R.E.M. have broken up

[Aygo]

By the way, I'm curious now about how many million copies sold each R.E.M. worldwide.
Is there any available data about that?

 

[lazarus]

According to the RIAA website, BigMacPhisto is right.

All three albums have been certified 4x platinum.

RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America

 

[bollox]

Monster isn't even really up there, overall. It's sold less than 3 million here, and it didn't do especially well internationally.

90% of those copies are now residing in bargain bids at used CD stores.

 

[iron yuppie]

I read somewhere that Be Here Now is the most returned album in history, but I would think that Monster must be a contender as well. I will always love Monster, though. It was one of the first CDs that I ever owned.

 

[lazarus]

Me and a couple friends always joke about Monster being so prevalent in used racks.

A shame, as it's such an enjoyable listen.

 

[bollox]

Monster really doesn't deserve the flak it gets.

 

[lazarus]

Around The Sun, however, definitely does.

 

[The Panther]

According to Wiki:

Out Of Time:
US: 4× Platinum
AUT: Platinum
BRA: Gold
CAN: 7× Platinum
FRA: 2× Platinum
GER: 5× Gold
NLD: 2× Platinum
SWE: Gold
SWI: 2× Platinum
UK: 5× Platinum

Automatic For The People:
US: 4× Platinum
AUS: 4× Platinum
AUT: 2× Platinum
CAN: 7× Platinum
FRA: Platinum
GER: 5× Gold
NLD: 3× Platinum
SWE: Gold
SWI: 2× Platinum
UK: 6× Platinum

Monster:
US: 4× Platinum
AUT: Platinum
CAN: 6× Platinum
FRA: 2× Gold
GER: Platinum
NLD: Gold
SWE: Platinum
SWI: Platinum
UK: 3× Platinum

 

[cobl04]

Can we list the tour gross for every show they've ever done and then debate about it for 40 pages?

 

[lazarus]

How about 10 more YouTube clips? Those are awesome.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

How about 10 more YouTube clips? Those are awesome.

only if they're videos of studio tracks everyone should already know if they've opened this thread.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Out of Time was towards the bottom of this chart a few years back, so it's definitely their most popular release:

100 Best Selling Albums Worldwide


Again, not to care much about record sales because I don't, but it's definitely an interesting issue trying to figure out which exactly was this band's biggest album. Obviously, the Wiki information makes it clear that it's very close between Out of Time and Automatic For The People.

 

[lazarus]

only if they're videos of studio tracks everyone should already know if they've opened this thread.

yeah but have you seen this one?

REM- Losing my religion (Video) - YouTube


it's definitely one of their best. and won a lot of awards at the MTV awards for videos.

 

[U2inUtah]

I too remember the orange glow of the REM section at the used CD store from all those Monster albums. I love Monster, it came out the week of my 15th birthday and I remember receiving at as a birthday present.

I always consider Automatic to be REM's biggest album; its certainly the better album of the two, and had stronger singles than Out of Time.

 

[cobl04]

I picked up Automatic years ago cos it was the one of theirs I always heard about. Quite fucking overrated, in my esteemed opinion.

 

[CrashedCarDriver]

yeah but have you seen this one?

REM- Losing my religion (Video) - YouTube


it's definitely one of their best. and won a lot of awards at the MTV awards for videos.

One of the most controversial videos because it had religious themes back in the day, much like Madonna's Like a Prayer video

The opening mandolin riff of Losing my Religion is a jolt to the system, much like Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

 

[BVS]

I remember very little controversy about the video(at least here in the states).

So I had to google what you were talking about, it seems a few Catholic groups protested but mostly in Ireland and Britian.

 

[u2popmofo]

I too remember the orange glow of the REM section at the used CD store from all those Monster albums. I love Monster, it came out the week of my 15th birthday and I remember receiving at as a birthday present.

Hahahahhaha, so true. I remember every used CD store having about 10 copies of Monster. Definitely an album a lot of people bought and didn't like.

On a side note, what was the name of the CD store by Burger Supreme? Not Big Daddy's, before that. CD Warehouse? I used to go there like 2x a week, and I can't freaking remember the name of the store any more.

 

[hikerdeb]

I think the problem with "Monster" was that it followed "Out of Time" and "Automatic," so people were expecting mandolins, jangly guitars and cello accompaniments. Instead they got hard, loud, distorted rock. It wasn't the R.E.M. they had come to know and love, and they couldn't deal with it. Personally, I think "Monster" is a great album. I would listen to it (or "Accelerate") if I'm in the mood for something in-your-face and aggressive.

This is one of the advantages of R.E.M.'s vast and diverse catalog: There's music to match whatever mood you happen to be in. For example, I play "Automatic" when I'm feeling sad. I only play "Reveal" during the summer, because that's the album's theme. If you're angry about the state of politics, "Document" is a good one to play. "Reckoning" and "Hi-Fi" are great to listen to when you're traveling.

U2 albums are kind of the same way, in that each has a distinctive personality. I don't want to listen to a band whose music always sounds the same and never evolves.

Speaking of sounding the same, I am amazed at the number of people who say "New Test Leper" is one of their favorite R.E.M. songs. It's among my least favorites, the only dull track on an otherwise excellent album. I hate it because it's so repetitive -- verse after verse with the same melody, over and over again. To me, the best R.E.M. songs take you in directions you didn't expect.

 

[bollox]

I picked up Automatic years ago cos it was the one of theirs I always heard about. Quite fucking overrated, in my esteemed opinion.

Speaking of sounding the same, I am amazed at the number of people who say "New Test Leper" is one of their favorite R.E.M. songs. It's among my least favorites, the only dull track on an otherwise excellent album. I hate it because it's so repetitive -- verse after verse with the same melody, over and over again. To me, the best R.E.M. songs take you in directions you didn't expect.

I think it's a good tune, but I'd probably rank in the back half of New Adventures. Agree that it's a great driving album and also think it's a fine synthesis of the softer/harder 90s REM sound.

 

[lazarus]

The opening mandolin riff of Losing my Religion is a jolt to the system, much like Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

Not if you'd already heard You Are The Everything off Green, which sounds a LOT like the material on Out of Time/Automatic.

A bigger shock was hearing KRS-1 rapping and hollering on Radio Song.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Radio Song

You Are The Everything

 

[bollox]

The first 30 seconds of Radio Song are great and then, ummmm. I wonder if they heard Kool Thing and felt like they had to throw a rapper on their next album.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Yeah, I've always loved the guitar tone Buck uses at the opening of Radio Song. It's a simple guitar line, but that tone is so bright and so great. Kind of a perfect opening to the album.

 

[MrPryck2U]

I picked up Automatic years ago cos it was the one of theirs I always heard about. Quite fucking overrated, in my esteemed opinion.

That's what's great about opinions. Everybody's got at least one. Dare share with us your reason(s) why perhaps this album is overrated?

 

[iron yuppie]

If the popular consensus is that Automatic is their finest album, I would consider it overrated in that sense. In my opinion, every album from the IRS years trumps it in terms of songwriting, mystique, and especially subtlety. A song like Everybody Hurts is not exactly shy about its message, which for me runs counter to the willful abstraction and eccentricity that is at the core of the early albums. That is to say that the abstraction is what draws me to the band. And I also despise Sidewinder, though I am not quite sure why.

 

[MrPryck2U]

If the popular consensus is that Automatic is their finest album, I would consider it overrated in that sense. In my opinion, every album from the IRS years trumps it in terms of songwriting, mystique, and especially subtlety. A song like Everybody Hurts is not exactly shy about its message, which for me runs counter to the willful abstraction and eccentricity that is at the core of the early albums. That is to say that the abstraction is what draws me to the band. And I also despise Sidewinder, though I am not quite sure why.

Thanks for an excellent response. Exactly what I was looking for. I agree with you about their earlier work versus their later work. Document is my favorite album of theirs, but I can't say I despise Sidewinder. It's definitely not my favorite, but I don't despise any song by REM. There are just ones I don't like as much. Everybody Hurts would fit that description. The radio and MTV played the shit out of it too which didn't help. Plus, lump me in with the people who liked Monster. There's some skippers on there, but I enjoy most of the album. Crush With Eyeliner is my favorite from that one. I got to see them play at MSG for that tour. Still have my "star" t-shirt. Wore it the day they broke up.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I love Sidewinder. So much fun.

 

[hikerdeb]

"Sidewinder" is magnificent nonsense, like a nursery rhyme on steroids. It was brilliant to sing the line "Call me when you try to wake her up" so fast that no one could possibly decipher it.

"Radio Song" is equally fun -- just good, goofy pop music. KRS-One's contribution seems to fit right in. I love the way the track starts: "I can't get nothin' on the radio...ah, if you'll turn to that station."

On the other hand, Q-Tip's rap on "The Outsiders" (from Around the Sun) was one of R.E.M.'s worst mistakes ever. What an embarrassment.

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

Anyone know why R.E.M. has not played a single show in the state of Florida since 1995?

They did play at a "Vote For Change Concert" in 2004, but that was a benefit/festival not an R.E.M. show.