R.E.M. :: Lifes Rich Pageant at 40
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/04/21/r...
...the songs of Lifes Rich Pageant show a band waking up to its potential and recognizing the extent of that discovery and what remained to be mapped out. Take a picture here, take a souvenir.
Dude, love this one! (A) This album is beautifully self-indulgent and such an interesting companion to Joshua Tree and (B) there was “almost” footage of them jamming with SRV at Antone’s included in the Rattle and Hum doc! I did an oral history of that wild night:
nodepression.org/okay-edge-pl...
Tomorrow marks 10 years since Prince passed. For the first time, I gathered nearly two decadesq of my writing, podcasts, talks & more into one curated resource, including playlists, rarities, a review of every video he ever made, and collaborations I did with his estate. anildash.com/2026/04/20/p...
Pixies Gigantic meets the old Attack of the 50ft Woman poster. This took forever to draw, so please buy several prints.
On this day in 1991, R.E.M. made their first appearance on MTV Unplugged. The broadcast was whittled down to eleven songs, omitting ‘Fretless’, ‘Swan Swan H’, ‘Get Up’ and ‘Endgame’.
Please deliver every frame of this Tamra Davis-directed ‘95-era Beasties/Sonic Youth/Bikini Kill/ Foos doc directly into every cell in my body.
youtu.be/L__8zMSm_AY
Pair that Lobster Thermidor with some Baked Alaska for dessert and you’ve got a classic ‘80s sitcom fancy restaurant combo just waiting for a dine-and-dash!
Have you reloaded your Bluesky hours bank lately? Let me know if you need me to send you a couple “500 Hours Free” CDs. I got a couple extra in the mail last week 💿
Seriously love this aesthetic! Fantastic work!
One of my all-time favorite R.E.M. tracks and one of my favorite color vinyl singles too!
Such a beautiful song and the vinyl color on the 7” is so gorgeous too!
(I’ve just never been able to bring myself to take the bonus lapel pin out of its protective sleeve)
“Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues”
youtu.be/DeTL-JiFzPE
I always prefer to listen to my favorite @remhq.bsky.social album as the band intended (on 3.5” floppy diskette)
The best live version of Boyz II Men’s “Motownphilly” is from the ‘92 “R&B Unplugged”episode thanks to Joe Public cranking the tempo. The balladeers might’ve been fighting for their lives to keep up but they ended up absolutely nailing it. Another early MTV Unplugged CLASSIC!
youtu.be/Q3orQejJHBw
Here’s Joe Public amazing Unplugged version of “Live and Learn” which highlights their acoustic sampling (Parliament, Digital Underground, & Steely Dan) and pulls out the ornamental samples (Public Enemy, James Brown, Jesse Jackson, & Sequence). Such a jam by a brilliant band!
youtu.be/3QUuRxfoyWs
NEW EPISODE! Joe Public joins the show to talk about the ‘92 “R&B Unplugged” episode where they played “Live and Learn” and pulled double duty by being the backing band for Boyz II Men and Shanice. Lots of ‘91/‘92 New Jack Swing/pop R&B goodies in this one!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...
Looks like @harvilla.bsky.social has decided my morning spin list thanks to his STELLAR new “60 Songs” episode on “Seven Nation Army” (Come for the images of a T-Rex playing “The Heat Is On” saxophone riff, stay for the shout-out to Braves slugger Terry Pendleton)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/6...
This new Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan tribute comp looks stellar! Ramones, Marianne Faithfull, Johnny Cash, Norah Jones, Solomon Burke, and live Springsteen! When I interviewed Marianne back in late ‘23, she told me a lovely story about talking on the phone for hours with Tom about “Strange Weather”
Got my first concert concussion at a MxPx gig during their On the Cover tour back in ‘96 (Supertones and 90 Pound Wuss supporting). I was stage-diving during “Punk Rawk Show” and got dumped headfirst when the pit opened up too much 😂 Shout-out to the (now defunct) Pterodactyl Club in Marietta!
I never missed an episode of Arsenio growing up. His show was such a phenomenally cool pop cultural institution and he always had THE BEST musical guests. The mind blowing all-star cypher he pulled for his final show was such a testament to his impact. Stoked for his new memior!
youtu.be/f8Hplc84AE0
This is a really great @thetonearm.com article on harpist Zeena Parkins who (among so many other cool things) also played harp on Hole’s MTV Unplugged episode back in 1995. Here’s them playing the Kurt-penned “You Know You’re Right” years before Nirvana finally put it out.
youtu.be/Q76QJ4XT5Fg
On this day 34 years ago, Pearl Jam stepped onto the stage at Kaufman Astoria Studios and delivered an unforgettable performance for MTV's Unplugged.
Watch the full video at: pj.lnk.to/BlackMTVTP
Today feels like a single band discography* kind of day, so B-52’s it is!
*almost complete as this set doesn’t include Funplex or the theme to Rocko’s Modern Life (but it does have Party Mix! and Mesopotamia, so pretty phenomenal nonetheless)
All albums plus a small handful of original run 7” singles and EPs. Always in the mood to spin some Clash!
“A brand new morn, no time to yawn”
Starting a busy Friday with side four of one of the greatest LPs of the golden era. The massive one-two punch of “Know the Ledge” into “Don’t Sweat the Technique” never misses.
Once again the majestic @harvilla.bsky.social takes a topic I would’ve already thoroughly enjoyed (Paramore rules) and sweetens the pot with contextual table setting involving cinematic masterpiece The Wizard, a little Ozymandias, and 30 blissful minutes on Rilo Kiley. Nobody does it better!
Happy 35th Anniversary to Throwing Muses’ fourth studio album ‘The Real Ramona’ originally released in the US March 12, 1991 | Listen to the album + read our tribute by @theerikawolf.bsky.social: album.ink/TMRealRamona
@throwingmuses.bsky.social @kristinhersh.bsky.social @tanyadonelly.bsky.social
Happy 35th Anniversary to R.E.M.'s seventh studio album 'Out of Time' originally released in the UK March 11, 1991 | Listen to the album + read our tribute here: album.ink/REMOutofTime
