Search - Rem :: Green (CD + DVD-A) (Dig)

DVD-A's: They compliment/complicate my life

REX | Chicago | 03/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The basic facts: This is not a remastered CD. The standard GREEN CD that you've already had for 17 years now is repackaged here with a new, DVD-Audio version of the album. This new version cannot be ripped to your iTunes library nor can it be played on your iPod. But if you have the right set-up in your living room, you will hear GREEN in a magnificent new setting.



DVD-Audio provides "advanced resolution surround and stereo" remixed/remastered versions of your favorite albums, but only if you have a DVD-Audio capable player. Standard DVD (Video) players cannot access the uncompressed, higher quality tracks featured here. Instead, the special surround mixes (both 5.1 and 2.0) are offered in standard Dolby- and DTS-encoded options, so that the majority of consumers can still enjoy the new mixes one way or another.



R.E.M. embraced the DVD-A format fairly early on, and four of their records have been available in this format for some time now: Reveal, Automatic for the People, Document, and In Time. But now Rhino and Warner Bros. have gone ahead and released DVD-A versions of the remaining titles in R.E.M.'s major label catalog by coupling them with the original CD versions in handsome tri-fold digipak versions. Reveal and AFTP have also been re-released in these new packages, though the DVD-A content appears to be exactly the same as the prior versions.



The packaging preserves *all* of the original artwork (well, the booklet doesn't feature the glossy 4's that originally overlaid the R's on the cover), but extends the booklet for four additional panels of liner notes, written effectively by Danny Eccleston.



The surround mixes were produced by Elliot Scheiner, an early expert in the field who has received great acclaim for his work, especially his surround mixes for R.E.M. Scheiner understands the basic integrity of Scott Litt's original clean but powerful album production for GREEN, etc., and seems to extend his style into the multi-dimensional space offered by a surround set-up. He maintains the same balance so that each component of the music stands out in the mix without over-separating it from the others. The mixes are highly detailed; they will bring out parts of the music you simply haven't heard before, while the overall feel of the music remains the same. This is still R.E.M.'s classic Warners debut.



The DVD-A is chock full of extra video features, as well. A 15-minute interview with each member of the band (bookended by the video clips for "Orange Crush" and "Stand") isn't particularly memorable, but it does feature all four band members offering some insight into the approaches used while recording the album. It also will remind you how much Michael Stipe has changed, both physically (he has a lot of hair here) and in his personality (he comes across as painfully introverted and shy). Additionally, there is a photo gallery of promo shots from the time plus live shots from the world tour, plus a couple of songs "previewed" from the TOURFILM DVD, in and of itself a worthwhile addition to the R.E.M. catalog. Rounding out the features are general album and home video discographies for easy reference.



The bottom line: Warner Bros. was most likely originally planning to release the DVD-A separately as they did with the earlier titles, but the competition of the SACD format (which has been popularized by the hybrid format embraced by the Stones and Dylan, etc.) has likely driven them to a more aggressive campaign. By coupling the new DVDs with the old CDs, the packages offer more bang for the buck, even if they fall a little bit short by not taking the opportunity to offer newly remastered CDs as well."

Just ok for REM

DKDC | Washington, DC USA | 02/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Album: Not their best but still good



CD players: - Rex made all the right points - if all you have is a cd player - you might want to skip this rerelease. There is no upgraded sound version for you.



DVD players: You can get surround sound from your dvd player, but it won't be as high quality as a DVD-A player (of course some people say there isn't much difference - that it is all in the remastering of the disc and not so much in the better technology of the player.



DVD-Audio players: are not that expensive as of now (2006) but may soon go the way of the quadrophonic record player! If you have a DVD-A player this is worth getting, in my opinion (again as Rex spelled out).



MP3 players: I have not yet seen a computer drive that will record in surround sound or in DVD-A quality sound - so on the Ipod it won't do anything more for you than the cd you have had for years now, as Rex said. Maybe they will come out with new drives - or maybe they are already out - I haven't heard or seen them."

New re-release package

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 11/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dating from 1989, Green is R.E.M.'s first album for Warner Brothers and therefore the oldest album in this series of releases. Green captures R.E.M. as they stretch out, expanding their sound for the broader audience that their affiliation with a `major' record label is expected to yield. Paradoxically, It also captures the band making relatively few compromises to their basic approach. Older fans were fearful that their signing with Warner Brothers might cause the band to `sell out' by giving in to the demands of radio and the new label. Instead, they deliver one of the most righteous and personally compelling albums of their career. "Pop Song `89" is subtly self-mocking and wry in the way that its title directly confronts the predicament, while the music skirts the issue entirely. "Stand" fills the role as the most commercial song released by the band to date, but it is so ridiculously over the top that it almost reeks of self-mockery, or at the least, sarcasm. "World Leader Pretend" follows, and it is virtually the polar opposite of "Stand" in that it conveys recognition of deeply personal (and perhaps regretful) motivations, as well as the human behavior necessary to right the situation - not bad for a pop song. All in all, Green is a diverse album that captures R.E.M. at their most playful, and also at their most compelling. A- Tom Ryan"