REM • Shiny Happy People

Another of my favorite REM videos, I just found a copy I could embed so here it is. It features guest vocals from fellow-Athens, Georgia, star, Kate Pierson of the B52s. Their joyous performance and perfect vocals charm me every time.

REM Calls It Quits

REM announced on their website that the band is pulling the plug after 31 years together. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry (retired in 1997) came together in 1980. They formed in Athens, Georgia, which had also given the world the B-52s, which would be more than enough for any town. From the start, the band was hard to pigeon-hole, as they brought some aesthetics from different genres, like the attitude of the 70s Punk bands with the sensitivity of the folk bands, with the brash sound of Rock guitar. For many, they defined the term "alternative rock band" like few others have. I first remember hearing them in the early 80s. I was entranced by their early hit, 1983's Radio Free Europe, off their debut, Murmur.



While I am sure there are more than enough puns about their 1987 song It's The End OF The World As We Know It, you can find the video for it and The One I Love in a post here. And the following year, they released a song that still remains one of my favorites, all these years later. In 1988, Stand hit the airwaves, and man, was it charming.



In 1991, it almost seemed like REM was going to take over the world. The reception of Losing My Religion was remarkable, and the video, placing all the quirks of the band and lead singer Michael Stipe front and center with iconic artistic and spiritual imagery had everyone watching it. It was quite startling.



In 1992, the band released the iconic Automatic For The People, regarded by many critics as the best album the band put out. The following year, Everybody Hurts was released. The vocals epitomized Stipe's plaintive cry.



The Monster album was released in 1996. From there sprang the video for Bang And Blame. The sound was a bit heavier on the rock side, and the boys were touting a more mature look. I really liked Monster.



To be honest with you, Monster was the last offering that was on my radar. I know in 1997, drummer Bill Berry retired, as he was having some health issues. But the band soldiered on, never officially replacing him as a member in the band. The slight blip on that radar would be in 1998, with the song Lotus from the Up album.



On the website, Michael Stipe says, "A wise man once said--'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it. I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way. We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It's been amazing."



So those were some of my favorite videos/songs from the long career of REM. Above is an early picture of all four, still young and fresh. Left to right, they are Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck. We've watched them as they grew and matured. Below is a more recent shot of the remaining 3 members of the band, Peter Buck, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills. They brought us on that journey with them, through album covers, videos, and concert appearances. Time did not stand still, nor shall it now. It is time for them to all travel their own paths.

Worth Another Listen - REM (Document)

There are times when I find it hard to believe that so much time has passed since I first heard a song or a band. This is once of those times, as I was thinking about the band REM, I band I first heard in the early 80s, while working at the college radio station. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills where on the forefront of a new style of music that was just starting to be heard, labeled as 'alternative' by the music industry. They were the first of several bands from the Athens, Georgia, area, very much the antithesis of what many thought rock music should be. Buck delivered a searing guitar work, often punctuated by crisp and clear solos, while lead singer Stipe, with his angelic face and shy demeanor, had a vocal style that was more invested in muddling the tone, on swallowing at times rather than projecting, ushering in a new style and feel that would change Rock for decades to come.



The first time the band had a significant spot on the US music charts was 24 years ago, in 1987! As I mentioned before, I had remembered hearing Radio Free Europe in the early 80s, but it wasn't until later that the band scored a Top Ten hit with The One I Love, the aching love song from the IRS album Document, the last one they had with the small label before being picked up by Warner Brothers. The song was written by the band, and was the first single released. It made it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on US Mainstream Rock Tracks.



The band followed that up with the frantic song The End of the World As We Know It, which might come as close as you are gonna get to rap for a bunch of 80s rockers. And it brought the band out into the open, following up the plaintive and some might say whiny heart-ache of The One I Love with the politically charged and highly public rocker to cement a forming fanbase. Although the song only went to #69 on the Billboard Hot 100, it did score a Top 20 on the US Mainstream Rock Song chart.



The third single from Document didn't hit the Pop charts, and really wasn't a player on the rock chart either, but it is of interest because it showed yet another side to the band, and an oddly homo-erotic video. Finest Worksong was released at the beginning of 1988, and was the last single before the band was signed by Warner Brothers.



Way back when, there was much discussion about the relative charms of Michael Stipe, as both the boys and the girls were just crazy about him. Stipe seemed to shy away from talking about his personal life, at least until the new millennium, when he started referring to himself as a queer artist, although he pushed aside the 'gay' marker as too limiting. Whatever, he was now sleeping with guys, no matter the terms he feels most at ease with.

For more about the band REM, you can check out their official website here. With so much great music still to come, I am sure you will see them popping up again soon!