The One We Love: Peter Buck at Work on Solo LP

I have a confession to make: I am a long-time R.E.M. fan, but when news broke last November that Michael Stipe had no plans to pursue a solo career in the wake of the band's demise, I was super relieved. I mean, I still love the guy and all -- he's been with me through so much -- it's just that he's seen better days as a lyricist; and without the attitude and musical prowess of Peter Buck to keep him in check I fear a Stipe solo record could just devolve into a series of self-help slogans repeated ad nauseum. But a Peter Buck solo record, now that's something I could get interested in. According to Seattle Weekly, when Scott McCaughey (longtime R.E.M. contributor and mastermind behind legendary college rockers Young Fresh Fellows and the equally great The Minus 5) was on Seattle radio yesterday he mentioned that he was in town helping Buck on some solo material. He apparently didn't give-up any details as to when the record might be completed or what the expected release date might be, but McCaughey did mention that it would be vinyl only release -- that's right, no mp3 download -- and that Buck would likely sing on the record. He also mentioned that the sound of Buck's new solo material was pretty "out," but I don't know what that means so we'll just move on.

The only R.E.M. track I can think of where Buck can actually be heard doing anything close to singing is on is their 1990 cover of Roky Erickson's "I Walked with a Zombie." Give it a listen after the jump. Buck can be heard just as the track fades, doing what I guess is supposed to be a Dracula impression. Is that what McCaughey meant by pretty "out," i.e., that Buck would be singing the entire album in Dracula style à la Jason Segel's character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Because that is pretty "out," I won't argue with that.

R.E.M. "I Walked with a Zombie"