R.E.M. breaks up after 31 years.

DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
edited September 2011 in General Discussion Posts: 15,690
Blast ! One of my favorite band, R.E.M., is no more.

A very dark day.

<url>http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/09/21/promo-storify-rem-breakup.html</url>;

Comments

  • Posts: 1,497
    Yes indeed, one of the greatest bands of the last 30 years--can't believe it's been 30 years! In all honesty though, their last couple albums; pretty much most of their albums since drummer Bill Berry left, have been so-so. It's probably for the better of their legacy.

    Murmur and Document are excellent records though, that I will still listen to for years to come.
  • Posts: 2,107
    It's the end of the world as we know it!

    image
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    This will make everybody hurt.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    Wow, what a shame. Another good group is no more. :-(
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Hopefully no priests like them. They'll be losing their religion.
  • edited September 2011 Posts: 2,107
    Well, they certainly wouldn't be a bunch of shiny happy people anymore :(
  • In all honesty though, their last couple albums; pretty much most of their albums since drummer Bill Berry left, have been so-so. It's probably for the better of their legacy.
    I thought 1998's "Up", their first album without Berry, was actually their best album. Berry himself agrees with me, as do dozens of great reviews of the album on Amazon from listeners who paid the album the attention it required and deserved.
    Murmur and Document are excellent records though, that I will still listen to for years to come.
    I actually thought, a few patchy moments on "Reveal" and "Around The Sun"
    aside, that REM were either great (or at the very least damn bloody good) throughout their career and across all of their albums, though that changed with the atrocity of their latest album, the only REM album I outright dislike, a lazy and unfocused collection of "been there, done that" moments and an album they tellingly refused to tour. Now we know why.

    What a terrible way to go out though, making a quick last buck off an absolute heap of s*** of an album. Their legacy beforehand deserves so much better, a body of work that deserves the kind of legendary status often bestowed on the less-deserving likes of Kurt Cobain (who worshipped the asses of REM and was inspired greatly by them; Patti Smith, Radiohead and Pearl Jam worship REM as well), yet now REM will likely be remembered by Joe Public as a band who made one album everybody bought ages ago but then made a pile of records the public weren't interested in, the sales went down and then they split up. The truth is very different of course, but the truth very rarely has it's say.

    Thanks for everything except the last album, guys. A great band who soundtracked almost my entire life, and at least all of my adulthood. So many great albums, so many great songs, so many moments which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Legends deserving of the title.
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