R.E.M. have broken up

[lazarus]

Is there an R.E.M. album that concludes as insubstantially and generically as Accelerate? I never listen air it through Reveal or Around the Sun but surely they don't have the auto-pilot nature of Horse To Water or the inanity of I'm Gonna DJ.

 

[LemonMelon]

I like Horse To Water pretty well.

I have no explanation for I'm Gonna DJ, however; it is inexcusably horrible.

 

[No spoken words]

Once Laz gets a hard on for a song, album or band, he never lets it go and never lets you forget.....

 

[djerdap]

I like Horse To Water pretty well.

I have no explanation for I'm Gonna DJ, however; it is inexcusably horrible.

This. I still like Accelerate quite a bit. Living Well is the Best Revenge is the best rocker they did in ages.

 

[lazarus]

Rest of the album is entertaining if occasionally slight. Something like Hollow Man is great but ends just as it's getting started.

But Horse To Water...no. I'd like someone to explain to me what in this song puts it above generic. If I wanted to listen to Reckoning I'd put it on and hear something 10x better like Pretty Persuasion. And the stuff on Monster had a lot more character.

Standouts for me are Submarine, Mr. Richards, and the title track.

 

[djerdap]

Hollow Man is just embarrassing and certainly a low point of the album. Mr.Richards is pretty dull too. Other than that, I like the album just fine. Horse To Water has more energy than 90% of Around the Sun, and it seems like the band just wants to rock for 3 minutes.

 

[lazarus]

If all you're looking for is energy, ok. Yeah, it was a relief after Around the Sun, but I prefer a little substance to go with it.

Auto-pilot.

 

[djerdap]

Auto-pilot.

One could make that argument for most of what came out after Up.

 

[No spoken words]

Up

 

[FitzChivalry]

'Falls To Climb'

 

[LemonMelon]

Suspicion

 

[lazarus]

Sad Professor

 

[u2popmofo]

'Falls To Climb'

Pounce pony.

 

[FitzChivalry]

You're such a phony maroney!

 

[U2inUtah]

Listen to a "Chronic Town" era concert:


R.E.M.’s ‘Chronic Town’ turns 30 today — hear an hour-long 1982 concert

Setlist: R.E.M., Merlyn’s, Madison, WI, 4/24/82

1. “Gardening At Night”
2, “9-9″
3. “Ages Of You”
4. “Shaking Through”
5. “Laughing”
6. “Romance”
7. “Sitting Still”
8. “Pretty Persuasion”
9. “That Beat”
10. “Catapult”
11. “Radio Free Europe”
12. “Wolves, Lower”
13. “Carnival Of Sorts (Box Cars)”
14. “White Tornado”
15. “West Of The Fields”
16. “Stumble/Apache/Skank”

 

[IWasBored]

I want a time machine.

 

[No spoken words]

Everyone that knows you wants you to find the fucking time machine already.

That being said....I saw REM in 1987, I believe, but, yeah, seeing them even earlier than that would have been nice.

 

[The_acrobat]

Found my old Eponymous CD today and put it in for kicks. I quickly became very sad that I'll never get the chance to see them live again. Even on the off chance they do play again someday, they will most likely not come anywhere near Ohio. IRS years R.E.M. is my favorite era by far, but I like them pretty much all the way through. Great band, so sad.

U2 and REM were always considered peers to a certain extent. I think the late 90s is where their courses parted ways. Both bands experienced a decline in popularity in the late 90s. U2 did what everybody wanted them to do and made ATYCLB, HTDAAB, and caught a 2nd wind and cemented their legacy forever. REM did not pander to the masses, and instead made Up, Reveal and Around the Sun. I personally like those albums, but can understand why they didn't tear up the radiowaves. By the time REM did their "return to form" album with Accelerate, it was too late. Also, Stipe's homosexuality and Bill Berry's departure played a huge role in their decline in popularity.

I have to think though that if U2 had continued down the road they were headed with Zooropa, Passengers and Pop, we'd have gotten some great and interesting music, but they would've faded into obscurity and eventually broken up due to there being no point in staying together.

 

[lazarus]

Also, Stipe's homosexuality and Bill Berry's departure played a huge role in their decline in popularity.

The general public (the difference in the band being popular and super popular) probably didn't give a shit about Bill Berry being there (though I remember it being said that he was responsible for making sure most of their songs had memorable hooks), and Stipe always came off like a strange, artsy guy. Like in...EVERY SINGLE MUSIC VIDEO THEY DID. After seeing the Shiny Happy People video, I'm guessing most assumed he was gay anyway. The point is, his coming out (which was very gradual and not very public) likely didn't have much of an affect.

They declined in popularity because they were trying different things, and not following the formula that made them superstars. Monster rocked out when people expected more Automatic For The People, yet still went 4x platinum. After that, their experimentation on Hi-Fi and Up were just not albums that were going to go well with mainstream listeners, and the follow-ups to that were too fucking boring for anyone to care at that point.

 

[BVS]

U2 and REM were always considered peers to a certain extent. I think the late 90s is where their courses parted ways. Both bands experienced a decline in popularity in the late 90s. U2 did what everybody wanted them to do and made ATYCLB, HTDAAB, and caught a 2nd wind and cemented their legacy forever. REM did not pander to the masses, and instead made Up, Reveal and Around the Sun. I personally like those albums, but can understand why they didn't tear up the radiowaves. By the time REM did their "return to form" album with Accelerate, it was too late. Also, Stipe's homosexuality and Bill Berry's departure played a huge role in their decline in popularity.

I think Berry's departure is about the only part of this paragraph that I agree with... Not everybody wanted U2 to make ATYCLB, REM still wrote very REM-like mass appeal songs during that time like Daysleeper, Imitation, Great Beyond, and I don't think Stipe's very slow and late coming out had anything to do with their decline in popularity.

 

[MrPryck2U]

I have to think though that if U2 had continued down the road they were headed with Zooropa, Passengers and Pop, we'd have gotten some great and interesting music, but they would've faded into obscurity and eventually broken up due to there being no point in staying together.

I assure you that you don't have to think that way. U2 weren't pandering to the masses when they released ATYCLB and Bomb. Some of their finest songs are on those albums. And if, as you say, they had "released great and interesting music", then they would NOT have faded into obscurity and eventually broken up. NEWSFLASH: They DID make great and interesting music and they are still together. With such classics in their library like War, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby by 1997, they would have NEVER faded into obscurity. Hell, people are still talking about Nirvana and they only released 3 studio LP's. Cobain died 18 years ago.

As for your REM remarks, most fans knew Micheal Stipe was gay long before he came out publically. And long before their albums sales decreased. Losing Bill was a bummer, but he left for personal reasons. Not because he thought the other guys were assholes. The door was always open for him to return. Eventually they found a capable replacement. Maybe their albums didn't sell well, but their concerts were still top notch. I saw them in 2003 and 2008 and they kicked fuckin' ass!

 

[Danny Boy]

Finding out Michael Stipe was gay put me off R.E.M. about as much as Adam's pot bust put me off U2.

 

[u2popmofo]

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Michael Stipe is gay?! Are you sure?

Oh, thats it, I can't listen to them now!

 

[u2popmofo]

I'm glad they broke up now, no wonder Berry left.

 

[bollox]

In terms of "shockingness," Michael Stipe's coming out falls somewhere between Ricky Martin and Lance Bass.

Oh my. Michael Stipe in between Ricky Martin and Lance Bass. I do believe I've gone and made myself all hot and bothered . . .

 

[IWasBored]

And now u iz gonna write teh fanfixtionz. Oh dearz.

 

[lazarus]

Guys why do you think they called the album REVEAL??

And the song on the album before that? THE APOLOGIST. Stipe was ashamed of being gay and felt guilty about his homosexuality causing Berry's departure.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Everyone that knows you wants you to find the fucking time machine already.

That being said....I saw REM in 1987, I believe, but, yeah, seeing them even earlier than that would have been nice.

Were you at the MSG show where Indigo Girls opened?

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

The Indigo Girls? Well that should have been a clue right there...