I'll apologize...

[ycartrob]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rLlVWrvO-Q

Man, there was a time in my life when these guys were the center of my universe.

right on. I sometimes forget how truly mesmerizing and new their music was when it came out; there was nothing that sounded anything like it. I mean, I remember the specific highway, passing under a specific road in my hometown when I first heard Radio Free Europe in 1983.  aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, to be 19 again, care free, high, drunk and dumb. Now, I'm just dumb...

Exactly - it was just so different.  I was 14 in 83 and my brother allready had me listening to the Replacements and Husker Du, but it wasn't until I heard REM that I began to really realize that the music that I truely loved didn't get played on the radio.  I would tell my friends that REM was going to be our generation's Zepplin - they'd beat me up.  I was wrong.

It actually makes me sad to hear REM's output from the last ten years, allthough everyone tells me that I have to listen to the new album.

tell me all that I need to know about r.e.m. please I was born in 84 so kind of missed their early stuff.  I don't get why their later stuff gets hated on so much.  which albums specifically would a hardcore r.e.m. fan consider shit and which is classic?

life's rich pageant is sweet for early stuff that I've heard, automatic for the people and green are more popular right?  

I dug reveal and up, thought they had really great songs on them.  were they mostly criticized because of stipes singing style and slowing things down or what.  really curious about that, I could use some culturing from the older wiser ones.

go in order of releases. Murmur, Reckoning, etc...

look for an EP called Chronic Town, which was their first official release; it was released on CD along with Dead Letter Office, which is covers and outtakes, sometime in the 80's I think.

[bluntmaster]

Exactly - it was just so different.  I was 14 in 83 and my brother allready had me listening to the Replacements and Husker Du, but it wasn't until I heard REM that I began to really realize that the music that I truely loved didn't get played on the radio.  I would tell my friends that REM was going to be our generation's Zepplin - they'd beat me up.  I was wrong.

It actually makes me sad to hear REM's output from the last ten years, allthough everyone tells me that I have to listen to the new album.

R.E.M. was one of the first bands that fell under the banner of "alternative rock" back in the early 80's. The Mats, Husker Du etc... all fall in the (now dead) alternative genre, but R.E.M. became the biggest and most important. I can't say that I've ever liked R.E.M. - I remember hating hating hating their earliy breakout college radio single "Superman" when I started university in 1987 - but I certainly recognize their talent and creativity, even if I respectfully hate their sound; but they are a great band.

is that the one where it goes "I am I am I am superman" or whatever? yeah that song sucks pretty hard.

[ycartrob]

Exactly - it was just so different.  I was 14 in 83 and my brother allready had me listening to the Replacements and Husker Du, but it wasn't until I heard REM that I began to really realize that the music that I truely loved didn't get played on the radio.  I would tell my friends that REM was going to be our generation's Zepplin - they'd beat me up.  I was wrong.

It actually makes me sad to hear REM's output from the last ten years, allthough everyone tells me that I have to listen to the new album.

R.E.M. was one of the first bands that fell under the banner of "alternative rock" back in the early 80's. The Mats, Husker Du etc... all fall in the (now dead) alternative genre, but R.E.M. became the biggest and most important. I can't say that I've ever liked R.E.M. - I remember hating hating hating their earliy breakout college radio single "Superman" when I started university in 1987 - but I certainly recognize their talent and creativity, even if I respectfully hate their sound; but they are a great band.

is that the one where it goes "I am I am I am superman" or whatever? yeah that song sucks pretty hard.

that's actually a cover song originally by The Clique

[bluntmaster]

Exactly - it was just so different.  I was 14 in 83 and my brother allready had me listening to the Replacements and Husker Du, but it wasn't until I heard REM that I began to really realize that the music that I truely loved didn't get played on the radio.  I would tell my friends that REM was going to be our generation's Zepplin - they'd beat me up.  I was wrong.

It actually makes me sad to hear REM's output from the last ten years, allthough everyone tells me that I have to listen to the new album.

R.E.M. was one of the first bands that fell under the banner of "alternative rock" back in the early 80's. The Mats, Husker Du etc... all fall in the (now dead) alternative genre, but R.E.M. became the biggest and most important. I can't say that I've ever liked R.E.M. - I remember hating hating hating their earliy breakout college radio single "Superman" when I started university in 1987 - but I certainly recognize their talent and creativity, even if I respectfully hate their sound; but they are a great band.

is that the one where it goes "I am I am I am superman" or whatever? yeah that song sucks pretty hard.

that's actually a cover song originally by The Clique

have they done covers for albums frequently or just that one time?

[ycartrob]

Exactly - it was just so different.  I was 14 in 83 and my brother allready had me listening to the Replacements and Husker Du, but it wasn't until I heard REM that I began to really realize that the music that I truely loved didn't get played on the radio.  I would tell my friends that REM was going to be our generation's Zepplin - they'd beat me up.  I was wrong.

It actually makes me sad to hear REM's output from the last ten years, allthough everyone tells me that I have to listen to the new album.

R.E.M. was one of the first bands that fell under the banner of "alternative rock" back in the early 80's. The Mats, Husker Du etc... all fall in the (now dead) alternative genre, but R.E.M. became the biggest and most important. I can't say that I've ever liked R.E.M. - I remember hating hating hating their earliy breakout college radio single "Superman" when I started university in 1987 - but I certainly recognize their talent and creativity, even if I respectfully hate their sound; but they are a great band.

is that the one where it goes "I am I am I am superman" or whatever? yeah that song sucks pretty hard.

that's actually a cover song originally by The Clique

have they done covers for albums frequently or just that one time?

that was their first cover on a formal release. there's a couple more out there

[bluntmaster]

Exactly - it was just so different.  I was 14 in 83 and my brother allready had me listening to the Replacements and Husker Du, but it wasn't until I heard REM that I began to really realize that the music that I truely loved didn't get played on the radio.  I would tell my friends that REM was going to be our generation's Zepplin - they'd beat me up.  I was wrong.

It actually makes me sad to hear REM's output from the last ten years, allthough everyone tells me that I have to listen to the new album.

R.E.M. was one of the first bands that fell under the banner of "alternative rock" back in the early 80's. The Mats, Husker Du etc... all fall in the (now dead) alternative genre, but R.E.M. became the biggest and most important. I can't say that I've ever liked R.E.M. - I remember hating hating hating their earliy breakout college radio single "Superman" when I started university in 1987 - but I certainly recognize their talent and creativity, even if I respectfully hate their sound; but they are a great band.

is that the one where it goes "I am I am I am superman" or whatever? yeah that song sucks pretty hard.

that's actually a cover song originally by The Clique

have they done covers for albums frequently or just that one time?

that was their first cover on a formal release. there's a couple more out there

interesting, did not know that.  there's a dvd of their set from langerado over at thetradersden.org that I watched over the weekend, it was a pretty cool show.  multi-camera, very watchable.   michael stipe is a bad ass no doubt.