It opens the song - a scattering of low E notes blown apart by surging open chords - but its key function comes in the final chorus, where it crashes into Stipe’s cry of “Fire!” and Mills’ aching backing vocals, delivering a thrilling payoff after the push-pull dynamic of Buck’s searing guitar break and the quiet reset of the final verse. If we’re talking riffs, this is the riff. Then go here: The One I Love ( Document, 1987) and others, and also how fully formed they appeared on day one. A couple of remarkable things pop out when revisiting this song: how fresh it always feels despite its constituent parts having been recycled for decades by both R.E.M. Radio Free Europe - their rollicking first single and later a more tempered first song on their first album - has all the bits you need from an R.E.M song: Buck getting into some jangle, Mills weaving between the chords with a hooky bassline, Berry skipping along in the background, and Stipe mumbling esoteric wibble that seems to pack inherent profundity. It feels lame to start at the beginning, but you probably should start at the beginning. Start Here: Radio Free Europe (Hib-Tone Single, 1981) In the latest edition of Start Me Up we dig into a few cuts from one of the great discographies in American music - go, listen, learn, unlearn, before the world actually ends. Very few bands have the sort of chemistry displayed by Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck, whose black Rickenbacker Jetglo 360 adorned each of their studio records before their parting in 2011, and fewer still have the empathy to allow each person space to breathe on almost every song.
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