I'm not going to deny that U2 are very popular but you're really stretching the definition of hits/classics here.
If you're going to talk about songs that are considered great and mention REM then you've got to include all of Murmur, all of Reckoning, most of the next three albums, all of Automatic...a smattering of Green, Out of Time and New Adventures...
On RYM, REM have four albums that have higher ratings than the Joshua Tree, five rated higher than Achtung Baby, six higher than TUF and a seventh (New Adventures) tied...nine are ahead of Boy, U2's fifth highest rated album.
Talking about things that are considered great is largely arbitrary, but the most reliable way to determine that is through aggregating many opinions. Yes, some magazines and the industry (and fans, of course) loved ATCYLB and HTDAAB, but the 4,000 + who rated them don't rate them very highly at all. In fact, 14 REM albums - every one except for Around the Sun (the worst album ever made) - has a higher rating than U2's last five albums.
REM and U2 both had two albums on Rolling Stone's top 100 of the 80s. REM won 3-1 in the Pitchfork 80s list.
Here's the note accompanying Paste's 80s list: Note: We included a maximum of two albums per artist so this didn’t just become a list of great R.E.M., Smiths and Springsteen albums.
Also, if we're going to talk about U2 being considered great, we need to acknowledged how hated they are by so many. Not many bands are as hated as U2.
Have you read ANY of my previous responses? My whole entire point is not that a certain band might have sold more copies of an album some year, or may have gotten more critical praise at some point for something.
It's the fact that U2 is the only band to combine ALL of these elements and be incredibly successful over a longer stretch than anyone else.
I love REM. In fact i will listen to them far more often than U2, I have 2 of their albums in my top ten vs. 1 for U2. BUT, I am under no illusions that at ANY time, was REM a "bigger" band than U2.
In the height of REM's success, 88 to 92 (Green, Out of Time, Automatic) they sold a combined 10 million albums in the US, with only 1 of those albums going to number 1. Green wasn't even in the top 10.
U2, in their height, 87 to 91, JT, R&H, AB) they sold a total of 23 million.
JT was number 1 for 9 weeks, R&H for 6 weeks, and Achtung hitting number 1 as well.
I won't even mention worldwide figures as it wouldn't even be close.
That's just album sales. Then look at success of singles, ticket sales, critical acclaim, etc...
Again, U2 encompasses it ALL.
U2 had two huge tours, were on the cover of Time and pretty much set up residence on the cover of Rolling Stone, while setting records on the Pop, Rock and Alternative Billboard charts during this time. REM were riding high, but not even in the same ballpark.
And you are completely misrepresenting my list of songs as well. As i mentioned a couple of times. These are songs that
either charted respectably, or are considered "great" songs. By "great" i was meaning more in the sense - that at the very least, the general listening public would be quite familiar with them, and easily attribute them to the artist. And at most, be considered classic songs.
That's how i came up with the original list.
So I pared it down to just well known songs -
I Will Follow
NYD
SBS
Pride
Bad
WOWY
ISHFWILF
Streets
Bullet (maybe)
Desire
Angel of Harlem
AIWIY
One
Mysterious Ways
EBTTRT
Stay
Discotheque
The Sweetest Thing
BD
Elevation
Walk On
Vertigo
(22)
Radio Free Europe
Rockville
Fall On Me
The One I Love
End of the World…
Stand
Orange Crush (maybe)
Losing My Religion
Shiny Happy People
Everybody Hurts
Man on the Moon
What’s the Frequency Kenneth
The Great Beyond (maybe)
(13)
Then pared that down to just classic songs -
I Will Follow
NYD
SBS
Pride
Bad
WOWY
ISHFWILF
Streets
Desire
One
Mysterious Ways
BD
Vertigo
(13)
Radio Free Europe
Rockville
Fall On Me
The One I Love
End of the World…
Stand
Losing My Religion
Everybody Hurts
(8)
Obviously both bands are incredible and have had huge success. But U2 just eclipses REM. And like I said, that is no knock on REM. They are in my top 3 bands ever and I love them dearly.
I'm just puzzled by the resistance in admitting that U2 has had a more all-encompassing success for a longer period of time than any other band.