2000 Great Songs #1205: For The Singer Of R.E.M.

Another cool track from Firehose's second LP, 1987's If'n, as they draw a bold line between the band's roots as 2/3 of jazzy punk innovators Minutemen and the more jangly indie pop of their college radio peers. And, yeah, as the title offers, you can sort of imagine Michael Stipe tackling this, although as was often the case--in a good way--they were just a little too left-field for the mainstream, but too straight for punk rock. Catchy, energetic, yet strangely out on their own little island.

Live 1989 (about 11:35 into the concert clip):