R.E.M. Appreciation Thread

RoundTheBend · 2012-03-12T02:19:40-04:00

I just recently got as a gift the Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 - 2011 collection that spans all of R.E.M.'s career. After listening to it, I thought it right to create this thread to recognize that a very important band's career just ended. It'd be a nice way to thank them for what they have done for you. I would to start off with their first big single and their last single Radio Free Europe - one of the first indie releases. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA57Pafq_NU Oh My Heart - Last off their last real album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouJodzhf0k8 I have also stolen this from Mr. Shankly because he put it so well. I am sure he won't mind as a fan that I did and if so please let me know and I'd be happy to remove, but first a quote from one of their greatest admirers, whose last listen was R.E.M. "I don’t know how that band does what they do. God, they’re the greatest. They’ve dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music."- Kurt Cobain Even though I took my BEA moniker from a Smiths song (another band that had a big influence on me growing up), R.E.M. is my second favorite band of all time and my favorite band that has existed within and throughout most of my lifetime. They have meant so much to me over the years. They have been the soundtrack of my life and have affected me in ways I can't even put into words. They were not just a band, they were a new identity, a movement, and pointed the way toward a new direction for music. Without R.E.M., Nirvana wouldn't have been as big, the indie and alternative explosion of the 90's wouldn't have happened the way it did, and the indie aesthetic would have never have made its way into the mainstream like it has nowadays. Like the Velvet Undergound before them, and who influenced them, R.E.M. has influenced and inspired countless great bands (Radiohead, for example). For these reasons, I believe a strong argument can be made that R.E.M. is the most important rock band of my generation, generation X. (Notice I didn't say "popular" or "widely loved") Why? Well, for one thing R.E.M. showed indie bands how to go mainstream without completely losing their souls and identities. They were literally trailblazers in this sense. R.E.M. said, "You can have it your way if you have principles, can stick to your guns, and are willing to work for it. R.E.M. showed bands how to be a democracy and that a band is always greater than the sum of its parts. Also, most of their music was mysterious, thoughtful, creative, and yet still had a pop sensibility that was accessible to people. I don't like bubblegum pop, but I also don't like overly pretentious, affected art rock with no pop sensibility either. I like the R.E.M. aesthetic best. Having said all that. I do think the timing is right. I think Collapse into Now is a strong album, but when you really listen to it, it's obvious that they are starting to repeat themselves, and yes, their best years are behind them. RIP R.E.M. You gave so much, and music fans are all better off for it. This was the best article I read in remembrance of R.E.M.: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1671171/rem-break-up-history.jhtml It completely nails what they were about and why they were such a special group. And here's another one: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/09/rem-americas-greatest-band/245525

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paladisiac = music Profile
Denver

sethmadsen wrote:

What era is best?

1. Murmur through Life's Rich Pageant

2. Document/Green

3. Out of Time/Automatic for the People

4. Monster/New Adventures in Hi-Fi

5. Up/Reveal/Around the Sun

6. Accelerate/Collapse Into Now

3>2>4=1>>>5&6

it's hard not to rate the earlier stuff higher.
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jhuik BOSS Profile
K-Dubz, just west of the 6ix, ON

....well, you listed them in order of 'best', too.....

sethmadsen wrote:

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RoundTheBend I miss the comfort in being sad Profile
Ground Control

Who rocks the mandolin like this guy?

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

RoundTheBend I miss the comfort in being sad Profile
Ground Control

and these weird hand gestures with this dancing (well actually I could name a few, but Thom just copied him anyways [actually I have no idea]):

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

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