Issue 4, Article 13
REM was born in the summer of 1980 in Athens, Georgia. Band members Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe rehearsed in the attic of an old church, and played their earliest gigs at the small 40 Watt Club in Athens. With the release of their first single, "Radio Free Europe", in 1981, REM received airplay on college radio and even a spot on American Bandstand. They began to tour small venues in the south, gradually building a fan base. REM released Chronic Town, an EP with five songs, in 1982 to critical acclaim. Songs such as "Wolves, Lower" and "Gardening at Night" were characterized by Buck’s jangly guitar and Stipe’s muffled vocals. The group created arguably one of their best albums in 1983, with Murmur. The fusion of both punk and folk on this record is a testament to the diverse nature of REM’s music. Indeed, comparing Murmur’s "Perfect Circle" and "Sitting Still", one will hear a vast different in style, but the same uncompromised musical integrity.
Throughout the eighties, REM rose to fame by touring America and Europe extensively, and releasing an album every year for six years (1982-1988). Life’s Rich Pageant, the album from 1986, was marked by a harder, louder sound, and also clearer vocals from Stipe. Perhaps this album could be seen as a precursor to the grunge breakthrough in the early nineties. Many 90’s alternative bands credit REM as one of their influences. Although they began the alternative revolution in the late 1980’s with songs such as "One I Love" and "Pop Song ‘89", REM switched to a mellower sound in 1991’s Out of Time; scoring their biggest hit ever with "Losing My Religion". Although Out of Time sold big with the mainstream audience, many REM fans, myself included, regard it to be one of their weaker records. While superb vocal and instrumental work may be found in "Half a World Away" and "Country Feedback", much of the album is saccharine sweet, backed by sappy string arrangements. In no song is this more evident then "Shiny Happy People".
By contrast to Out of Time, REM’s follow-up album Automatic For the People is commonly believed to be the best of their career. I highly recommend buying the album, sitting down somewhere quiet, and listening to it in its entirety. The mood is such that it will lull you into a sublime trance, and when the last song, "Find the River" ends you will wake up as if from a dream. The band shifted gears with 1994’s Monster, as they often have done throughout their career. The album is essentially a lot of loud guitar, with Glam-sounding vocals from Stipe. REM launched a world tour in 1995 and recorded songs for their next album New Adventures in Hi-Fi while they were on the road. Bill Berry, the band’s drummer quit the band in 1997, leaving the remaining trio to produce Up, their newest release. This album is drastically different from any of the band’s prior work. Songs such as "Lotus" and "Hope" are the hallmarks of this change in style. Hopefully REM’s propensity to explore a plethora of musical styles will continue in the future, but in the meantime they have created a vast catalogue of songs that will be listened to and savored for generations.