R.e.m.

[pickledseal]

Sad to see them split after 31 years. Always been trying new thongs instead of endless Greatest Hits tours.

My favourite album is Up, and I judge people who haven't heard it or don't like it ;)

This is my favourite version of one of my favourite tunes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTrUDdi-YW4

What's your favourite albums/tracks?

 

[Supernaut]

They should have called it a day when Bill left IMO. That said, Up is indeed a fine album (probably their last great moment) and they always remained interesting. Hard to pick a best album - could be any of the first 7 depending on my mood. Favourite tracks; Radio Free Europe, So Central Rain, Driver 8, Welcome to the Occupation, World Leader Pretend, Texakarna, Country Feedback, Ignoreland, Electrolite, The Apologist, Diminished, Parakeet.

 

[MK Shrimper]

They should have called it a day when Bill left IMO. That said, Up is indeed a fine album (probably their last great moment) and they always remained interesting. Hard to pick a best album - could be any of the first 7 depending on my mood. Favourite tracks; Radio Free Europe, So Central Rain, Driver 8, Welcome to the Occupation, World Leader Pretend, Texakarna, Country Feedback, Ignoreland, Electrolite, The Apologist, Diminished, Parakeet.

Agreed about Bill Berry, they've been a very average band since and it's the early albums that are the classics. Since Automatic For The People I've lost interest in all but the occasional single.

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

Near wild heaven is my favourite track.

 

[pickledseal]

I think it is a little harsh to be overly critical of their more recent stuff. It's not as great as there early stuff... but that was amazing! Collapse Into Now is a good solid album that is a lot better than most other stuff out there right now... I guess people just have very high expectations (which is fair enough).

 

[MK Shrimper]

Fav track: Sorry to be obvious, but Losing My Religion is one of the greatest songs in popular music.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Got in to REM through "Out Of Time" and "Automatic For The People" but now much prefer the older stuff. Indeed, "Murmur" would probably be in my all-time top ten. Of their later albums, I always feel "New Adventures In Hi-Fi" was much better than generally perceived, but the last two or three I've bought more out of loyalty than anything else and they've really not been up to much.

To do a comprehensive list of my top ten REM tracks would be nigh on impossible, but these'll do for starters:

Electrolite (New Adventures....)
World Leader Pretend (Green)
Half A World Away (Out of Time)
Maps And Legends (Fables of the Reconstruction)
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville (Fables of the Reconstruction)
Perfect Circle (Murmur)
So. Central Rain (Reckoning)
7 Chinese Bros. (Reckoning)
Talk About The Passion (Murmur)
Shaking Through (Murmur)

Ask me again next week and that list will probably look very different!

Incidentally, I stumbled across this link the other day, where an REM blogger lists their albums from worst to best. Makes quite interesting reading.

http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/ranked/ranked-rem-albums-from-worst-to-best

 

[Cricko]

Automatic for the people for me..Sidewinder is a brilliant track.

Oh BTW.

Michael Stipe announced REM's split from a bath of Muller yoghurt. That's him in the Corner.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Great band, great lyrics. Stipe one of the best frontmen, Pete Buck an awesome guitarist and Mike Mills one of the most talented bass players ever. Agree they lost their sparkle once Bill Berry left and would argue they hadnt really made a great record since New Adventures (one of my favourite records of the 90s). But a whole catalogue of classics that will be played on radios for a long long time.

 

[Gremlin]

They should have called it a day when Bill left IMO.

But a three-legged dog is still a dog.

 

[TrueBlue]

Nightswimming - great tune

 

[Smiffy]

Losing my religion is and will always be, one of my fave tunes ever.

 

[Napster]

Not my cup of tea.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Not my cup of tea.

Was that a b-side?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Not big on REM but 'Orange Crush' sticks in my mind

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Very sad to hear REM have split up, they were the second ever gig I went to - Monster Tour at Milton keynes Bowl in '95. got into them around Automatic era, and although my knowledge of their back catalogue is patchy I'd still class them as one of my favourite bands.

best moments...
Reckoning lp (the whole thing, only got it a couple of years ago)
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I feel fine) - 'brush classic!
Stand
Orange Crush
Losing My Religion
Shiny Happy People - yeah I know, cheesy as, but I don't care!
Everybody Hurts
Nightswimming
What's the Frequency Kenneth?
The Great Beyond
Bad Day

Have to confess I had lost track of them in recent years, notice there's a new 'best of' out in November though.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

About time somebody did it...

[video=youtube;_eyFiClAzq8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyFiClAzq8[/video]

 

[GrumpyBlue]

Not my cup of tea.

Me too - sounds like a marketing wheeze :winking:

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Boring band.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Boring band.

Too modern for you Grandpa? :cricko::Grandad: Their early stuff is heavily influenced by The Byrds.