@ Rod McCain - I [can] hear you

also - the bass intro to "Laughing" is awesome.

Zither as it stands just seems a pointless musical interlude at a position when the album is just picking up momentum. I read though that Stipe had some lyrics for it, but it just never came together. I think that if they had been used it could have been developed into a great song - something "Automatic"-esque. I…

apparently the Jefferson reference was former band associate Jefferson Holt who left the group circle in the 90's and its never really been explained why. I saw something in a documentary where the band got quite emotional when asked and refused to talk about it. Guess these days they don't want to be reminded of the…

for me the LRP midsection of Hyena-Underneath the Bunker-Flowers of Guatemala just kills the album's momentum and whilst it picks up after that it never quite reaches the height that the first 4 songs promise. Document suffers a similar problem in that it trails off badly after The One I Love, but what a run those…

actually I think Stipe's lyrics have remained consistently great - whilst the real weaknesses from the Up-Reveal-Around The Sun era was the musicianship. Simply too many over produced mushy MOR numbers. It was telling that the moment Peter Buck got his mojo back (Accelerate) they made their best album since NAIHF.

I love the backing vocals from Mills and Berry on Harborcoat and Find The River which supposedly had the 2 sitting in different rooms and making no effort to sing the same melody as each other. Awesome.

the At My Most Beautiful single version is indeed from Jools Holland and if I'm not mistaken has BJ Cole on pedal steel all over it i.e. making it sound shit. Would stick with Peter Buck's guitar distortion any day of the week.

Country Feedback is my favourite REM song ever - but the live version takes on a Neil Young vibe which transcends way beyond the album version. There's a great live take on the In Time Best Of Disc 2 as well as on the Road Movie DVD. Peter Buck really lets rip especially on the latter.

I suppose you could also say "he needs to go to hospital" in the general sense that someone was ill, rather than giving a specific instruction "he needs to go to the hospital". If you got into a taxi and said "take me to hospital" the driver might think you were a bit odd.

Wales has lots of nice scenery, but is lacking in towns with either history and charm (like Bath, York or Edinburgh) or a bit of musical history/modern edge (like Liverpool, Manchester or London). It has a great deal of miserable faded mining towns though, if thats your thing.

I think Oasis lyrics either meant something to you or they didn't.
As a teenager in the mid 90's living in the Greater Manchester area, having no clue what to do or where to go with his life, I was hooked from the first line of the first song of the first album:

Do You Know What I Mean? is a fantastic song, but as Noel said at the time, was a bit of a red herring as far as the rest of the album went. The rest of Be Here Now had none of the sonic twiddling, and instead assumed an extra 3 minutes per track and 85 guitat overdubs would turn OK songs into great.
I know Noel…

the only Scarborough I know is a town in Yorkshire.

best REM albums are Murmur, Automatic For The People & NAIHF, worst by a country mile is Around The Sun.

boring roundabouts
"This is a culture where people follow train schedules for fun"

The Jam had more of an impact on mainstream music charts but The Clash are more critically acclaimed and resepcted. I would probably say Jam songs like "Going Underground" and "A Town Called Malice" are more widely known amongst the general population in the UK than anything The Clash did.

you've got to watch if only for the chestnut scene:

thats what I said diddle I?

I think you'll find its Kidley pie.