Review of "R.E.M."

R.E.M.

Rock

Athens, GA

http://www.remhq.com/

the quintessential folk-rock band.

the quintessential folk-rock band.

at this point, i'm sure you've already formed your own opinion about R.E.M., & you either love them-- or you don't. but seeing as how these guys have the largest section of my cd collection by volume than any other artist, i have to give them a plug. automatic for the people is a good starting point, but their '80s releases are marvelously folky and their latest, up, is quite a brilliant release. consistantly good, IMO. (yes, even monster.)

Maybe you'd forgotten about R.E.M.

1999's Up was a pretty good record. Solid, dense, interesting. Lyric sheet! I've recently listened to some of the R.E.M. albums nobody ever listens to: Document, the band at its most political; Monster, did you know this band could RAWK? It can.

distinctive rock sound

distinctive guitar riffs and great lyrics have kept these guys around for 20 years. they have a HUGE amount of material, and each album has a distinct and unique sound, but it's all distinctively R.E.M. and Michael Stipe's songwriting has remained solid the whole time.

they are they are they are supermen and they can do anything

Everyone did a great job of explaining the coolness of this band. But I just had to add that even though Green is a lot of people's least favorite REM album, it is in my opinion one of their best. And the song "You Are the Everything" is the world's second greatest car song next to Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere." Automatic for the People is the American Achtung Baby. I miss Bill Berry.

Yes, they're still around :)

They've changed and evolved, yet they've remained the same. :)

If you look "alternative music" up in your Webster's...

you'll see a picture of Michael Stipe. It's that simple. This band has gone wrong in the past, recovered nicely, slipped again, and risen up yet again. They're like the Rolling Stones, only from Georgia. And, in answer to the "REM can do no wrong" sentiment that dominates these reviews... apparently no one else knows the alcohol influenced cover of "King Of The Road" from Dead Letter Office. :-) Not a high point.

If you've heard of alternative music it's because of them and they are still evolving! Kerri...your comment has me all choked up. You nailed my feelings about this group exactly!

I think they are one of the few I can't get enough of !

more talented then the average apple

can you go wrong????

as a matter of fact, i *do* have my own opinion of r.e.m., thanks.

speaking of being weaned at the teat....r.e.m. was the fruit and fibre of my musical collection growing up. and i came away with a great primer for explaining how exactly the term "alternative" came to mean mainstream. it happened when the mainstream discovered r.e.m. it really did. that may not be my favorite definition or example of the term "influential", but it's true. so their greatest album overall, in my humble opinion, is "out of time". sure, it's got a joke song on it (shiny happy people) that people actually took seriously. but it's also got "country feedback". sweet jesus, what a song. add songs like "world leader pretend", "cuyahoga", "perfect circle", and "so. central rain", and you've got a whale of a sampler. oh yeah, don't forget the shiniest gem from the largely forgettable "monster": "let me in". your vertabrae will climb right up your back as tears roll down your face.

if you can think of one good reason why document should come out of your aiwa 5-disc changer i'd sure like to hear it, buddy.

almost family

well, if my uncle's sister marries that mike guy....

True brilliance. However, this score only takes into account their first 5 studio albums as well as Dead Letter Office. After that, a solid 8.

i already reviewed them, but...

OK, so "King of the Road" wasn't exactly the greatest moment in musical history. And in all likelihood, neither was the jingle for "Cushy Tush" toilet paper -- but good lord, would I love to hear it. Oh, and Leah...you know I expect to be introduced. Mmmmmm...Mike Mills... :)

My Favorite band of all time.

From roughly the period spanning from Out of Time through New Adventures in Hi-Fi, I was a pretty big R.E.M. fan. My enthusiasm has since waned a bit...what I've heard of their newer material hasn't done much for me and the fact that I don't own all their albums pre-Out of Time is a bit of an omission in my collection (mind you, don't confuse "don't own" for "no familiarity"). That said, I have to acknowledge that R.E.M. is a significant band that made a lot of good albums "back in the day." Call me crazy, but my favorite is Automatic for the People. I prefer uptempo material in general, so it seems odd, but I guess that album got me through some crazy times. Plus, Ignoreland kicks ass.