Rating: 
Summary: take a picture here; take a souvenir
Review: The one word that comes to mind when I think of It Crawled From the South is "tome." It is a massive collection of REM-emorabilia, as opposed to a chronological history (a definitive REM-ography has yet to be written). I actually managed to sit down and read the whole thing like a novel when it first came out a few years ago. It has much more information about the band than any other book. It has no rival, even. The man who wrote it clearly loves their music and his passion really comes through loud and clear. And I guess that's what you're looking for when it comes to any book.
Rating:
Summary: The R.E.M. bible, as it were.
Review: Though it's now several years out of date at the time of this writing, Mr. Gray has amassed a jaw-droppingly complete and detailed pile of information in this book. It's not a biography, but more of an encyclopedia of sorts to guide you through facts of all sorts. The topics covered within include: the origins of R.E.M., early unreleased material, an A-Z of R.E.M. cover versions, a songwriting chronology, alternative song titles, approaches to lyric writing, album packaging, R.E.M. and the south, videos/films/soundtracks, guest appearances and production work, television appearances, awards and tributes. Not only does this book cover so many different topics, but it does so with alarmingly fine detail. Even the TV appearances section gives detailed descriptions of each and every appearance, enough that you feel as if you've actually just watched them on your TV rather than read about them in a book. The book is not image-heavy, but that's a good thing or it would be thicker than a triple cheeseburger. This book's chief purpose is to inform and to clog it with photos that are probably already published in every other R.E.M. book would be a distraction. I highly recommend this book to any serious R.E.M. fan, whether green (no pun intended) or seasoned. The new R.E.M. fan can gain a lifetime's worth of insight while the hardcore fan is offered a hardy reference point.
Rating:
Summary: The R.E.M. bible, as it were.
Review: Though it's now several years out of date at the time of this writing, Mr. Gray has amassed a jaw-droppingly complete and detailed pile of information in this book. It's not a biography, but more of an encyclopedia of sorts to guide you through facts of all sorts. The topics covered within include: the origins of R.E.M., early unreleased material, an A-Z of R.E.M. cover versions, a songwriting chronology, alternative song titles, approaches to lyric writing, album packaging, R.E.M. and the south, videos/films/soundtracks, guest appearances and production work, television appearances, awards and tributes. Not only does this book cover so many different topics, but it does so with alarmingly fine detail. Even the TV appearances section gives detailed descriptions of each and every appearance, enough that you feel as if you've actually just watched them on your TV rather than read about them in a book. The book is not image-heavy, but that's a good thing or it would be thicker than a triple cheeseburger. This book's chief purpose is to inform and to clog it with photos that are probably already published in every other R.E.M. book would be a distraction. I highly recommend this book to any serious R.E.M. fan, whether green (no pun intended) or seasoned. The new R.E.M. fan can gain a lifetime's worth of insight while the hardcore fan is offered a hardy reference point.
Rating:
Summary: Much Improved 2nd ed.
Review: Vastly improves over the rambling 1st edition. Not so many annoying allusions and insights by the author and an index to boot. Less pictures though. Solidifies its place as the definitive work.
| 
