Saturday, February 20, 2021

R.E.M plays the 688 Club : This Athens band could go somewhere


REM : Burning Down 


On February 20, 1981 the Athens, GA band REM played the 688 Club in Atlanta, opening for Joe "King" Carrasco. Within a year they would be recording their Chronic Town EP. In ten years they would be the biggest band in America.

They opened with a cover of Buddy Holly's "Rave On" and followed it with originals  "Burning Down" ( which would become "Ages of You"),  "Dangerous Times", "All The Right Friends" ( which would be recorded and left off Murmur), " Get On Their Way" ( which would be recorded as "What If We Give It Away" for Life's Rich Pageant), "Different Girl", "Permanent Vacation" ( a song they would perform with Bruce Springsteen), "White Tornado" ( a Bside to "Superman"), Bill Berry's "Narrator" ( later recorded by the Hindu Love Gods), "Windout" ( which would appear on the Bachelor Party soundtrack), the Chronic Town number "Gardening At Night" ( which the band would perform at their induction ceremony to the Rock Hall of Fame), "Mystery To Me" ( which they would revisit during the Life's Rich Pageant session)  and "Radio Free Europe" which they would record as their first single at Mitch Easter's Drive In Studio the following month.





 

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