Gentlemen Don't Get Caught

My R.E.M. retrospective continues. I've tried to provide links to the songs as they appear on the records. If I can't find one, I'll substitute it with a live performance from the appropriate era:

Chronic Town (EP) - 1982

Now that R.E.M. had a single under their belts, it was time to take the next step in their rock careers and put out a five song ep. Chronic Town is a very tight and well-realized batch of songs. It's hard to find anything to complain about. The trademarks that were hinted at on the single become more evident here: jangly guitar, agile bass playing, straightforward drumming, mumbled vocals. While all these songs continue to display these aspects, the song writing and structures are varied enough that each song is able to establish its own identities and they don't run into the problem of all sounding alike. I've seen the tracklisting two different ways (a flipping of the A and B sides), but this is the one that I've always known and structurally I think it works the best.

"Wolves, Lower" - This is a great leadoff track. The opening guitar riff is one of Peter Buck's best and it's a hell of a hook. It has a nice verse-prechorus-chorus build and there's a eerie tensions that is maintained throughout the rest of Chronic Town. Mike Mill's background vocals start to appear with this song and are a great counter point to Michael Stipe's lead. Also, there's a great breakdown bridge that is punctuated with creepy guitar and feedback noise.

"Gardening at Night" - This song is more in keeping with what the band's sound will be like over the next few years. Less tense than the rest of Chronic Town, but still full of energy. Stipe uses a odd falsetto on this track, which causes it further separation with the rest of the ep (a new vocal track was later cut and can be heard on Eponymous. I prefer that version). Still, this is the first real signature R.E.M. song and it is inspiration for the name they use for copyrighting their music.

"Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)" - This track opens with a spooky keyboard part that gives a this carnival a haunted feel. This song quickly gets rocking and drummer Bill Berry really shines on this track. He's responsible for a lot of the dynamic shifts in it. It has a great chorus and Mills is back supplying some wonderful backing vocals. A very energetic track that makes for a great centerpiece for the record.

"1,000,000" - The second side kicks off with another upbeat rocker. I would argue that this is Michael Stipes' best vocal performance on Chronic Town. Sure, you still can hardly tell what he's saying but he bounces from growl to serene mumbling and back. Peter Buck continues to balance his jangle with his rock for a solid and exciting guitar sound.

"Stumble" - Chronic Town comes to a close with this song. This is a pretty decent coda for the ep as it brings together a lot of the sounds from the previous tracks back into play. The haunted tones of "Carnival of Sorts" and the creepy effects from "Wolves, Lower" makes a reappearance near the end while Berry does some excellent tribal tom work. I've always like intro in which Stipe bumps the microphone, laughs, and says "Teeth".

Overall, a tight little number of songs that may sound a little raw and dated production wise. Still, Chronic Town is a great listen and an indicator of where R.E.M.'s sound was going at the time.

8 out of 10