REM calls it quits

[GlobalObserver]

I've been a fan since Chronic Town. I love the IRS years. Everything since AFTP has been somewhat subpar, but still worthwhile. They remain one of my favorite bands. My biggest problem with them in recent years is that everything they release is too damn loud. Overly compressed reissues, as well as new releases that are brickwalled to the point of being almost unlistenable.

It's been an interesting 30 years.

Thanks for all the great music, guys. Mediocre R.E.M. is still better than 90% of the stuff that's been released during the past three decades.

[SeattleEd]

Thanks for all the great music, guys. Mediocre R.E.M. is still better than 90% of the stuff that's been released during the past three decades.

I agree other than there have been some good bands over that past three decades. Certainly if you are fan of the garage sound some cool sounds have been coming out of the Bay Area and Austin. Really been digging The Black Angels and Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo.

If you have time, just peruse iTunes and follow the links what others have bought and you'll be doing it for hours.

[megoat]

The Leopards were definitely part of the Paisley scene.
.

Are you talking about the Leopards who released Magic Still Exists on Voxx? Crazy, pretty obscure band. I love them. Their first LP Kansas City Slickers is highly recommended to anyone who loves late 60s era Kinks.

While I've never met any of the members of REM, I have many friends who have and over the years, of all the personal anecdotes I've heard, the unanimous verdict is how much of an *** is Peter Buck! Hahahaha. Apparently Stipe and Mills are as nice as can be.

[MicromanZone]

It all seems kind of weird to me; I mourned R.E.M.’s “death” back when Bill Berry left the group and even that was a bit past the band’s peak to me. To me, their peak was in the mid-to-late 1980s. Past that, whatever. So news of them breaking up seems odd to me. Especially since it seems I have a ton of friends who are mildly upset by the breakup, yet I can’t recall the last time anyone I know has actually enthusiastically played R.E.M. stuff anywhere for any reason or even react enthusiastically to hearing their songs somewhere.

[SeattleEd]

Are you talking about the Leopards who released Magic Still Exists on Voxx? Crazy, pretty obscure band. I love them. Their first LP Kansas City Slickers is highly recommended to anyone who loves late 60s era Kinks.

While I've never met any of the members of REM, I have many friends who have and over the years, of all the personal anecdotes I've heard, the unanimous verdict is how much of an *** is Peter Buck! Hahahaha. Apparently Stipe and Mills are as nice as can be.

Yup, that be them. They had a hit in L.A. for Psychedelic Boy. Rodney played them all the time.

As for Buck, yes. Met him many times at The Crocodile Cafe in Seattle. His wife was majority owner and he always hung out there to see the bands come to town. Not very sociable and even spotted him when The Church played in town at the Croc and didn't have some nice things to say about them since they have always been rivals, well at least Pete and Marty Willson-Piper from the Church. I mean they both play Rickenbackers but other than that, different styles.

[SUP-Ronin]

I didn't like anything from the "Green" album on. I guess I'm only a fan of their early stuff. I actually didn't even know they were still together.

[Donkey Hoatie]

I remember being a sophomore in college and anxiously waiting the release of Out of Time. It did not disappoint. A few years later, when Monster came out, I feel like I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I tried listening to the albums they released after that, but I just couldn't find any traction.

For about 5 years or so in the late 80s-early 90s, they were one of my top five favorite bands. Even throughout the early 00s, I probably would have had them in my top ten favorite bands. But, for about the past 5 or 6 years, I couldn't get geared up for any of their releases.

It's amazing that they've stayed together this long. Congrats to them on everything they accomplished. They changed the landscape of alternative music (back when alternative actually meant something) and paved the way for a lot of great bands to be heard. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with my iTunes library and some R.E.M. playlists.