Wednesday, September 5, 2012

King of Birds by REM

This week, The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll is selecting deep cuts from various artists. The deep cut status will be debated among fans of certain artists, but deep cuts to dedicated fans and deep cuts to the average fan are at times very different. The song of the day for September 5, 2012 is 'King of Birds' by REM, which is featured on their 1987 album, Document.

Document is REM's finest hour. In my opinion it is flawless, and it is one of my favorite albums of all time. Document was REM's exit from college radio darling status and served as an introduction to mainstream rock stardom. I was hooked by 'The One I Love' in 1987, and asked for Document for my birthday. This was very exciting for my Uncle Gus who was a huge REM fan. He tried, bless his soul, to get me hooked on REM from 1985 to 1986, but I resisted his attempts to have me listen to Lifes Rich Pageant. He gladly bought me a copy of Document on cassette, and it was a rock and roll kick to the head for me when I turned fourteen. I played the hell out of that cassette and still own it to this very day. If anyone needs a gateway music drug for REM then I always suggest they try some Document. They'll be hooked.

The REM fans might be wondering why I didn't choose the ode to Communist fear mongering, 'Exhuming McCarthy', or the rockin' protest song, 'Disturbance at the Heron House'. 'King of Birds' stands out as a beautiful and haunting song about something. The something has yet to be determined in my brain, but this blog entry does shed some interesting light on the song's meaning. Anyway, enjoy the song.  

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