Slate: R.E.M. vs. U2 - Who was the best rock band of the '80s?

[Niceman]

Those might be pop songs, and not indicative of their catalogue as a whole, but REM realised pretty early on that that wasn't the direction that they wanted to go in. Otherwise, we would have had 20 Everybody Hurts since then. And when was the last time you saw REM at the Grammys?

As for why we have't seen REM at the grammys...Have you heard the last 3 albums? They fell worse than the Stones and INXS put together.....

 

[corianderstem]

And no, I don't think that Everybody Hurts is a good song (Just catchy) and most people I know who think that REM is the best band in the world agree with me.

I agree with you there. I LOATHE that song. It drives me up the freaking wall!

 

[Niceman]

I agree with you there. I LOATHE that song. It drives me up the freaking wall!

PROOF that you're a real REM fan!

 

[blueeyedgirl]

I agree with you there. I LOATHE that song. It drives me up the freaking wall!

Am I a real REM fan too???

 

[Niceman]

Am I a real REM fan too???

Do you hate Everybody Hurts?

 

[LemonMelon]

As for why we have't seen REM at the grammys...Have you heard the last 3 albums? They fell worse than the Stones and INXS put together.....

Are you including Up? If so...



Up = Zooropa of R.E.M.'s catalogue.

 

[Nisse]

Up is so depressing but sure it's the most detracting album. But I don't understand why so many dislike Reveal, every song is solid, although perhaps only Imitation of Life is a classic.

 

[schnumi]

Who cares about the 80's? U2 is still the best band in the world.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Would definitely agree that REM was the Band Of The 80's..........five flawless, unquestionably classic albums, possibly the greatest string of five albums in history.

And Green was also released in the 80's, but who cares?

 

[CTU2fan]

And Green was also released in the 80's, but who cares?

Green gets such a bad rap. I think it's unique in that the singles were nowhere near the best tracks on the album (Stand is a must-skip for me - and then they did it again on Out of Time, with Shiny Happy People, ugh). I really like that untitled track...

Re: Everybody Hurts...Nightswimming kicks EH's ass.

One thing U2 & REM have in common is that people that don't like them (at least the ones I know) tend to REALLY dislike them.

 

[Bean Skidds]

I've never really liked REM all that much, so for me best band of the 80s is no contest. Ive heard every REM album up to the late 90s, in fact I own most of them, and my favorite is easily Monster, because it has some meat to it. Alot of their music is just a bit "wimpy" for my taste, for lack of a better word.

Just my opinion.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

You say you never really liked REM, yet you own most of the albums?

 

[corianderstem]

That was my thought!

 

[AtomicBono]

That was my thought!

some people try hard to like a band, alright?

I own a few REM albums myself, and they're not bad, and they certainly do have some brilliant songs (Losing my Religion, for example), but in general I just can't bring myself to like REM. And I've tried. They're just not my thing.

Also, the song Everybody Hurts is pretty unforgivable.

Despite that, I still respect REM. Really, I think they're a very different band than U2, and if they ever tried to "compete" with U2 it would have been in the late 80's or early 90's...they certainly aren't now.

 

[MrBrau1]

REM of late have been pop. Big time pop.

I don't know how someone hears "Imitation Of Life" and doesn't think it's a pure pop song. There are tons others as well.

Oh, that's right, this is "Stylus."

Is this the same knucklehead who compares U2/REM, but won't listen to any of their recent records?

Great guy. Really open-minded. Respect his opinion. He cares about music. Not.

 

[LemonMelon]

You say you never really liked REM, yet you own most of the albums?

I own every Coldplay album. I didn't buy them though. The only one I like is Parachutes. AROBTTH is OK, but X&Y just pisses me off.

 

[Bean Skidds]

You say you never really liked REM, yet you own most of the albums?

Correct. My cd collection is huge. Ive always collected cds, as much for a hobby as for listening to. Its easy to find boxes of 50 used cds at flea markets for as little as 10 bucks. I'll give anything a listen for 20 cents a disc.

 

[LemonMelon]

Correct. My cd collection is huge. Ive always collected cds, as much for a hobby as for listening to. Its easy to find boxes of 50 used cds at flea markets for as little as 10 bucks. I'll give anything a listen for 20 cents a disc.

I need to find a flea market like that.

 

[Bean Skidds]

I need to find a flea market like that.

Go flea marketing in rich neighborhoods Some of them cant be bothered with listing stuff on ebay or trying to get close to the actual value for stuff. They just want the clutter gone. You can find brand new stuff for dirt cheap in areas where people have higher incomes.

 

[corianderstem]

I don't know how someone hears "Imitation Of Life" and doesn't think it's a pure pop song. There are tons others as well.

Imitation of Life ...

If anyone thinks they haven't done anything good in the last few years, they need to listen to this song and The Great Beyond.

 

[corianderstem]

Correct. My cd collection is huge. Ive always collected cds, as much for a hobby as for listening to. Its easy to find boxes of 50 used cds at flea markets for as little as 10 bucks. I'll give anything a listen for 20 cents a disc.

That's pretty awesome, actually.

How many CDs do you have?

 

[LMP]

PROOF that you're a real REM fan!

Oh noeeez.

I like Everybody Hurts AND other R.E.M. songs.

I can't be a real fan now

And this might be food for thought:

If All That You Can't Leave Behind wasn't as successful, U2 and R.E.M. would be in the exact same boat. Great bands capable and making great music, but never commercially popular again.

 

[corianderstem]

How do you figure that if ATYCLB wasn't so succesful, they'd never be popular again? That's an odd leap to make.

 

[LMP]

How do you figure that if ATYCLB wasn't so succesful, they'd never be popular again? That's an odd leap to make.

I said that wrong.

What I meant was they wouldn't be as commercially popular in the U.S. With the short attention span of the music-buying public in America getting smaller and smaller, that single has to grab them.

Zooropa didn't have a huge single in the U.S.

Pop's singles tanked after Discotheque.

Sweetest Thing was a modest hit.

Without Beautiful Day as a huge single, and the other 3 singles as successes, I think they would've faded in popularity in the American music scene much like R.E.M.

Not quality-wise, just commercial-popularity.

 

[drt4]

Imitation of Life ...

If anyone thinks they haven't done anything good in the last few years, they need to listen to this song and The Great Beyond.

Imitation of Life and The Great Beyond are practically the same song. It's true.


I will say that I think Up is a brilliant album.

 

[corianderstem]

Imitation of Life and The Great Beyond are practically the same song. It's true.

Then I guess it explains why they're both so good.

 

[akann]

REM are almost as overrated as the Stones are. Apart from Automatic and UP, the rest of their albums are very average at best. Out of Time is probably the most over hyped record in the history of music. I don't get how some u2 fans here can even rate REM anywhere near u2, the only bands who can come close to u2 are Feedback and The Hype...

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Ah, so young to be so cynical....

 

[corianderstem]

REM are almost as overrated as the Stones are. Apart from Automatic and UP, the rest of their albums are very average at best.

Them's fightin' words!!!!!!

 

[allbecauseofu2]

i could see rem making a comeback. u2 has a clear commercal advantage. UP went like gold, and was considered a flop. POP went platium and was considered a flop. and yeah forget the last two albums vs each other. i guess rem couldn't get out of thier own way after the mid 90's. and u know red hot chili peppers can enter the discussion here. They had 80;'s albums, although with pretty much no commercal sucess. Age wise thier not realy much younger. over 40. They had BSSM in 1991, and was a alt-ock smash. Then had a OHM in 95, witch was a hit kinda on the level of pop. a hit, but not nearly as much. Then the band almost breaks up, and then in 99, stormed back with CALI and following decent to good commercaly sucessful albums BTW and SA. I'm a big big RHCP fan and what they have done since 99 has been outstanding . rem could not do what RHCP did, much less u2. Chili peppers have a valid say in this discussion as far as the 90's and longevity go. They just released a double album 2 hours of music and thiers not one bad song on it. some better then others,yeah but a SOLID release. Let rem battle RHCP before going aganst u2. lol.