Tag: Bill Berry

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Vinyl

Vinyl love: R.E.M. “Life’s rich pageant”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: R.E.M.
Album Title: Life’s rich pageant
Year released: 1986
Year reissued: 2016
Details: Black vinyl

The skinny: So that’s that. Seven weeks ago, I started this journey. I first posted about my most recent R.E.M. vinyl acquisition, a 25th anniversary pressing of “New adventures in hi-fi”. Then, I worked backwards chronologically through their albums in my collection, sharing pics of “Monster”, “Automatic for the people”, “Out of time”, “Green”, and “Document”, and now we are at the final piece. “Life’s rich pageant” is the band’s fourth studio album and the only one in my collection not produced or c0-produced by Scott Litt. I originally picked up this album on CD shortly after graduating high school, after hearing it in the backseat of a car, driving home from some long forgotten party as the sun was coming up, the volume cranked and windows wide open. Now, these songs will always remind me of that invincible feeling of youth. And maybe also because of this memory, this vinyl reissue was the first R.E.M. record to hit my vinyl shelves. I don’t see myself purchasing any other of their records, unless someone can convince me otherwise. Who will take up that challenge?

Standout track: “Fall on me”

Categories
Vinyl

Vinyl love: R.E.M. “Document”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: R.E.M.
Album Title: Document
Year released: 1987
Year reissued: 2018
Details: Limited edition, Limited to 2500 copies, 180 gram vinyl, orange translucent vinyl

The skinny: Six albums into this mini R.E.M. ‘Vinyl love’ series and here is the first sign of any coloured vinyl. Lovingly pressed to a 180 gram disc like all of the albums we have already seen, it was advertised as ‘gold’ but it sure looks like translucent gold to me. I purchased this pressing of R.E.M’s fifth studio album and first with Scott Litt producing right from the R.E.M. store back in 2018. It was an impulse buy. I saw ‘limited to 2500’ and didn’t see it anywhere else so I pulled the trigger. Of course, it was fated to be a part of my collection eventually. “Document” is one of the albums that I had to go back to discover after falling for the band with their next big three. Of course, there were a few tracks here with which I was already familiar but the rest were just as great. There’s just one more to go. See you back here next weekend.

Standout track: “The one l love”

Categories
Vinyl

Vinyl love: R.E.M. “Green”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: R.E.M.
Album Title: Green
Year released: 1988
Year reissued: 2013
Details: 25th anniversary, 180 gram vinyl

The skinny: Onwards and backwards chronologically through my collection of R.E.M. records, we have now come to their sixth record. “Green” was where I came in, was properly introduced the band, and the first physical album by the band that I ever owned. Originally purchased on cassette tape, metal cassette tape to be exact, it found a home in my Sony Sports Walkman for many days at a time and at various points in time throughout my high school years. I later replaced it with a used compact disc at some point because I no longer had a means to play the cassette, though I am pretty sure I still have it packed away somewhere in my basement. As for this 25th anniversary reissue of the record on 180 gram vinyl, I actually only procured it early last year when I ordered it, along with the self-titled debut album by Fleet Foxes from Pop Music Toronto’s online store. So yeah, I’ve paid for this album three times in three different decades during my lifetime but each has and will continue to earn its keep. Just an excellent and timeless rock record.

Standout track: “Orange crush”