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Biography
R.E.M. is considered one of the most
influential music groups of the past two
decades, inspiring an entire generation
of American "alternative" rock bands
with their twangy guitar sound,
grassroots support and independent
work ethic. Since forming in the early
'80s in Athens, Ga., the down-to-earth
quartet has sold tens of millions of
albums worldwide; evolving from small
clubs and college radio to packed
arenas and MTV, all without
substantially compromising their artistic
direction. R.E.M. brought the
do-it-yourself, uncommercial spirit of
punk to more traditional rock music,
rising from the underground to the big
time through hard work and consistent
songwriting rather than media hype and
lucky hit singles. At a time when most
new bands were based around
synthesizers and flashy clothes, R.E.M.
relied upon simple musicianship to win
over fans, a few at a time.
The roots of R.E.M. extend back to the
college town of Athens, Ga. in 1979,
where University of Georgia student and
record collector Michael Stipe (vocals)
met record store clerk Peter Buck
(guitar); the pair became roommates
and soon formed a band with fellow
students Mike Mills (bass) and Bill Berry
(drums), who had been jamming
together since high school. After
performing an April 1980 show/party at
Stipe and Buck's abandoned church
apartment, the group settled on the
name R.E.M. and began playing at local
bars, including the now-famous 40 Watt
Club, which was to become their home
base. Over the next two years the
foursome expanded their following, going
on short tours of the Southeast,
building up a loyal hometown audience,
and recording some material, including
the single "Radio Free Europe," which
received significant college airplay.
In May 1982 R.E.M. signed to the small
indie label I.R.S. Records, who released
their already-completed EP Chronic
Town, later that year; like "Radio Free
Europe," the EP generated an
underground buzz. Dropping out of
school, the group began touring more
often and recorded their first full-length
in December of that year. Murmur, as
their debut album was eventually titled,
was released in April 1983. With
mumbled, enigmatic lyrics, soft acoustic
guitar and sparce production, Murmur
defied the mainstream, winning critical
praise and college airplay but little
commercial success.
After spending some more time on the
road, R.E.M. returned in April 1984 with
Reckoning, a rougher sounding release
that spawned the college rock near-hit
"So. Central Rain," but once again
escaped the mainstream. With the
release of 1985's Fables of the
Reconstruction R.E.M. was clearly on
the upswing -- numerous new bands
adopted a similar sound and
anti-commercial attitude, and Fables
itself sold several hundred thousand
copies with little radio play.
Now under the pressure of constant
touring to support their albums, the
future of the group looked grim, but
somehow the band resolved their
differences, becoming a more cohesive
unit. In 1986 the quartet, tighter than
ever, produced Life's Rich Pageant,
which contained their most accessible
song to date, "Fall On Me." Despite
anticipation that the hooky single would
finally "break" R.E.M. to the masses, the
group remained in college rock territory,
though the album went gold.
Instead, their big breakthrough came
with their next album, 1987's politically
inclined Document, produced by Scott
Litt, who went on to work with R.E.M.
for the next 10 years. Document
reached the Top 10 and went platinum
thanks to the hit single "The One I
Love," which enjoyed significant
commercial radio play and heavy
rotation on MTV. Meanwhile I.R.S.
released the B-sides collection Dead
Letter Office, which also contained a
reissue of their now-famous Chronic
Town EP.
In 1988 R.E.M. surprised fans by signing
a multi-million dollar contract with major
label Warner Bros., who released their
next album, Green, in 1988. With hit
singles "Stand" and "Pop Song 89"
frequently played on the radio, R.E.M.
was finally a household name and Green
went multi-platinum. R.E.M.'s famous
1989 world tour saw the group playing
to huge audiences in North America and
packing clubs in Australia, Japan and
Europe.
R.E.M.'s stature only grew with the
release of 1991's Out of Time, which
went to No. 1 in both the U.S. and
Britain on the strength of the Top 10
singles "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny
Happy People." The album sold nearly
five million copies and won several
Grammy awards. Singer Stipe, now
clearly the group's spokesman, became
increasingly public about his political
views; in one infamous stunt he
appeared on the MTV Music Awards
wearing a succession of T-shirts with
left-leaning slogans. R.E.M. was now a
superstar group, one of the leaders of
the commercial "alternative" rock boom.
Almost as a reaction to the
mass-market success of Out of Time,
R.E.M.'s next album, 1992's Automatic
For the People (the slogan of an
Athens-area diner), was decidedly less
commercial, dominated by dark,
under-produced, introspective songs
instead of polished pop singles like
"Shiny Happy People." This
uncompromising artistic move earned
the group more respect and admiration
in rock circles, winning over new fans
and pleasing old fans who were worried
the group would "sell out." As different
as Automatic For the People was from
Out of Time, it still produced the
radio/MTV singles "Everybody Hurts,"
"Drive" and "Man on the Moon."
R.E.M. changed directions yet again
with 1994's Monster, a more edgy,
rock-oriented effort than previous
albums, reportedly Stipe's reaction to
the death of his close friend Kurt
Cobain. Monster debuted at No. 1 and
the singles "What's the Frequency
Kenneth?" and "Star 69" maintained
R.E.M.'s status as one of the most
popular alt-rock bands of the '90s.
Unfortunately the accompanying tour,
the group's first in more than five years,
was plagued by medical problems: Bill
Berry nearly died of an aneurysm in
Switzerland, Michael Stipe suffered a
hernia and Mike Mills underwent surgery
for stomach problems. Despite these
setbacks, the band pressed on, playing
at sold-out stadiums worldwide.
At the end of the tour, Stipe branched
out into independent film, while Peter
Buck performed with the groups Tuatara
and the Minus Five; Buck also produced
albums for several roots-rock bands.
After re-signing to Warner Bros. for an
estimated $80 million, the group
returned in 1996 with New Adventures
in Hi-Fi, a collection of new songs
recorded live at sound checks on the
Monster tour.
In the fall of 1997, after 17 years with
R.E.M., drummer Bill Berry announced
that he was retiring from the band to
spend more time with his family on his
farm in Georgia. The announcement
came just as the band was entering the
studio to start recording their 11th
studio album.
Up,, a collection of old-school R.E.M.
rock ballads, was produced by Pat
McCarthy and released in late October
1998.
R.E.M. at Warner Bros. Records
R.E.M. Internet Resource Guide
The Official #R.E.M. Page at EFNET
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