And then I listen to REM and I realize, yeah, no. If anything, I underrate him slightly.
It's not a coincidence that while REM created some outstanding music after Bill's departure, they never again attained the heights they did with him.
Take "Find the River," one of the greatest closing songs in the history of rock and roll, a song that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of "Train in Vain," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Free Bird," "When the Levee Breaks," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Jungleland," "All Apologies," "Inner City Blues," "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)," and, yes, "A Day in the Life." Its perfect marriage of lyrics and melody and instrumental backing are, well, perfect.
Now imagine it without Bill Berry's backing vocals.
What's that? You've never heard Bill's backing vocals? You've never been able to pick out what Mike Mills--the other backing vocalist--described thusly?
It's great because mine is this incredibly angst-ridden emotional thing, and Bill's is this really low-key sort of ambling part.
And whether it's because they're mixed higher (they are) or just because we're more likely/able to pick out high, keeny vocals than low ambling ones (we are), Bill's have rarely been nearly as notable as Mike's.
Fortunately, this superhero managed to bump up Bill's parts appreciably, which makes you realize they were there all along and there're a significant reason you fell in love with this song in the first place.
Amazing how wonderful that part you always loved but never even before noticed is, no?
Now. Now imagine that this recording also didn't have Bill's impossibly lovely, melancholic melodica part.
What's his melodica part? It's that kind of accordion-meets-oboe type sound you hear playing the lead melody at key points in the song, coming in just before the 0:13 mark. That countermelody elevates what would have been a gorgeous song into the stratosphere.
No wonder they never fully recovered from losing him.
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