3. R.E.M. - Eponymous - Featured band

I first heard the songs on this on a live bootleg, and after I got the whole album - in Tower Records, San Francisco - I listened to it all the way through twice in a row because it was so incredible. (we were on a train trip from New York to Pennsylvania) Only complaint - the version of `Gardening at Night' on `Chronic Town' (their first EP) is better (but the better version of `Radio Free Europe' on this sort of makes up for it).

4. DIRTY - Sonic Youth

I feel sort of the same way about this as `Gish' - even though it's loud and feedbacky it's incredibly soothing and beautiful with stuff like `Wish Fulfillment' and `Theresa's Sound World' but `Sugar Kane' and `100%' still rock. Less commercial than `Goo', less experimental than `Daydream Nation'. In the best place between Rock and a Soft Place. It really reminds me of '93 and seeing them at the BDO (That's the Big Day Out, the Australian Lollapalooza type big travelling rock festival, now sadly defunct). Those were the days.

5. IN UTERO - Nirvana

What ? No Nevermind ??? Well actually it was a toss up between this and Bleach, but I don't know, I guess it was the time this came out that won it. In Year 11 I used to have to listen to `Heart Shaped Box' every morning to get through the day. I think it's the most varied and interesting Nirvana album and it's always regarded in the shadow of Nevermind, which makes it feel kind of private and special to like it.

There. I trimmed that down from ten albums (shortlisted include HARVEST by Neil Young, GRACE by the late great Jeff, MELLON COLLIE ... - the Pumpkins) A nice mix of loud and soft, too. I'm not surprised that 4 out of 5 of these albums were released pre-1994 (Copperopolis came out last year) I keep looking at all the `Under $20' record bins and thinking : `But ... but that's my record collection in there !?!'

There's the REM t-shirt that's a main feature of AM I YOUR DREAM? Those hardcore REM fans out there will recognise the title of my first major play as one of the first major songs by one of my all time favourite bands, REM. This song (you can find it on the `CHRONIC TOWN' EP (1980), on CD with the rarities collection `DEAD LETTER OFFICE' (1987) is beautiful, mysterious, and out of the ordinary, which is what I wanted my play to be too. Also check out their first album `MURMUR' (1983), especially for the song `PERFECT CIRCLE' which is the theme song of my novel NOT THAT LONG.

Most of you would be familiar with their later albums such as the magnificent `AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE'(1992 - is it really that long ago???) which also features in NOT THAT LONG but don't neglect their latest album `NEW ADVENTURES IN HI- FI' (1996) - it deserves far more attention than has been given to it!

REM played Sydney Entertainment Centre in January 1995. It was a fantastic concert although it received some disparaging reviews from a couple of snotty reviewers who couldn't seem to understand the fact that REM are not Take That. The highlight of the night for me though was waiting outside the gates for REM to make the getaway from the venue. I braved loonies of the `let's dissect/make conspiracy theories about REM's songs in minute detail' variety to catch sight of Mike Mills, Peter Buck, and finally Michael Stipe ! Stipey stood right in front of me (he's smaller than you'd think in real life) and I clicked away madly with the camera I had so fortunately bought. That was the good news. The bad news was that when I got these amazing pictures back - D'OH ! - All that came out was this shiny bald unrecognisable head ! I got some good pictures of Mike Mills though.

Check out some of the many REM sites on the web! They can tell you more about REM than me.

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