R.E.M. always excelled at opening album songs, from Murmur's Radio Free Europe onwards. They kicked into another gear with Begin The Begin, the first salvo on Lifes Rich Pageant. Fired off by a reconstituted Television riff and there is Michael, proud and loud in a way he has never quite been before. The words are clear, even if their meaning isn't always. I'm sure most listeners caught his drift.
A call for personal political activism and engagement. 'Silence means security. Silence means approval.' This is urgent, but Michael is not wanting to lead us to the barricades. 'Look to me for reason. It's not there. I can't even rhyme.' Like many of the best political songs, it doesn't provide all the answers but it does ask many of the right questions.
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