Ten Favorite 1986 Albums: Lifes Rich Pageant (#2)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (62164)
United States
November 21, 2018 9:53am CST
Happy Thanksgiving Eve to everyone in America. If you're traveling, be safe. If you're going to a WKRP turkey drop, wear a bicycle helmet for protection! Here's some traveling music for you, the penultimate album on my list of favorites from 1986. This countdown was inspired by @miketagz having a birthday last week (or that's the excuse I'm using!). To nobody's surprise, here's today's album.
#2: Lifes Rich Pageant - R.E.M.
If you're shocked, just wait till you plug in the tree with wet fingers! 
I usually stuck R.E.M.'s albums in my "top ten for the year" list whenever they released a new album....before I even played it. That's how consistent they were.
I know music is subjective, so I qualify this statement with the reminder that it is my opinion: the three best rock bands America has ever given the world are CCR, Poco, and R.E.M. There's nothing like an R.E.M. album. I just recently counted down my twenty favorite songs from the first ten years of their career (the second half will be coming later, another 20 songs....then I'll probably do a "20 songs I forgot" list!).
It's hard to pick a favorite R.E.M. album because they are all so...well, R.E.M.-ish. They all have a terrific blend of music styles (compare "These Days" to the song that follows it on the album, "Fall On Me," for instance), fabulous playing, and Michael Stipe, who is one of the most singularly unique vocalists in rock history.
Ho hum, just another typical R.E.M. album.
Lifes Rich Pageant
Recorded by R.E.M.
Produced by Don Gehman
True story: When I bought the album I played this song first because there's a Jackson Browne song called "These Days." This ain't it...and then some!
I usually stuck R.E.M.'s albums in my "top ten for the year" list whenever they released a new album....before I even played it. That's how consistent they were.
I know music is subjective, so I qualify this statement with the reminder that it is my opinion: the three best rock bands America has ever given the world are CCR, Poco, and R.E.M. There's nothing like an R.E.M. album. I just recently counted down my twenty favorite songs from the first ten years of their career (the second half will be coming later, another 20 songs....then I'll probably do a "20 songs I forgot" list!).
It's hard to pick a favorite R.E.M. album because they are all so...well, R.E.M.-ish. They all have a terrific blend of music styles (compare "These Days" to the song that follows it on the album, "Fall On Me," for instance), fabulous playing, and Michael Stipe, who is one of the most singularly unique vocalists in rock history.
Ho hum, just another typical R.E.M. album.
Lifes Rich Pageant
Recorded by R.E.M.
Produced by Don Gehman
True story: When I bought the album I played this song first because there's a Jackson Browne song called "These Days." This ain't it...and then some!
3 people like this
2 responses
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Nov 18
I cannot argue this selection.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (62164)
• United States
21 Nov 18
Phew, that makes up for yesterday's (sorta). 
1 person likes this
