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Spun off from the popular syndicated action series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess was - at least at first - an attempt to tell a somewhat more serious story in some of the same settings. Hercules and Xena might run into each other and share the odd adventure, but generally Xena would be up against not only mythical foes and malevolent gods, but her own dark side and just a little bit more angst per weekly episode than Hercules had to endure. Having already established a very Korngoldian style for Hercules, composer Joseph LoDuca (of whom more in a bit) decided to give Xena a somewhat different sound. The result is a very interesting soundtrack from the show’s first season.

Though the Xena scores still wax bombastic at times in a style somewhere between Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s brassy, heraldic style and the Korngold-going-on-Wagner musical palette of John Williams, LoDuca applies an altogether more Mediterranean feel to the proceedings, complete with anguished female vocals and exotic instruments. The effect when seen against film is dramatic: it heightens the earthiness of the show’s equally exotic locations, and somehow it’s just easier to take the whole thing that much more seriously as a result. Highlights of the CD include “Soulmates”, “Xena and the Big Bird” (the musical cue for her later epic battle with the Cookie Monster was omitted for time), and from the pivotal episode Callisto, the best action music in the show’s entire history, “Ladder Fight”.

It’s that last cue which perhaps strikes the best balance between western and middle- eastern musical influences, with some awe-inspiring raging percussion keeping your pulse pounding (well, okay, my pulse at any rate, your mileage may vary), stings of both Korngold-style horns and Mediterranean instrumentation and vocals, and even some very interesting use of the Xena theme as leitmotif. Every fight scene for the rest of the show’s time on the air could’ve been tracked with this - it’s one of those pieces of music that’s just that hard to top.

I also have to offer some praise for the theme music - it too strikes a good balance between what would seem to be conflicting musical styles and sensibilities. The extended version of the theme that closes the album adds a little something extra that I don’t even recall hearing from the end credits, but the original arrangement is already strong enough - there’s a reason that this theme music was used, without any kind of amendments, for six years.

One final note: I’m uneasy who to attribute this album to; the cover art, as with the show, of course, credits everything to Joe LoDuca, who’s been collaborating with the Raimis on everything since Evil Dead. But more recent events have called that solitary composing credit into question: Dan Kolton, credited in the fine print here with “additional programming,” successfully sued for half of LoDuca’s performance royalties on all of the music from Hercules and Xena, claiming that he had ghostwritten roughly half of the material without receiving credit (and therefore royalties). It doesn’t affect how the music sounds to me at all, mind you, but it’s a question of attribution that seems like it should be cleared up for the record.

It’s still an excellent soundtrack, whoever is responsible for it.

1. Main Title (1:15)
2. The Warrior Princess (2:09)
3. Darius (2:06)
4. Soulmates (2:24)
5. Burial (1:50)
6. Xena And The Big Bird (2:27)
7. Gabby Dance (1:00)
8. The Gauntlet (1:38)
9. Barn Blazers (2:21)
10. Fight On The Heads (2:54)
11. Draco’s Men (2:16)
12. Glede Ma Glede (0:43)
13. Burying The Past (2:59)
14. Xena’s Web (2:12)
15. Goodbye (2:49)
16. Giants (2:37)
17. Funeral Dance (1:35)
18. Challenging The Gods (3:10)
19. Dreamscape (3:01)
20. Quarterman’s Festival (2:27)
21. Roll In The Leaves (0:47)
22. Funeral Pyre (1:24)
23. On The Balcony (2:08)
24. The Oracle (3:15)
25. Hail Xena (1:35)
26. Going To Kill Me (0:45)
27. The Wrath Of Callisto (2:36)
28. Bloodlust (2:25)
29. Ladder Fight (4:44)
30. Main Title (Extended Version) (1:22)

Released by: Varese Sarabande
Release date: 1996
Total running time: 65:54

I’ve listened to Around the Sun at least a couple of times a day since the week before it came out, thanks to an online preview stream provided by REMhq.com. It’s lucky for you that I had that much lead time, or else you’d be reading one cranky review right now. This is a slow and subtle album, perhaps too much so for its own good, and there are a few songs that remain outright disappointments. But those repeated listenings have shown me that many of these songs are quite powerful in their simplicity and that Around the Sun is a worthwhile, although flawed, album.

The opening track and first single, “Leaving New York,” is a midtempo track that blends Mike Mills’ piano and Peter Buck’s acoustic guitar to create what at first listen sounds like a straightforward, almost bland melody. But starting with the second verse, Michael Stipe’s vocals begin to layer and overlap, with each layer following a slightly different melody. The result pulls your attention in a number of directions at once, adding emotional urgency and creating the kind of disorientation that appears to be at the heart of the song. It’s a rather impressive accomplishment.

Unfortunately the album goes off the rails with the next song, “Electron Blue,” a repetitive electronics-tinged song that just doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere. “The Outsiders” features a rap by Q-tip as its third verse and is more effective at establishing a mood, but still doesn’t stand out. “Make It All Okay” is another piano-heavy ballad that has some potential, but for the first time I can remember, Stipe’s lyrics just aren’t up to snuff. It sometimes feels like he’s struggling just to fill out the melody with a lot of repeated words and pauses, such as the frequently used “It’s a long . . . long, long road . . . and I don’t know . . . which way . . . to go.” Stipe is usually able to use his melody and inflection to create a feeling such that the words don’t matter as much, but his performance on this track and in a couple of other places on the album just drew my attention to lyrics that seemed banal to me. It’s really a shame because this album does feature very effective use of Mills’ background vocals to create some effective moods.

That said, there are many places where he’s up to his usual standard. “Final Straw” is where the album begins to reassert itself. Written and initially released on REMhq.com in March 2003 as the invasion of Iraq began, this song combines direct lyrics and a calm, determined performance by Stipe with acoustic guitar and very well done synth/electronic elements to powerful, even haunting effect. I originally preferred the rough studio mix from 2003, but I’ve come to appreciate the album version. Towards the end there’s a high keyboard note in the background that gives the whole thing an almost choral feel; that note has a greater emphasis on the album track and I think that works.

The political tone carries through to the next song, “I Wanted to Be Wrong,” where Stipe says “I wanted to be wrong, but everyone was humming a song I don’t understand,” and “we can’t approach the Allies ’cause they seem a little peeved.” Outside of that last line, the political undercurrent that carries through the album is one you almost have to know to be looking for, because many of these songs could just as easily be about breakdowns in relationships or a more general feeling of social alienation. When you know the subtext, I do think it adds more power to the songs - but then I tend to agree with R.E.M.’s political stances more often than not, and your mileage may vary. Nowhere is this truer than the album’s final track, “Around the Sun” - the first R.E.M. song to be a title track. The song is used over the closing credits of Going Upriver, a movie about John Kerry’s experiences in Vietnam and as a protestor afterward. I don’t know whether or not the song was written about Kerry, but it’s hard for me not to think of him when I hear lines like “give me a voice so strong I can question what I have seen” and “hold on world ’cause you don’t know what’s coming, hold on world ’cause I’m not jumping off.”

Thematically speaking, the album is very consistent, almost too much so. In addition to the tracks I’ve mentioned, “Boy in the Well” and “High Speed Train” are particularly subdued and contemplative tracks. It’s only on the jaunty “Wanderlust” and the uptempo acoustic number Aftermath that the album brightens up at all, and even these aren’t much of a change of pace. In its melancholy approach, Around the Sun has drawn a number of comparisons to Fables of the Reconstruction and Automatic for the People. But there’s nothing here like the loud, goofy fun of Fables’ “Cant Get There from Here” or Automatic’s Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite to act as an escape valve. R.E.M. spent a long time recording this album, starting in early 2003, then taking a break for the tour anticipating their best-of album In View, and then returning to the studio this year to finish. In the process, they held off on some of the rockier songs they had been working on because they didn’t fit the feel of the album. I can’t help but wonder if they’d have been better served to just assemble the best collection of songs they could.

Around the Sun is not an album that immediately grabs you, but there’s a lot of very good work here. Like a lot of fans, I’m waiting for R.E.M. to break out of the slower mood they’ve explored in their three post-Bill Berry albums. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the good work that’s right in front of me. Truth be told, there’s a good chance this album might improve with age; my initial reaction to 1998’s Up was rather subdued, but it’s now one of my favorite albums. It wouldn’t surprise me if songs like “Final Straw” and “I Wanted to Be Wrong” earn Around the Sun a similar status in the future.

1. Leaving New York (4:49)
2. Electron Blue (4:12)
3. The Outsiders (4:14)
4. Make It All Okay (3:44)
5. Final Straw (4:07)
6. I Wanted to Be Wrong (4:35)
7. Wanderlust (3:03)
8. Boy in the Well (5:22)
9. Aftermath (3:53)
10. High Speed Train (5:03)
11. The Worst Joke Ever (3:38)
12. The Ascent of Man (4:07)
13. Around the Sun (4:28)

Released by: Warner Bros.
Release date: 2004
Total running time: 55:21

It’s very easy for me to take Murmur for granted - I didn’t hear it until well after I had become a fan of the band’s later work, and I didn’t start paying attention to the world of college/alternative/modern rock until almost a decade after this album helped establish its importance. The folky influence, the gentle layered harmonies, and the cryptic, emotive lyrics were such a natural part of my musical world by that time that this album didn’t come across as the shock to the system that it did in 1983, inspiring Rolling Stone to name it the album of the year. But while I can only appreciate its innovations secondhand, I can still enjoy the songs - and they’re still great 20 years later.

Both “Radio Free Europe” and “Sitting Still,” the songs on the band’s first single, were re-recorded for this album. The former is a classic, but I admit that I first heard and came to love the original Hib-Tone mix that appeared on Eponymous. On the other hand, the latter song encapsulates R.E.M.’s early approach - drummer Bill Berry and bassist Mike Mills drive the song forward and provide the basic melody while guitarist Peter Buck’s arpeggios seem to surround the framework and carry it aloft. Berry and Mills’ backup vocal harmonies create an atmosphere from which Michael Stipe’s lead vocals barely emerge, making themselves felt more than heard. Do not, under any circumstances, ask me what Stipe means in any of these songs. I have no clue. But there’s a sense of vitality and reflection in his voice that’s no less meaningful for not making any literal statement.

Murmur is generally a fast and energetic album, with songs like “Shaking Through,” “Catapult” and “Moral Kiosk” in the same spirit as “Sitting Still.” “Pilgrimage” has a pretty quick tempo if you listen to Berry’s drums, but the relative sparseness of the instruments on the verses makes it feel more sedate and provides a nice contrast with the verses. When the foursome does slow down, they prove that their knack for beautiful but melancholy songs was ever-present. The Berry-written “Perfect Circle” is built around his and Mills’ complementary piano work, but it’s the pair’s soaring background vocals combined with Stipe’s almost mournful lead that make the song overflow with emotion. “Talk About the Passion,” meanwhile, complements Buck’s guitar lines with some well-placed strings, one of the few embellishments on the album. It’s quite remarkable how much of a layered sound producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon were able to create with the band while still letting each musical voice be heard. But then, Murmur is quite a remarkable album.

After R.E.M. achieved international success with Warner Bros., IRS Records re-released the band’s early catalogue overseas with additional tracks, mostly live performances and remixes along with the occasional b-side. These additional tracks remain unavailable on U.S. versions of the album.

1. Radio Free Europe (4:03)
2. Pilgrimage (4:25)
3. Laughing (3:52)
4. Talk About the Passion (3:22)
5. Moral Kiosk (3:32)
6. Perfect Circle (3:23)
7. Catapult (3:54)
8. Sitting Still (3:07)
9. 9-9 (3:02)
10. Shaking Through (4:00)
11. We Walk (3:04)
12. West of the Fields (3:15)

(Track listing reflects original U.S. release; foreign re-releases contain additional tracks)

Released by: IRS Records/A&M
Release date: 1983
Total running time: 44:11

Having reached a somewhat surprising level of critical acclaim with their first album, R.E.M. knew it had to thread the needle for their follow-up, living up the expectations without turning out a rehash of their full-length debut. They chose to take a simpler approach, recording the album quickly and putting a slightly greater emphasis on a guitar-rock sound. Armed with such soon to be classics as “So. Central Rain” and “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville,” Reckoning avoided any hint of a sophomore jinx and served to further build R.E.M.’s reputation.

The rockers like “Harborcoat,” “Pretty Persuasion,” and “Rockville” are my favorites from the album. The latter, a country-tinged plea to a departing girl written by Mike Mills, has a nice veneer of “I don’t care that much” covering its “Oh yeah I really do care” core, and Michael Stipe does a fine job bringing both elements forth. The other two - well, I’m not sure what they’re about, per se, because this is Stipe at his least decipherable. But they’re fun songs, and the energy of Peter Buck’s guitars and Bill Berry’s drums shines through. Mills’ layered background vocals on “Harborcoat” really help carry that song along as well.

The slower songs are no slouches, either. I admit I can’t really listen to “Seven Chinese Brothers” without hearing “Voice of Harold” instead, but it’s still a fine song. (The two songs share the same backing track, but the latter has somewhat more unorthodox lyrics.) “Time After Time (Annelise)” is a rather somber song that demonstrates Buck’s chiming guitars at their most melancholy. Stipe shows off his voice’s emotional range in “So. Central Rain,” aiming for an air of detachment on the verses before delivering an almost pleading repeated “I’m sorry” for the chorus. First performed without a title on David Letterman’s show, “So. Central Rain” quickly became one of the band’s standout songs. In fact, it was the only track from Reckoning to receive its own video, in which Stipe sang the lyrics rather than lip sync. (The band also put together Left of Reckoning, a short film that used the LP’s first side as its soundtrack.)

Reckoning is not an album I pull out of my CD collection for a full listen very often, but several of its tracks are standbys of my MP3 playlists. It’s a strong effort and a worthwhile milestone in R.E.M.’s development.

After R.E.M. achieved international success with Warner Bros., IRS Records re-released the band’s early catalogue overseas with additional tracks, mostly live performances and remixes along with the occasional b-side. These additional tracks remain unavailable on U.S. versions of the album.

1. Harborcoat (3:51)
2. Seven Chinese Brothers (4:15)
3. So. Central Rain (3:11)
4. Pretty Persuasion (3:53)
5. Time After Time (Annelise) (3:59)
6. Second Guessing (2:50)
7. Letter Never Sent (2:57)
8. Camera (5:21)
9. (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville (4:34)
10. Little America (2:56)

(Track listing reflects original U.S. release; foreign re-releases contain additional tracks)

Released by: IRS Records/A&M
Release date: 1984
Total running time: 38:11