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Jason Decrow / AP file
Michael Stipe, left, and Peter Buck, perform with R.E.M. on the TODAY show in New York on April 1, 2008.
Fans of the long-running rock band R.E.M. got a bit of a shock Wednesday when the group announced on its website that they were calling it quits.
"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band, said a statement at remhq. "We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." R.E.M.
"A wise man once said -- 'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave,'" Michael Stipe said on the site. "We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it. I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way."
R.E.M. formed in Athens, Ga., in 1980 with singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. The alternative rockers found an audience among college-radio faithful and went on to release 15 albums. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
R.E.M.'s last album, "Collapse into Now," was released in March.
Enjoy a few clips plucked from the band's 31-year career:
Share your thoughts about R.E.M. -- favorite songs, albums, concert moments, videos, etc. -- in the comments.
Leave a Comment:
Sorry to say but I've never particularly liked them...
Then why read the article much less comment on it??
I never particularly liked planes flying into buildings, but I read a bunch of stories about 9/11.
Could not have put it better Mark D-4147362!
G_Reaper- Well put! haha
The blue smear eye shadow thing that Michael Stipe was doing convinced me that he was a wanker.
why do you care if he states his opinion on whether or not he likes R.E.M??
Here's a truck stop instead of St. Peters!
Sorry to say I only got to see them once, at Rock the Vote in 2004 in Orlando with Springsteen, Fogerty, and others. They were incredible.
yah, good one G-Reaper. Way to casually dismiss the worst day in US history and use it as fodder for your awesome internet come backs. sweet..what else?
Oh, whether you liked them or not, is immaterial. Their influence will be long beyond your life. I listened to them while I was in school and working on a college campus now, I hear them frequently played. They will always speak to the angst in a society in ways that some of those mentioned above never will.
They had a few good hits, but that was back in the day. They are much older now, and they are doing the right thing unlike a lot of celebs. They know when the gig is up and it's time to call it quits.
Thanks!
Hmm... I've got a bunch about "the holocaust," but since that didn't really happen they often don't seem to have the impact I'm going for.
(You can use that one if you like.)
I've also got hundreds of good ones about minorities (mostly blacks, because... I mean... come on) and foreigners. You'll probably want to 'Friend' me on Newsvine, though, since those seem to get "collapsed by the community" fairly often, and you don't want to miss the good stuff!
rem sucks
Well, geez. I and millions of others really enjoyed R.E.M.'s music for years and years. Hmm, but you are saying that they suck, huh? Dang, how did we all get so turned around on the subject. Thank goodness you were here to set us all straight.
Just goes to show you why most pop music is so bad.
Loved REM, still listen to eponymous all the time. Good luck guys..
vivian sucks, and she sucks at it too
Vivian SUCKS.
vivian suck this
whattt, R.E.M. didn't have an eponymous album, kevin.
'Course they do - I own it!
dude, the album was titled "EPONYMOUS"
They did not have an eponymous album. They had an album named "Eponymous." Hence the joke.
Holy crap, I forgot about the greatest hits. I was totally certain there wasn't an "R.E.M." album, haha. My bad here, srsly.
yeah they suck so bad they released 15 albums and are in the Rock and Roll hall of fame. How many Albums have YOU released?
Look at Vivian's comment history and you'll see that every single one is intended to incite an argument. A worse troll I've never seen.
Please. Vivian,'s an amateur.
Hands down: Everybody Hurts!!!
Unbelievable, the number of haters, trolls, and antagonists that have come out from under the woodwork at the mention of REM calling it quits. That's known as "power and influence". When they proclaim their dislike of anything so enthusiastically, it shows they were affected by it, nonetheless. As always, within the negative there's also a positive.
Well said Kevin. Some people's comments expose more about their lack of critical thought than a band's impact and other people's positive reactions. It probably irks them to no end that REM outlasted their pseudo idiot savant band and earned a place in the Rock Hall of Fame. I guess everyone has the right to be a critic, sadly some have virtually nothing worth hearing.
It's the end of the band as we know it, but I feel fine.
When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes
I'm don't feel fine. Today is my golden birthday, it's 6:30 AM and one of my top two favorite bands is dead. The other is Red Hot Chili Peppers
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, anyway, the day will get better as it progresses, if you let it...I was born 4/2/54 and at 2 years old, I didn't even know what a golden birthday was, so I chose to celebrate it on my 54th birthday. Rock 'n roll was supposedly born in 1954, also. I had a blast! Hope you will, too.
Having gone to school in Athens in the 80's, REM played a huge part in my musical life! My roommate and I would listen to Life's Rich Pageant over and over again. It was so exciting to run into Peter Buck in the grocery store. He was so nice and even signed the scrap piece of paper I pulled out of my purse. I wish them lots to luck and many thanks for all the good music!!
They should have hung it up after Automatic For the People.
Really blew after around 1986, so 25 years late I would say.
REM got me through graduate school - I've been a fan for 30 years.
Awesome band, spent a lot of good times listening to their music back in the day. But it's time. I'm old and so are they.
I hear you loud and clear. I turned 57 in April, but in the 70s, living in NYC, I had the good fortune of seeing just about any major band of the time, except for the Beatles and Stones, at venues like Madison Square Garden, Beacon Theater, Palladium, Felt Forum, Central Park....Yeah, the older we get, the better we were. Hold on to your memories, they are sometimes all we have left to cherish.
Sorry to hear this, but it's probably time to move on in order to grow. Have loved the work done by several REM members with Robyn Hitchcock. If you haven't checked that out, you should do so! Maybe they will do more with Robyn. One can only hope.
I have been a solid fan of theirs since the first ep. I recall buyng The Bob, a New York City musiczine which had a flexidisc featuring REM's "Wolves, Lower" and I was smitten. To me they represented a real passion (yeah, Talk About The Passion) for melodic songs, interesting if often obtuse lyrics and great live shows. I always liked how they mixed art-film ideas into their videos, their appreciation of folk art (like that Rev. Finster) and showcasing other similar-talented bands on their tours.
Being Canadian I'd rate REM as amongst the best American bands to have emerged in the last 30 years alongside Los Lobos, The Dave Mathews Band, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and the Fleet Foxes.
The REM boys also did some fine work with the late Warren Zevon. I also hope they collaborate more with Robyn Hitchcock as that would turn out some memorable tunes I'd imagine. Cheers, REM you left a positive mark on rock'n'roll music.
I thought they broke up back in 1996. I guess that's just the year they became irrelevant....
They can't be all that irrelevant. My 11 year daughter listens to them just as much as she listens to Taylor Swift.
So Katy Perry and Kanye West are relevant...how sad. R.E.M. is from a time when lyrics meant something and you had to come up with your own music not just sample someone else. I know the difference between popular and good.
"Relevant" is a word used by jackass music critics in order to convince themselves that they actually do something important. Thanks to REM for the music and the memories.
Irrelevant only to irrelevant people...speak for yourself.
I love R.E.M. from their first album to their last, but my favorite moment of all time is still when they performed Furry, Happy Monsters on Sesame Street. :D
Me too. Loved it!
Like them or not, it's hard to deny their place in music history...sad to hear the news, loved the last album. Best to them in their solo adventures!
Sad day, but I would rather they walk away than give a half hearted effort like so many bands do. One of the best concerts I have ever seen was a early 90's REM stop at Kiel Opera House in St Louis. Stipe came out for an encore solo and sang "the one I love"acapella . Blew the entire audience away. Enjoy your well earned retirement and thank you for all the music you shared with us.......
There are so many bands that fall in to this category, it's downright pitiful and embarrassing.
Never been a big fan of alternative sounds, but REM and their music sticks with me! Too bad!
Banged many chics in college with their music as the backdrop! Oh the memories!!!
Talk about a band that couldn't get out of the 80's.
I can't say I agree, seeing as they basically invented the sounds of the 90's. Murmur was easily 10 years ahead of its time.
"invented the sounds of the 90s"? I guess that's true if you filled the 90s with REM but outside of that they didn't drive culture too much. They had their day in the sun. The reaction from the majority on this story would be that they didn't even know the band was still together. And that's ok.
Why everyone has to make their pet bands out to be the musical bellybutton of their times is beyond me. Or are we really that hung up on being part of the crowd? If that's the case it's a sad statement to be able to make with a straight face.
yes, breakingglass27, I've even heard a few Peter Buck-style guitar licks in some country songs lately. and the current hot "indie" band the Decemberists certainly evokes some of their music.
Seriously, listen to Murmur and tell me that isn't the sound of 1991 in 1983. Lots of alternative bands mention R.E.M. as a huge influence, and the stuff you hear from them on the radio is not all they have to offer.
Listen, just because I'm not praising REM up and down doesn't mean that I don't know or own their stuff. I'm just trying to keep some perspective here and the fans are just as bad as the haters as far as not being able to do it.
I own REM albums but I'm going to be honest about it; they're not timeless. They weren't all that advanced in their day. They had some really worthwhile songs, yes, but they're not the best thing to come out of the 80s and I can certainly understand why so many people here seem to think they went off into their own thing 15 years ago. I will even agree with those that say that they should have called it a day 15 years ago.
But, hey, I have no problem with bands that linger on. If they like it and their fan base likes it I guess I have nothing to complain about. I just disagree on their importance in music history.
If I remember correctly, Peter Buck played on 4-5 of the track from the Decemberists' latest album, so that would probably explain why it sounds Peter Buck-y. :) I dig R.E.M. quite a bit even though I stopped listening pretty much after Automatic for the People. Good for them for hanging it up and not going the way of the endlessly touring geriatrics.
I liked early REM but they will go down in history as a mediocre band. They really needed a lead guitar player. Personally, I do think they laid the groundwork for all of the pussy boy bands out there today.
And that's not a compliment.
Yet Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Adel, are still around. Sad day for music, indeed.
Agreed, but I have to ask: What's your deal with Adele? She's not even in the same basement as those others you mentioned. She's in a class all unto her own and doesn't pander to the same audiences Ke$ha or Lady Gaga does.
The sad day is when someone with access to the internet is still looking to the mainstream for new music. There's more music out there than any other time in history and it's easier to sample new music than any other time in history but you're going on about Top 40?
It's not the music that is stuck in a rut. You are stuck in a rut.
I guess (unless you really hate that song) Adelle gets lumped in with all the over-played, over-hyped poppy music they play to death on whatever hot new music station you have in your area.
I ran an experiment once by listening to our local death rotation station. In 2 hours I heard:
3 Lady Gaga songs, the B. Spears song twice, Kesha, and 2 Katy Perry songs. That doesn't even include the myriad of other sound-alike guy auto-tuners...err, I mean "singers".
At least with R.E.M., there really wasn't a whole lot of immitators. They didn't have an overly marketable sound, so aside from Losing My Religion, I can't really think of a song that was over-played. I will have to say, as a long time fan, anything Monster and beyond was really lack-luster.
east coast: Sure, if I wanted to listen to horrible indie music that sounds like someone recorded it on a hacked up Teddy Ruckspin with an 1/8 inch jack mic, then sure the internet is a great resource new for music.
Wow. Someone who's praising REM is complaining about indie music? Wow. That's just too much. There's tons out there and the fact that you don't even care to look around shows that you aren't interested in music beyond what you already know. And to think that you have such a thick head as to think that only indie is on the internet now. Wow.
You're sad.
Cool story bro.
ehhh, you can argue east coast about whether R.E.M. sucks or not, but to say there is NO good music nowadays is kinda... turdish. You've listened to every single new band out there and they're all crap? Come on, SP.
I never said REM sucks either but aside from that I'm with you breakingglass.
I hate to hear that they're leaving. I thought ALL of their music was fantastic! Just like any artist, they tried new sounds and unfortunately, they received bad reviews. Thanks for the wonderful music R.E.M!
I thought they had quit already.
FINALLY! I had to stop listening to FM radio just to avoid hearing REM whine!
they were still together??? Why?
I agree! i hate most MTV made bands!
who?
I loved everything up to "Life's Rich Pageant," and then nothing until "Automatic For The People," and very few releases since then. They have worn out their welcome and should have disbanded at least 15 years ago. All members are talented and can branch off on their own.