R.E.M.

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R.E.M.

R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Michael Stipe (lead vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Bill Berry (drums and percussion). R.E.M. was one of the first popular alternative rock bands, and gained early attention due to Buck's "jangly" guitar style and Stipe's cryptic vocals. R.E.M. released its first single, "Radio Free Europe" in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone. The single was followed by the Chronic Town EP in 1982; the band's first release on I.R.S. Records. In 1983, the band released its critically-acclaimed debut album Murmur, and built its reputation over the next few years through subsequent critically-acclaimed releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio. Following years of underground success, R.E.M. entered the mainstream in 1987 with the hit song "The One I Love". The group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988, and began to adopt broad political and environmental concerns while playing large arenas worldwide.

By the early 1990s, when alternative rock began to experience broad mainstream success, R.E.M. was viewed as a pioneer of the genre and released its most successful albums, the multi-million-selling Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), which veered from the band's established sound. R.E.M. released Monster, which was a return to a more rock-oriented sound, in 1994 and began its first tour in six years, which was marred by a number of medical emergencies suffered by three bandmembers. In 1997, R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. for a then-record US$ 80 million. The following year, Bill Berry amicably left the band, with Buck, Mills, and Stipe continuing as a three-piece. Through some changes in musical style, the band continued its career into the next decade with mixed critical and commercial success. In 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

History

Formation: 1980–1982

In January 1980 Michael Stipe met Peter Buck in an Athens record store the latter worked in. The pair discovered they shared similar tastes in music, particularly punk rock and protopunk artists like Patti Smith, Television, and The Velvet Underground; Stipe said, "It turns out that I was buying all the records that he was saving for himself."[1] Stipe and Buck soon met fellow University of Georgia students Mike Mills and Bill Berry at a party,[2] a pair who had played music together since high school.[3] The quartet agreed to write several songs; Stipe later commented that "there was never any grand plan behind any of it."[1] The unnamed band spent several months rehearsing and played its first show on April 5, 1980 at a friend's birthday party held in a converted Episcopal church. After considering names like Twisted Kites, Cans of Piss, and Negro Wives, the band settled on R.E.M., which Stipe selected at random from a dictionary.[4]

Eventually, the band members dropped out of school to focus on the band.[5] R.E.M.'s success was more or less instant in Athens and in the surrounding area; the band drew progressively bigger crowds for shows, which caused some resentment among the Athens music scene.[6] Over the next year and a half, R.E.M. toured throughout the Southern United States. During the summer of 1981, R.E.M. recorded its first single, "Radio Free Europe" (sampleⓘ) at Mitch Easter's Drive-In Studios in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "Radio Free Europe" was released on the local independent record label Hib-Tone with an initial pressing of one thousand copies, which quickly sold out.[7] Despite its limited pressing, the single garnered critical acclaim; it was listed as one of the ten best singles of the year by The New York Times and the Village Voice named it Single of the Year in its 1983 Pazz & Jop critics poll.[8]

I.R.S. Records and cult success: 1982–1986

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"Radio Free Europe"
Sample of "Radio Free Europe." Originally released as the band's debut single on Hib-Tone in 1981, the song was re-recorded for the band's debut album Murmur in 1983.
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R.E.M. had recorded its debut EP, Chronic Town, with Easter for Hib-Tone when the band's demo tape found its way to I.R.S. Records.[9] The band turned down the advances of major label RCA Records and signed with I.R.S. in May 1982. Chronic Town was released by I.R.S. that August as the label's first American release.[10] A positive review of the EP by NME praised the aura of mystery the songs presented, and concluded, "R.E.M. ring true, and it's great to hear something as unforced and cunning as this."[11]

The band was initially paired with producer Stephen Hague by I.R.S. to record its debut album. Hague's emphasis on technical perfection left the band unsatisfied, and the band members asked the label to let them record with Easter.[12] I.R.S. subsequently agreed to a "tryout" session, allowing the band to return to North Carolina and record the song "Pilgrimage" with Easter and producing partner Don Dixon. After hearing the track, I.R.S. gave the group permission to record the album with Dixon and Easter.[13] The completed album, Murmur, was greeted with critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone listing it as their record of the year.[14] The album was warmly received by college radio, and its success there pushed the album to number 36 on the Billboard album chart.[15] A re-recorded version of "Radio Free Europe" was the lead single from the album and reached number 78 on the Billboard singles chart in 1983. Despite the acclaim awarded to the album, Murmur only sold about 200,000 copies, which I.R.S.'s Jay Boberg felt was below expectations.[16]

R.E.M. made its first national television appearance on Late Night with David Letterman in October 1983,[17] where they performed a new, unnamed song.[18] The unnamed song, eventually titled "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)", became the first single from the band's second album, Reckoning (1984), which was once again recorded with Easter and Dixon. The album met with critical acclaim; NME's Mat Snow said that Reckoning "confirms R.E.M. as one of the most beautifully exciting groups on the planet."[19] In late 1983 the band embarked on its first tour of Europe. While Reckoning peaked at number 27 on the US album charts (a very good placing for a college rock band at the time), scant airplay and poor distribution overseas resulted in no higher than number 91 on the British charts.[20]

R.E.M.'s third album Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) demonstrated a change in direction. Instead of Dixon and Easter, the band chose Joe Boyd, who had worked with Fairport Convention and Nick Drake, to produce the record in England. The band members found the sessions unexpectedly difficult, and were miserable due to the cold winter weather and poor food.[21] The situation made the band so miserable it came close to breaking up.[22] The gloominess surrounding the sessions ended up providing the context for the album itself, influencing an album darker and drearier than the band's previous efforts. Lyrically, Stipe began to create storylines in the mode of Southern mythology, noting in a 1985 interview that he was inspired by "the whole idea of the old men sitting around the fire, passing on ... legends and fables to the grandchildren."[23] Fables of the Reconstruction became the biggest-selling record released by I.R.S. by that point in America. However, the album performed poorly in Europe and critical reception of the album was mixed, with some critics regarding it as dreary and poorly recorded.[24] Like the previous records, the Fables singles were mostly ignored at mainstream radio. Meanwhile I.R.S. was becoming frustrated with the band's reluctance to achieve mainstream success.[25]

For its fourth album, R.E.M. enlisted John Mellencamp producer Don Gehman. The result, Lifes Rich Pageant (1986), was more accessible to listeners outside the college realm, with Stipe's vocals coming closer to the forefront. Buck discussed the difference in a 1986 interview with the Chicago Tribune: "Michael is getting better at what he's doing, and he's getting more confident at it. And I think that shows up in the projection of his voice."[26] Over the course of Lifes Rich Pageant, Stipe's lyrics touched on a wide variety of themes, with a greater emphasis on politics and the environment. The album improved on the sales of Fables of the Reconstruction markedly and eventually peaked at number 21 on the Billboard album chart. The single "Fall on Me" also picked up support on commercial radio.[27] The album became the band's first to be certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies. While the R.E.M's core support remained college radio, the band was beginning to chart hits on mainstream rock formats; however, the band's music still encountered resistance from Top 40 radio.[28] Following the success of Pageant, I.R.S. issued Dead Letter Office, a compilation consisting of tracks recorded by the band during their album sessions, many of which had either been issued as B-sides or left unreleased altogether. Shortly thereafter, I.R.S. compiled R.E.M.'s music video catalog (except "Wolves, Lower") as the band's first video release, Succumbs.

Breakthrough success: 1987–1993

For its fifth album Document (1987), R.E.M. began a decade-long relationship with producer Scott Litt. Reacting to the conservative political environment of the 1980s under American President Ronald Reagan, the album featured some of Stipe's most openly political lyrics, particularly on "Welcome To the Occupation" and "Exhuming McCarthy".[29] Jon Parales of The New York Times wrote in his review of the album, "'Document' is both confident and defiant; if R.E.M. is about to move from cult-band status to mass popularity, the album decrees that the band will get there on its own terms."[30] Document was R.E.M.'s breakthrough album, and the first single "The One I Love" charted in the Top 20 in the US, UK, and Canada.[15] In light of the band's breakthrough, the December 1987 cover of Rolling Stone declared R.E.M. "America's Best Rock & Roll Band".[31]

Frustrated that its records did not see satisfactory overseas distribution, R.E.M. left I.R.S. after its contract expired and signed with major label Warner Bros. Records.[32] In 1988 I.R.S. released the compilation Eponymous, which included most of the band's singles, as well as a number of rarities. The band's 1988 Warner Bros. debut, Green, was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and showcased the band attempting to experiment with its sound.[33] The range of material on the record included the upbeat first single "Stand" (a huge American hit),[34] and more politically-minded material like the rock-oriented "Orange Crush" and "World Leader Pretend" that dealt with the Vietnam War and the Cold War, respectively.[35] The band supported the album with a tour that was its biggest and most visually-oriented to date, featuring back-projections and art films playing on the stage.[36] After the Green tour ended the band members unofficially decided to take the following year off, the first extended break in the band's career.[37] Template:Sound sample box align right

"Losing My Religion"
Sample of "Losing My Religion" from Out of Time (1991). The mandolin-driven song became R.E.M.'s biggest American hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard charts.
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R.E.M. reconvened in mid-1990 to record its seventh album, Out of Time. Unlike previous albums, the band members often wrote the music on non-traditional rock instrumentation including mandolin, organ, and acoustic guitar.[38] Released in March 1991, Out of Time was the band's first album to top both the US and UK charts.[15] The record eventually sold 4.2 million copies in the US alone.[39] The album's lead single "Losing My Religion" was a worldwide hit that received heavy rotation on radio and for its music video on MTV.[40] The song was R.E.M.'s highest charting single in the US, reaching number four on the Billboard charts.[15] "There've been very few life-changing events in our career because our career has been so gradual," Mills said years later. "If you want to talk about life changing, I think 'Losing My Religion' is the closest it gets".[41] The album's second single "Shiny Happy People" (one of three songs on the album to feature vocals from Kate Pierson of fellow Athens band The B-52's) was also a major hit, reaching number ten in the US and number six in the UK;[15] Out of Time garnered R.E.M. seven nominations at the 1992 Grammy Awards, the most nominations of any artist that year. The band won three awards, one for Best Alternative Music Album and two for "Losing My Religion", Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[42] R.E.M. did not tour to promote Out of Time; instead the group played a series of one-off shows, including an appearance taped for an episode of MTV Unplugged.[43]

After spending some months off, R.E.M. returned to the studio in 1991 to record its next album. Late in 1992, the band released Automatic for the People. Though the group had intended to make a harder-rocking album after the softer textures of Out of Time,[44] the somber Automatic for the People "[seemed] to move at an even more agonized crawl," according to Melody Maker.[45] The album dealt with themes of loss and mourning inspired by "that sense of . . . turning thirty", according to Buck.[46] Several songs featured string arrangements by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Considered by a number of critics (as well as Buck and Mills) to be the band's best album,[47] Automatic for the People reached number one and two in the UK and US, respectively, and generated the American Top 40 hit singles "Drive," "Man on the Moon," and "Everybody Hurts."[15] As with Out of Time, no touring was done in support of the album. The decision to forgo a tour, in conjunction with Stipe's physical appearance, generated rumors that the singer was dying; the band vehemently denied the rumors.[45]

Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi: 1994–1996

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"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
Sample of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" from Monster (1994). The song's loud, distorted guitars were an intentional departure from the sound of R.E.M.'s previous two albums.
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After piecing together two slow-paced albums in a row in the studio, R.E.M's 1994 album Monster was, as Buck said, "a 'rock' record, with the rock in quotation marks." In contrast to sound of its predecessors, the music of Monster consisted of distorted guitar tones, minimal overdubs, and touches of 1970s glam rock.[48] Like Out of Time, Monster topped the charts in both the US and UK. The singles "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" and "Bang and Blame" were the band's last American Top 40 hits, although all the singles from Monster—including the UK-only singles "Crush With Eyeliner" and "Tongue"—reached the Top 30 on the British charts.[15]

In January of 1995 R.E.M. set out on its first tour in six years, beginning several collaborations with prominent stage and lighting designer Willie Williams. The tour was a huge commercial success, but the period was difficult for the group.[49] On March 1, Berry collapsed on stage during a performance in Lausanne, Switzerland. It transpired that he had suffered a brain aneurysm. He had surgery immediately and had fully recovered within a month. Berry's aneurysm was only the beginning of a series of health problems that plagued the Monster Tour. Mills had to undergo abdominal surgery to remove an intestinal adhesion in July; a month later, Stipe had to have an emergency surgery to repair a hernia.[50] Despite all the problems, the group had recorded the bulk of a new album while on the road. The band brought along eight-track recorders to capture its shows, and used the recordings as the base elements for the album.[51] After the tour was complete, the band entered the studio and recorded the rest of the album.

R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1996 for a reported $80 million, the largest recording contract in history at that point.[52] The group's 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi was its longest album to date. Though it debuted at number two in the US and number one in the UK,[15] the album failed to generate the sales of their previous three albums'. Also in 1996, R.E.M. parted ways with its long-time manager Jefferson Holt, allegedly due to sexual harassment charges levied against Holt by a member of the band's home office in Athens.[53] The group's lawyer, Bertis Downs, assumed managerial duties.

Berry's departure and Up: 1997–2000

Michael Stipe at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival

In April 1997, the band convened at Buck's Kauai holiday home to record demos of material intended for the next album. The band sought to reinvent its sound and intended to incorporate drum loops and percussion experiments.[54] Just as the sessions were due to begin in October, Berry decided, after months of contemplation and discussions with Downs and Mills, to tell the rest of the band that he was quitting.[55] Berry told his band mates that he would not quit if they would break up as a result, so Stipe, Mills, and Buck agreed to carry on as a three-piece with his blessing.[56] Berry publicly announced his departure three weeks later in October 1997. Berry told the press, "I'm just not as enthusiastic as I have been in the past about doing this anymore . . . I have the best job in the world. But I'm kind of ready to sit back and reflect and maybe not be a pop star anymore."[54] Stipe admitted that the band would be different without a major contributor: "For me, Mike, and Peter, as R.E.M., are we still R.E.M.? I guess a three-legged dog is still a dog. It just has to learn to run differently."[57]

Having taken time off to gather their thoughts, rest, and travel, the remaining members of R.E.M. entered Toast Studios in San Francisco to work on their next album. The band ended its decade-long collaboration with Scott Litt and hired Pat McCarthy to produce the record. Nigel Godrich was taken on as assistant producer, while the band decided to use drum machines, and drafted in ex-Screaming Trees member Barrett Martin and Beck's touring drummer Joey Waronker. The recording process was plagued with tension, and the group came close to disbanding.[58] Led off by the single "Daysleeper", Up (1998) debuted in the top ten in the US and UK. However, the album was a relative failure, selling 900,000 copies in the US by mid-1999 and eventually selling just over two million copies worldwide.[39] While R.E.M.'s American sales were declining, the group's commercial base was shifting to the UK, where more R.E.M. records were sold per capita than any other country and the band's singles regularly entered the Top 20.[59]

A year after Up's release, R.E.M. wrote the instrumental score to the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, a first for the group. The film took its title from the Automatic for the People song of the same name.[60] The song "The Great Beyond" was released as a single from the Man on the Moon soundtrack album. "The Great Beyond" only reached number 57 on the American pop charts, but was the band's highest-charting single ever in the UK, reaching number three in 2000.[15]

Reveal and Around the Sun: 2001–2005

R.E.M.'s 2001 album, Reveal, shared the "lugubrious pace" of Up.[61] Global sales of the album were over four million, but in the United States Reveal sold about the same number of copies as Up.[62] The album was led by the single "Imitation of Life," which reached number six in the UK.[63] Reveal included drumming by Joey Waronker, as well as contributions by Scott McCaughey (a co-founder of the band The Minus 5 with Buck) and Posies founder Ken Stringfellow. Writing for Rock's Backpages, The Rev. Al Friston described the album as "loaded with golden loveliness at every twist and turn", in comparison to their "essentially unconvincing work on New Adventures in Hi-Fi and Up."[64] Similarly, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called the album "a spiritual renewal rooted in a musical one" and praised its "ceaselessly astonishing beauty."[65]

In 2003 Warner Bros. released the compilation album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, which featured two new songs, "Bad Day" and "Animal". That same year during a concert in Raleigh, North Carolina, Berry made a surprise appearance, performing backing vocals on "Radio Free Europe". He then sat behind the drum kit for a performance of the early R.E.M. song "Permanent Vacation," marking his first performance with the band since his retirement.[66]

R.E.M. released Around the Sun in 2004. During production of the album in 2002, Stipe said, "[The album] sounds like it's taking off from the last couple of records into unchartered R.E.M. territory. Kind of primitive and howling".[67] After the album's release, Mills said, "I think, honestly, it turned out a little slower than we intended for it to, just in terms of the overall speed of songs."[68] Around the Sun received a mixed critical reception, and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard charts.[69] The first single from the album, "Leaving New York," was a Top 5 hit in the UK.[70] For the record and subsequent tour, the band hired a new full-time touring drummer, Bill Rieflin, who had previously been a member of Ministry. In late 2004 R.E.M. toured with Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Bright Eyes and others on the Vote for Change tour. Throughout 2005, the band embarked on its first full-length world tour since the Monster Tour ten years earlier. During the tour, R.E.M. participated in the Live 8 concert event.

Recent years: 2006–present

EMI, which owns the I.R.S. catalogue, released a compilation album covering R.E.M.'s work during its tenure on the label in September 2006 called And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987, accompanied by a DVD entitled When the Light Is Mine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 released at the same time. That month, all four original band members performed during the ceremony for their induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.[71] While rehearsing for the ceremony, the band recorded a cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream" for "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur," a tribute album benefiting Amnesty International. The song, released as a single for the album and the campaign, featured Bill Berry's first studio recording with the band since his departure almost a decade earlier. In October 2006, R.E.M. was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility.[72] The band was one of five nominees accepted into the Hall, and the induction ceremony took place on March 12, 2007, at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The group was inducted by Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder and performed four songs with Bill Berry.[73]

Work on the group's next album Accelerate commenced in early 2007. The band recorded with producer Jacknife Lee in Vancouver and Dublin, where they played five nights in the Olympia Theatre between June 30 and July 5 as part of a "working rehearsal". Speaking of the dates Stipe noted, "Returning to Dublin for our live rehearsal this summer provides the great start we need for our next album’s work," and that he "[intends] to hit the ground running."[74] R.E.M. Live, the band's first live album (featuring songs from a 2005 Dublin show), was released in October 2007.[75]

Musical style

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"Fall on Me"
Sample of "Fall on Me" from Lifes Rich Pageant (1986), which showcases Peter Buck's jangly, arpeggiated guitar style and features Michael Stipe and Mike Mills harmonizing in the chorus.
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In a 1988 interview, Peter Buck described typical R.E.M. songs as, "Minor key, mid-tempo, enigmatic, semi-folk-rock-balladish things. That's what everyone thinks and to a certain degree, that's true."[76] All songs are credited to the entire band, even though individual members are sometimes responsible for writing the majority of a particular song.[77] Each member is given an equal vote in the songwriting process; however Buck has conceded that Stipe, as the band's lyricist, can rarely be persuaded to follow an idea he does not favor.[45] Among the original lineup, there were divisions of labor in the songwriting process: Stipe would write lyrics and devise melodies, Buck would edge the band in new musical directions, and Mills and Berry would fine-tune the compositions due to their greater musical experience.[78]

Early articles about the band focused on Michael Stipe's singing style (described as "mumbling" by The Washington Post), which often rendered his lyrics indecipherable.[79] Stipe commented in 1984, "It's just the way I sing. If I tried to control it, it would be pretty false."[80] Producer Joe Boyd convinced Stipe to begin singing more clearly during the recording of Fables of the Reconstruction.[81] Stipe harmonizes with Mills often in songs; in the chorus for "Stand," Mills and Stipe alternate singing lyrics, creating a dialogue.[82]

Peter Buck's style of playing guitar has been singled out by many as the most distinctive aspect of R.E.M.'s music. Buck's "economical, arpeggiated, poetic" style reminded British music journalists during the 1980s of 1960s American folk rock band The Byrds.[83] Buck has stated "[Byrds guitarist] Roger McGuinn was a big influence on me as a guitar player."[84] Comparisons were also made with the guitar playing of Johnny Marr of alternative rock contemporaries The Smiths. While Buck professed being a fan of the group, he admitted he initially criticized the band simply because he was tired of fans asking him if he was influenced by Marr.[77] Mike Mills' melodic approach to bass playing is inspired by Paul McCartney and Chris Squire of Yes; Mills has said, "I always played a melodic bass, like a piano bass in some ways . . . I never wanted to play the traditional locked into the kick drum, root note bass work."[85] Mills has more musical training than his bandmates, which he has said "made it easier to turn abstract musical ideas into reality."[86]

Legacy

R.E.M. was pivotal in the creation and development of the alternative rock genre. All Music Guide states, "R.E.M. mark the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock."[5] In the early 1980s, the alternative rock of R.E.M. stood in contrast to the post-punk and New Wave genres that had preceded it. Music journalist Simon Reynolds noted that the post-punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s "had taken whole swaths of music off the menu," particularly that of the 1960s, and that "After postpunk's demystification and New Pop's schematics, it felt liberating to listen to music rooted in mystical awe and blissed-out surrender." Reynolds declared R.E.M., a band that recalled the music of the 1960s with its "plangent guitar chimes and folk-styled vocals" and who "wistfully and abstractly conjured visons and new frontiers for America", one of "the two most important alt-rock bands of the day."[87] With the release of Murmur, R.E.M. had the most impact musically and commercially of the developing alternative genre's early groups, leaving in its wake a number of jangle pop followers.[88] R.E.M. has continued to influence many subsequent alternative bands, such as Pavement and Live.[89]

R.E.M.'s early breakthrough success has served as an inspiration for other alternative bands. Spin referred to the "R.E.M. model"—career decisions that R.E.M. made which set guidelines for other underground artists to follow in their own careers. Spin's Charles Aaron wrote that by 1985, "They'd shown how far an underground, punk-inspired rock band could go within the industry without whoring out its artistic integrity in any obvious way. They'd figured out how to buy in, not sellout-in other words, they'd achieved the American Bohemian Dream."[90] Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate said, "They invented a whole new ballgame for all of the other bands to follow whether it was Sonic Youth or the Replacements or Nirvana or Butthole Surfers. R.E.M. staked the claim. Musically, the bands did different things, but R.E.M. was first to show us you can be big and still be cool."[91] Between 1991 and 1994, a period that saw the band sell an estimated 30 million albums, R.E.M. "asserted themselves as rivals to U2 for the title of biggest rock band in the world."[92]

Campaigning and activism

Throughout the band's career, R.E.M. has sought to highlight social and political issues. According to the Los Angeles Times, R.E.M. is considered to be one of the United States' "most liberal and politically correct rock groups."[93] The members of R.E.M. are "on the same page" politically, sharing a liberal and progressive outlook.[94] Mills has admitted that there is occasionally dissension between band members on what causes they might support, but acknowledged "Out of respect for the people who disagree, those discussions tend to stay in-house, just because we'd rather not let people know where the divisions lie, so people can't exploit them for their own purposes." An example is that in 1990 Buck noted Stipe was involved with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but that the rest of the band was not.[95]

R.E.M. has helped to raise funds for environmental, feminist and human rights causes, and has been involved in campaigns to encourage voter registration. During the Green tour, Stipe took time during sets to inform the audience about a variety of pressing socio-political issues.[96] R.E.M. helped raise awareness of Aung San Suu Kyi and human rights violations in Burma, when they worked with the Freedom Campaign and the US Campaign for Burma.[97] The band participated in the 2004 Vote for Change tour that sought to mobilize American voters to support Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.[98] R.E.M.'s political stance, particularly coming from a wealthy rock band under contract to a label owned by a multinational corporation, has received criticism from some quarters. Former Q editor Paul Du Noyer criticized the band's "celebrity liberalism", saying, "It's an entirely pain-free form of rebellion that they're adopting. There's no risk involved in it whatsoever, but quite a bit of shoring up of customer loyalty. And when I read their expressions of how cross they are at the election of [US president] George W. Bush, I just hear the sound of Democrat teddy bears being thrown out of cots."[99]

Since the late 1980s, R.E.M. has been involved in the local politics of its hometown of Athens, Georgia.[100] Buck explained to Sounds in 1987, "Michael always says think local and act local—we have been doing a lot of stuff in our town to try and make it a better place."[101] The band has often donated funds to local charities and to help renovate and preserve historic buildings in the town.[102] R.E.M.'s political clout was credited with the narrow election of Athens mayor Gwen O'Looney twice in the 1990s.[103]

Discography

Main article: R.E.M. discography

Studio albums

References

  • Buckley, David. R.E.M.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography. Virgin, 2002. ISBN 1-85227-927-3
  • Gray, Marcus. It Crawled from the South: An R.E.M. Companion. Da Capo, 1997. Second edition. ISBN 0-306-80751-3
  • Platt, John (editor). The R.E.M. Companion: Two Decades of Commentary. Schirmer, 1998. ISBN 0-02-864935-4
  • Sullivan, Denise. Talk About the Passion: R.E.M.: An Oral Biography. Underwood-Miller, 1994. ISBN 0-88733-184-x

Notes

  1. ^ a b Gumprecht, Blake. "R.E.M.". Alternative America. Winter 1983
  2. ^ Holdship, Bill. "R.E.M.: Rock Reconstruction Getting There". Creem. September 1985
  3. ^ Buckley, p. 30
  4. ^ Buckley, p. 39
  5. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "R.E.M > Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Buckley, p. 46
  7. ^ Sullivan, p. 27
  8. ^ Gray, p. 497
  9. ^ Buckley, p. 61
  10. ^ Buckley, p. 66-67
  11. ^ Grabel, Richard. "Nightmare Town". NME. December 11, 1982
  12. ^ Buckley, p. 72
  13. ^ Buckley, p. 78
  14. ^ Buckley, p. 73
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Buckley, p. 357-58
  16. ^ Buckley, p. 95
  17. ^ Gray, p. 432
  18. ^ Gray, p. 434
  19. ^ Snow, Mat. "American Paradise Regained: R.E.M.'s Reckoning". NME. 1984
  20. ^ Buckley, p. 115
  21. ^ Buckley, p. 131-32
  22. ^ Buckley, p. 135
  23. ^ "Interview with R.E.M." Melody Maker. June 15, 1985.
  24. ^ Buckley, p. 140
  25. ^ Buckley, p. 159
  26. ^ Popson, Tom. "Onward and Upward and Please Yourself". Chicago Tribune. October 17, 1986.
  27. ^ Buckley, p. 151
  28. ^ Buckley, p. 160
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Further reading

  • Fletcher, T. Remarks: the story of R.E.M. Omnibus, 1989. ISBN 0-7119-1813-9.

External links

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