REM calls it a day

[PluckyThump]

Sad news. They had made a comeback of late, their last two CDs are very good, so this comes as a surprise. Maybe the lack of airplay and sales and the current pathetic state of the music biz has discouraged them. Some of the posts here provide ample evidence that many people didn't even know they were still making records.

Mike Mills is a great player, love his bass lines.

 

[Muddslide]

I absolutely loved Chronic Town and Murmur in high school, but every album since has been progressively less interesting to me.

Yeah, same here. They were a breath of fresh air when they first started, but I agree they got less and less special. I fell off after Lifes Rich Pageant. Got to see them several times back in the day....

 

[CG Jones]

Was a huge fan of them in the late 80s, early to mid 90s, but found myself enjoying the last few albums less and less... didn't even bother after "Up".

Still, sorry to see them go. Mike Mills is still one of my bass heroes.

 

[boomtisk]

They sorta lost me when they made "Monster". "Automatic for the People" has some of the most powerful songs I've ever heard and then their songwriting sorta suddenly devolved from amazing to decent.

My guess that Bill Berry really was their best songwriter. When he left, their music really became somewhat -- odd and without a lot of direction. They really should've split up when he left.

 

[GBassNorth]

Well an REM loss doesn't ruin my day, they had some good muisc but I wasn't ever a huge fan.
I think the longest running professional all original band is still ZZTop. IIRC they started in 1969 and I think they plan on releasing a new album in the next few months.
OK, sorry about the hijack - my fav REM song = Losing my religon. My least fav REM song = Happy smiling people

 

[boomtisk]

Well, I like "Shiny Happy People", I love the the meter/key change, it's brilliant. Still, as an album to listen to from start to finish, I never liked "Out of Time" that much.

Interestingly enough, I watched some NCIS re-runs yesterday and at the end of one episode, they played "Everybody Hurts". Quite a conicidence.

 

[avvie]

I feel compelled to introduce everyone here to the guy who influenced and created their early sound: REM producer Mitch Easter:

Let's Active - Every Word Means No - YouTube

 

[guy n. cognito]

All I have to say is........thank god.

I am a huge REM fan, but they haven't made anything worth buying in 10 years. There current music was an embarrassment to their legacy.

 

[chris4001asat]

The first time I saw them was in 85....Changed my life