R.E.M. is calling it quits

[Flint]

They were amazing from the beginning until Green. Green had a couple of decent songs on it, but it foreshadowed the future direction of their songwriting and style, which I simply hated. I couldn't understand how a band I loved and knew since before Murmur could turn into this thing I disliked so much! Then I couldn't figure out how a band I was growing to hate was becoming more and more popular every day!

Crazy!

Fables of the Reconstruction, Life's Rich Pageant, and Document are among my most favorite albums of all time. I also have some personal experience with those three projects which makes them even more special to me.

 

[Kazaam]

The first I'd ever heard of them was "Stand" from Green. And I continued to like them from that point on. Heck, I even thought "Up" was going to be an awesome record based on the couple of singles I heard on the radio; I liked the slight addition of electronica. But when I finally got the actual album I realized I hated most of it. Other than "Daysleeper" and "Lotus" the songs weren't much to my liking.

I can understand Flint liking the earlier pre-Green stuff. Even though I haven't heard all of it. But what I have seems more light-hearted and enjoyable. More poppy. [Edit: Well, perhaps not necessarilly more light-hearted, but musically it seemed more punchy. More immediate.]

 

[Deleted member 133]

You just know that "Losing My Religion" is one of my favourite songs - ever!

I "discovered" R.E.M.'s music well after they had peaked (and certainly well after they'd lost a lot of their early fans). Sure I had heard a tune or two over the years but it was only after buying their "Perfect Square Live" DVD that I truly appreciated how good they were. It was only a couple of years ago that I set out to buy a copy of every one of their CDs - which I did. That's a tremendous number of really good songs.

One regret: I had always hoped to see them live at least once, which I never did. Looks like that item will stay on my music bucket list.

 

[Botch]

I had always hoped to see them live at least once, which I never did. Looks like that item will stay on my music bucket list.

(stolen as a great thread idea...)

 

[Botch]

Time for a near-Decade :text-bump:

Austin City Limits concert from 2008 tonight. Drummer was gone by then, and this show didn't do too much for me. But I think I need to dig out some of their earlier stuff (on VINYL!) and listen over the next couple days.

Chris just burned up a power supply,
Yeah yeah yeah yeah...
^^^ OMG, I started singing those (made-up) lyrics in 1993, when one of my Lieutenants stuck a dental mirror into an ICBM drawer (which was powered up) and fried it! Good times!