in scope than the "Work" tour that supported the previous album. This was especially true in venues outside of the United States due to Warner Bros. Records' ability to market the band overseas. On the final night of the 11-month trek to support Green, at the Fox Theater, in Atlanta, Georgia, the band performed their first full-length album, Murmur , in order, from start to finish, followed by Green, in order, from start to finish. The night was concluded by an encore set performed by Microwave & the Melons—the road crew led by guitar tech Mark "Microwave" Mytrowitz. It marked the only live performance of "The Wrong Child," and one of the few live performances of "Hairshirt." After the Green tour, the band members unofficially decided to take the following year off, the first extended break in the group's career. [24]
Some songs from Green—such as "Pop Song 89" and "Orange Crush"—had appeared occasionally on the "Work" tour in 1987. Though the lyrics were embryonic, the melodies and arrangements were similar to those that appeared on the finished record. Similarly, the band began playing versions of "Low" and "Belong" in the later part of the Green Tour, both of which would appear on their next album Out of Time.
Portions of the tour would be filmed for the band's first live video album Tourfilm .
The album was remastered in 2013 for its 25th anniversary, adding the bonus live album Live in Greensboro 1989 by Rhino Records; was released on May 14. [25] Additionally, the EP Live in Greensboro EP was released on April 20 as a promotion for Record Store Day.
Nirvana singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain listed it in his top 50 albums of all time. [26] In 1989, Sounds ranked the album at number 62 in its list of "The Top 80 Albums from the '80s."[ citation needed ] In 1993, The Times ranked the album at number 70 in their list of "The 100 Best Albums of All Time." [27] In 2013, NME ranked it at number 274 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[ citation needed ]
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe.
Side one – "Air side"
Side two – "Metal side"
Notes
R.E.M.
Additional musicians
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Year | Song | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | "Orange Crush" | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 1 [36] |
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 [36] | ||
"Pop Song 89" | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 16 [36] | |
"Stand" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 [36] | |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 1 [36] | ||
1989 | "Pop Song 89" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 14 [36] |
Billboard Hot 100 | 86 [36] | ||
"Stand" | 6 [36] | ||
"Turn You Inside-Out" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 [36] | |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 10 [36] | ||
"Stand" | UK Singles Chart | 51 [37] | |
"Orange Crush" | 28 [37] | ||
"Stand" (re-release) | 48 [37] |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [38] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [39] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [40] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [42] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of Green which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound mix by Elliot Scheiner, lyrics, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes.
Green
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | November 7, 1988 | Warner Bros. | vinyl LP | WX 234 |
Compact Disc | 7599-25795-2 | |||
United States | November 8, 1988 | Warner Bros. | LP | 1-25795 |
Compact Disc | 2-25795 | |||
cassette tape | 4-25795 | |||
Canada | November 8, 1988 | Warner Music Canada | LP | 1-25795 |
Compact Disc | 2-25795 | |||
cassette tape | 4-25795 | |||
Germany | November 11, 1988 | Warner Music Germany | Compact Disc | 7599-25795-2 |
Japan | December 10, 1988 | Warner Music Japan | Compact Disc | 25P2-2389 |
Argentina | 1988 | Warner Bros. | LP | WEA 80127 |
Brazil | 1988 | Warner Bros. | LP | 6708035 |
Greece | 1988 | Warner Bros. | LP | 925795-1 |
Israel | 1988 | Warner Bros. | LP | BAN 925773-1 |
Mexico | 1988 | Warner Bros. | LP | LXWB-6813 |
Peru | 1988 | Warner Bros. | cassette tape | cn-wbr-0257945-4 |
South Africa | 1988 | Warner Bros./Tusk | LP | WBC 1654 |
Compact Disc | WBCD 1654 | |||
Australia | 1995 | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc | 9257952 |
United States | 2005 | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc/DVD-Audio DualDisc | 73948 |
United States | May 14, 2013 | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc | 8122796570†† |
Note
Box sets
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 1995 | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc box set | 9362460742 | Packaged with Out of Time |
Argentina | 1998 | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc box set | 9362 47180-2 | Packaged with New Adventures in Hi-Fi , entitled "Doble Dosis" |
France | 1998 | WEA | Compact Disc box set | WE 872 | Packaged with New Adventures in Hi-Fi |
Murmur is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983, by I.R.S. Records. The album was recorded at Reflection Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, with musicians Don Dixon and Mitch Easter serving as producers. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by lead singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bass guitarist Mike Mills's melodic basslines. In 2003, the album was ranked number 197 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". It retained the position in the 2012 list and was raised to number 165 in the 2020 revision.
Automatic for the People is the eighth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on October 5, 1992, in the United Kingdom and Europe, and on the following day in the United States, by Warner Bros. Records. R.E.M. began production on the album while their previous album, Out of Time (1991), was still ascending charts and achieving global success. Aided by strings arranged by John Paul Jones and conducted by George Hanson, Automatic for the People features ruminations on mortality, loss, mourning, and nostalgia.
"Losing My Religion" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in February 1991 by Warner Bros. as the first single from their seventh album, Out of Time (1991). It developed from a mandolin riff improvised by the guitarist, Peter Buck, with lyrics about unrequited love.
Out of Time is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 12, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. With Out of Time, R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act. The record topped the album sales charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom, spending 109 weeks on U.S. album charts and, with two separate spells at the top, and spending 183 weeks on the British charts, including one week at the top. The album has sold more than four and a half million copies in the United States and more than 18 million copies worldwide. Out of Time won three Grammy Awards in 1992: one as Best Alternative Music Album, and two for its first single, "Losing My Religion".
Monster is the ninth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records in the UK on September 26, 1994, and in the US the following day. It was produced by the band and Scott Litt and recorded at four studios. The album was an intentional shift from the style of their previous two albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), by introducing loud, distorted guitar tones and simple lyrics.
Reckoning is the second studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 9, 1984, by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984. Dixon and Easter intended to capture the sound of R.E.M.'s live performances, and used binaural recording on several tracks. Lead singer Michael Stipe dealt with darker subject matter in his lyrics, with water-related imagery being a recurring theme on the album.
Fables of the Reconstruction is the third studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released on June 10, 1985, through I.R.S. Records. It was the band's first album recorded outside of the U.S., with sessions taking place at Livingston Studios in London with producer Joe Boyd. The record displays a darker, murkier sound than its predecessors, with lyrics drawing from Southern Gothic themes and characters. The album also utilizes more varied instrumentation, including string and brass arrangements and banjo.
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 is the second official compilation album released by R.E.M. Issued in 2003, it includes tracks from their Warner Bros. Records era, from 1988's Green to 2001's Reveal, as well as two new recordings and two songs from movie soundtracks. The album was the tenth-best-selling album of 2003 in the UK, and the 50th-best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK.
Peter Lawrence Buck is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his career with R.E.M. (1980–2011), as well as during his subsequent solo career, Buck has also been at various times an official member of numerous 'side project' groups. These groups included Arthur Buck, Hindu Love Gods, The Minus 5, Tuatara, The Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, Tired Pony, The No-Ones, and Filthy Friends, each of which have released at least one full-length studio album. Additionally, the experimental combo Slow Music have released an official live concert CD. Another side project group called Full Time Men released an EP while Buck was a member. As well, ad hoc "supergroups" Bingo Hand Job, Musical Kings and Nigel & The Crosses have each commercially released one track.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major-label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia, and the following day in the United States. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was the band's final album recorded with founding drummer Bill Berry, original manager Jefferson Holt, and long-time producer Scott Litt. The members of R.E.M. consider the recorded album representative of the band at their peak, and fans generally regard it as the band's last great record before a perceived artistic decline during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It has sold around seven million units, growing in cult status years after its release, with several retrospectives ranking it among the best of the band's recorded catalogue.
Reveal is the twelfth studio album by American rock band R.E.M. It was released on May 14, 2001, through Warner Bros. Records and was the second of three albums by the band to be produced with Pat McCarthy. It was also R.E.M.'s second album as a three-piece following the departure of drummer Bill Berry, and includes contributions from the band's touring members Joey Waronker, Scott McCaughey and Ken Stringfellow. The band recorded the album in various locations, including in Dublin, Miami, Vancouver, and their hometown of Athens, Georgia. The album saw R.E.M. continue to experiment with electronic music as they had on their previous album Up (1998), utilizing keyboards and drum machines, while also retaining elements of their earlier sound.
Around the Sun is the thirteenth studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on October 5, 2004 on Warner Bros. Records. The album was supported by several singles and a world tour. It was commercially successful but received mixed reception and is often considered the weakest in the band's catalogue.
"Man on the Moon" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in November 1992 as the second single from their eighth album, Automatic for the People (1992). The lyrics were written by lead singer Michael Stipe, and the music by drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck. The song was well received by critics and reached number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 17 on the US Cash Box Top 100, number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Iceland. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs and was included on the compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.
"Radio Free Europe" is the debut single by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The song features "what were to become the trademark unintelligible lyrics which [sic] have distinguished R.E.M.'s work ever since." The single received critical acclaim, and its success earned the band a record deal with I.R.S. Records. R.E.M. re-recorded the song for their 1983 debut album Murmur. The re-recording for I.R.S. became the group's first charting single, peaking at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is ranked number 389 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009, it was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for setting "the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio's general indifference."
"Stand" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from the album Green in 1989. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming R.E.M.'s second top 10 hit in the United States, and topped both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. The song reached number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and number 16 in Canada. It was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. Records "best of" album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 in 2003, as well as the 2011 compilation album Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage.
"Pop Song 89" is the opening track and third single released from R.E.M.'s sixth studio album Green. It peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100, and in the UK "Stand" was re-released instead.
"All the Right Friends" is one of the earliest songs written by R.E.M., written by Peter Buck and Michael Stipe in 1979 before meeting their future bandmates, according to Peter Buck's liner notes to the band's In Time compilation album. Like all R.E.M. songs, its composition is credited to all members.
R.E.M. Live is a live album from R.E.M., recorded at the Point Theatre, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on February 26 and 27, 2005, the closing nights of the winter European leg of the Around the World Tour in support of their thirteenth studio album Around the Sun, released in late 2004. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2007, and in the United States a day later as a two-CD audio set and a DVD, then released in February 2008 as a triple vinyl set. The performance was filmed by Blue Leach, who also directed Depeche Mode's Touring the Angel: Live in Milan.
"Turn You Inside-Out" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their sixth studio album Green. Like all tracks on the album, it was written by group members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry. The song's main guitar riff is an inversion of that used in "Finest Worksong". The recording also features percussion from former Sugar Hill Records house drummer Keith LeBlanc.
Collapse into Now is the fifteenth and final studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 7, 2011, on Warner Bros. Produced by Jacknife Lee, who previously worked with the band on Accelerate (2008), the album was preceded by the singles "It Happened Today", "Mine Smell Like Honey", "Überlin" and "Oh My Heart".
Works cited