Extreme R.E.M
Biography
R.E.M. played their first concert in Athens, Georgia, USA on 19 April 1980. Their line-up consisted of four drop-outs from the University of Georgia; John Michael Stipe (b. 4 January 1960, Decatur, Georgia, USA; vocals), Peter Buck (b. 6 December 1956, Los Angeles, California, USA; guitar), Mike Mills (b. 17 December 1958, Orange County, California, USA; bass) and Bill Berry (b. 31 July 1958, Duluth, Minnesota, USA; drums). Without the charisma of Stipe and his eccentric onstage behaviour, hurling himself about with abandon in between mumbling into the microphone, they could easily have been overlooked as just another bar band, relying on the harmonious guitar sound of the Byrds for their inspiration. Acquiring a healthy following among the college fraternity in their hometown, they entered the studio before long to record their debut single, "Radio Free Europe," to be released independently on Hibtone Records. This was greeted with considerable praise by critics, who conceded that the band amounted to more than the sum of their influences. Their country/folk sound was contradicted by a driving bassline and an urgency that put the listener more in mind of the Who in their early mod phase. Add to this the distinctive voice of Stipe and his, on the whole, inaudible, perhaps even non-existent, lyrics, and R.E.M. sounded quite unlike any other band in the USA in the post-punk era of the early '80s. They gained further favourable notices for the CHRONIC TOWN mini-LP, and their debut full-length album was now eagerly anticipated; when it arrived in 1983 it surpassed all expectations, and was eventually made Album Of The Year by Rolling Stone magazine. As in the USA, the band earned a devoted cult following in Europe, largely composed of college students, as a result of MURMUR.
RECKONING appeared the following year and was permeated by a reckless spontaneity that had been missing from their earlier work. Recorded in only 12 days, the tracks varied in mood from frustration, as on "So. Central Rain" to the tongue-in-cheek singalong "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." The songs were accessible enough but, as would be the case for most of the '80s, the singles culled from R.E.M.'s albums were generally deemed uncommercial by mainstream radio programmers. However, their cult reputation benefited from a series of flop singles on both sides of the Atlantic. Although received enthusiastically by critics, FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION was a stark, morose album that mirrored a period of despondency within the band. Peter Buck summed it up in the '90s?'If we were to record those songs again, they would be very different'.
LIFES RICH PAGEANT, in 1986, showed the first signs of a politicization within the band that would come to a head, and coincide with their commercial breakthrough, in the late '80s. Stipe's lyrics began to dwell increasingly on the prevailing amorality in the USA and question its inherited ethics, whilst still retaining their much-vaunted obliqueness. Tracks like "These Days" and "Cuyahoga" were rallying cries to the young and disaffected; although the lyrics were reflective and almost bitter, the music was the most joyous and uplifting the band had recorded to date. This ironic approach to songwriting was typified by "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" from the equally impressive DOCUMENT. Released also as a single, it intentionally trivialized its subject matter with a witty and up-tempo infectiousness, more characteristic of the Housemartins.
GREEN arrived in 1988 and sold slowly but steadily in the USA, the attendant single "Stand" reaching number 6 there, while "Orange Crush" entered the UK Top 30. Apart from demonstrating their environmental awareness, particularly in "You Are The Everything," the album laid more emphasis than previously on Stipe's vocals and lyrics. This, to the singer's dismay, led to his elevation as 'spokesman for a generation'. Already hero-worshiped by adoring long-term fans, Stipe insists, 'Rock 'n' roll is a joke; people who take it seriously are the butt of the joke'. The world tour that coincided with the album's release saw R.E.M. making a smooth transition from medium-size venues to the stadium circuit, due as much to Stipe's individual choreography as to the elaborate, projected backdrops. After a break of two years the band re-emerged in 1991 with OUT OF TIME. Their previous use of horns and mandolins to embroider songs did not prepare their audience for the deployment of an entire string section, nor were the contributions from B-52s singer Kate Pierson and Boogie Down Productions' KRS-One expected. Ostensibly all love songs, the album was unanimously hailed as a masterpiece and entered the UK Top 5 on its release, topping both US and UK album charts shortly afterwards. The accompanying singles from that album, "Losing My Religion", "Shiny Happy People," and "Near Wild Heaven," gave them further hits. After picking up countless awards during the early '90s the band has maintained the high standard set by OUT OF TIME. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE was released in October 1992, to universal favour. It reached the top of the charts in the UK and USA. Michael Stipe was seen both as pin-up and creative genius. The album produced a number of memorable singles, including the moody "Drive" and the joyous "Man In The Moon," with its classic Elvis Presley vocal inflections from Stipe and an accompanying award-winning monochrome video.
MONSTER showed the band in grungelike mode, not letting any accusations of selling out bother them, and certainly letting fans and critics alike know that they had not gone soft. "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" started a run of further hit singles taken from the album and further awards were heaped upon them. Following the collapse of Bill Berry in Switzerland while on a major tour in 1995 the band were forced to rest. Berry was operated on for a ruptured aneurysm and he made a full recovery.
NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI was released in September 1996, just before it was announced that the band had re-signed with Warner Bros., reportedly for a record-breaking sum of eighty million dollars. In light of such a huge figure, the commercial failure of New Adventures in Hi-Fi was ironic. Though it received strong reviews and debuted at number two in the US and number one in the UK, the album failed to generate a hit single.
30 October '97 was a shocking day for all R.E.M. fans. MTV announced that Bill Berry has decided to leave the band, but other members of band said that R.E.M. will not break up, and will not replace him either. Officially Bill Berry has left the band on 31 October '97.
Taken From Unofficial Polish Website of R.E.M.