Growing up in the '80s has its landmarks. Reagan leaving office after a second term, the cold war ending, Star Wars being the #1 movie even a decade after its release (this was before the prequels folks!) and of course, R.E.M. albums as a life soundtrack year after year!
R.E.M.'s new live DVD release entitled simply Live contains more than a handful of these 80's moments performed in this new millennium with all the artistry and guts they had and then some.
As a child of the '80s, I saw R.E.M. play 18 times. That was just here in California; imagine how much they played in that decade all across the globe! You can say many things about R.E.M., but one major thing is that they strove to be and in fact were a global sort of band.
Well, many things have changed since we left the '80s nearly two decades ago, but one thing hasn't changed: R.E.M. is still a global item!
All over the earth R.E.M. still draw legions of fans and their records become hits upon release. This latest DVD, a compilation of their live material, rocks the globe better than ever and with the same southern-rock/other worldly spell it had all those years ago and adds the element of video that also-film-producer (i.e.; "Being John Malkovich") Stipe excelled at creating.
This compilation of tunes is perfect for the curious new generation of smart fans or for the diehard early fans like me that permeate a new millennium culture.
The early die hards should buy this album for these live renditions that bring Stipe's soulful vocal and Buck's jangly guitar to a new place. Riffs where there once were none make the live tunes familiar yet entirely different and worth having on your ipod or on your DVD player for that matter:
"Cuyahoga"
"The Great Beyond"
"Orange Crush"
"The One I Love"
"Losing My Religion"
"What's the Frequency Kenneth?"
"Drive"
"(Don't Go Back to) Rockville"
"Man on the Moon"
The rest of the 22-track DVD has songs from the '90s up to now. Newer fans will not be disappointed at the way this band has honed the songs we love into something its fans will most assuredly love even more. Sometimes live DVD's are just muted and poorly recorded versions of previously released music. Not so with Live. There are all kinds of surprises. Fans of the '80s band never saw greasepaints on Stipe's head this way! And he performs like a 25-year old until the grease paint wears off.
The stage set and Stipe's wardrobe alone make for a great show. Peter Buck's scissor kicks and tandem moves with bassist Mike Mills are classic R.E.M. to watch. This musical collection of energy, talent, and art is a must for R.E.M. fans old and new. Seeing the abstract stage sets behind the rock moves of Peter Buck and Mike Mills on bass brings out a band we never knew in the '80s, though half the songs are the same.
It's a great DVD for any age, but ESPECIALLY If you're in your 30's or 40's and having friends over for a party soon, get this DVD for the background. It'll surely launch your party to the heights that no one in alt rock music had reached and that R.E.M. through this DVD has catapulted even higher into this new millennium.
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