The group under the big name REM marked the moment when post-punk began to turn into alternative rock, their track Radio Free Europe (1981) began the relentless movement of the American underground.
Despite the fact that there were several hardcore and punk bands in the United States in the early 1980s, it was the group R.E.M. that gave a second wind to the indie pop subgenre.
Combining guitar riffs and unintelligible singing, the band sounded modern, but at the same time had rather traditional origins.
The musicians did not make any bright innovations, but were individual and purposeful. That was the key to their success.
During the 1980s, the band worked tirelessly, releasing new records every year and constantly touring. The group performed not only on big stages, but also in theaters, as well as in sparsely populated cities.
Fathers of Alternative Pop
In parallel, the musicians inspired their other colleagues. Ranging from the jangle pop bands of the mid-1980s to the alternative pop bands of the 1990s.
It took the group several years to reach the top of the charts. They gained their cult status with the release of their debut EP Chronic Town in 1982. The album is based on the sound of folk music and rock. This combination became the group's "signature" sound, and for the next five years the musicians worked precisely with these genres, expanding their repertoire with new works.
By the way, almost all the work of the team was highly appreciated by critics. By the end of the 1980s, the number of fans was already significant, which guaranteed the group good sales. Even a slightly changed sound did not stop the group, and in 1987 she "broke" the Top Ten charts with the album Document and the single The One I Love.
REM slowly but surely became one of the most sought-after bands in the world. However, after an exhaustive international tour in support of Green (1988), the band suspended their performances for 6 years. The musicians returned to the recording studio. The most popular albums Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992) were created.
The band resumed touring with the Monster tour in 1995. Critics and other musicians have recognized the group as one of the progenitors of a thriving alternative rock movement.
Young musicians
Despite the fact that the history of the creation of the group began in Athens (Georgia) in 1980, Mike Mills and Bill Berry were the only southerners in the team. They both attended high school in Macon, playing in several bands as teenagers.
Michael Stipe (born January 4, 1960) was a military son, traveling across the country from early childhood. He discovered punk rock as a teenager through Patti Smith, the bands Television and Wire, and began playing in cover bands in St. Louis.
By 1978, he began studying art at the University of Georgia at Athens, where he began going to the Wuxtry record store.
Peter Buck (born December 6, 1956), California native, was a clerk at the same Wuxtry store. Buck was a fanatical record collector, devouring everything from classic rock to punk to jazz. He was just starting to learn how to play the guitar.
After discovering they had similar tastes, Buck and Stipe began working together, eventually meeting Berry and Mills through a mutual friend. In April 1980, the group got together to throw a party for their friend. They rehearsed in a rebuilt Episcopal church. At that time, the musicians in their repertoire had several garage psychedelic tracks and cover versions of famous punk songs. At the time, the band was playing under the name Twisted Kites.
By the summer, the musicians chose the name REM when they accidentally saw this word in the dictionary. They also met Jefferson Holt, their manager. Holt saw the band perform in North Carolina.
Debut recordings are an incredible success
For the next year and a half, REM toured throughout the southern United States. Various garage rock covers and folk rock songs were played. In the summer of 1981, the guys recorded their first single for Radio Free Europe at Drive Mit Easter Studios. The single, recorded on local indie label Hib-Tone, was released in just 1 copies. Most of these recordings ended up in the right hands.
People shared their admiration for the new band. The single soon became a hit. Topped the list of Best Independent Singles ("Best Independent Singles").
The song also attracted the attention of major independent labels, and by the beginning of 1982 the band signed a contract with the IRS label. In the spring, the label released the EP Chronic Town.
Like the first single, Chronic Town was well received, paving the way for Murmur's full-length debut album (1983).
Murmur was distinctly different from Chronic Town due to its soothing, unobtrusive atmosphere, so its spring release was met with rave reviews.
Rolling Stone magazine named it the best album of 1983. The group "jumped" Michael Jackson with the song Thriller and The Police with the song Synchronicity. Murmur also broke into the US Top 40 chart.
REM mania
The band returned to a harder sound in 1984 with Reckoning, which featured the hit So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry). Later, the musicians went on tour to promote the Reckoning album.
Their signature features, such as: dislike for video clips, Stipe's mumbling vocals, Buck's unique game, made them legends of the American underground.
Groups that imitated the REM collective spread throughout the American continent. The team itself provided support to these groups, inviting them to the show and mentioning them in interviews.
The group's third album
REM's sound was dominated by a breakthrough in underground music. The band decided to cement their popularity with a third album, Fables of the Reconstruction (1985).
The album, recorded in London with producer Joe Boyd, was created during a difficult period in REM's history. The band was filled with tension and fatigue caused by endless touring. The album reflected the group's dark mood.
Stipe's stage behavior has always been a bit odd. He entered his most bizarre phase. Gained weight, dyed his hair bright white and pulled on countless clothes. But neither the dark mood of the songs, nor Stipe's oddities prevented the album from becoming a hit. About 300 thousand copies were sold in the USA.
A little later, the band decided to start collaborating with Don Gehman. Together they recorded the album Lifes Rich Pageant. This work, like all previous ones, was met with commendable reviews, which have become familiar to the REM group.
Album Document
The group's fifth album, Document, became a hit immediately after its release in 1987. The work entered the top 10 in the US and gained "platinum" status thanks to the single The One I Love. Moreover, the record was no less popular in Britain, and today is in the Top 40 list.
The album Green continued the success of its predecessor, going double platinum. The band began touring in support of the album. However, the performances turned out to be exhausting for the musicians, so the guys took a sabbatical.
In 1990, the musicians reconvened to record their seventh album, Out of Time, which was released in the spring of 1991.
In the fall of 1992, a new gloomy meditative album Automatic for the People was released. Although the band promised to record a rock album, the record was slow and quiet. Many of the songs featured string arrangements by Led Zeppelin bassist Paul Jones.
Return to rock
As promised, the musicians returned to rock music with the album Monster (1994). The record was mega-popular, topping all possible charts in the US and Britain.
The band went on tour again, but Bill Berry suffered a brain aneurysm two months later. The tour was suspended, Berry underwent surgery, and within a month he was on his feet.
However, Berry's aneurysm was only the beginning of the problems. Mills had to undergo abdominal surgery. He had an intestinal tumor removed in July of that year. A month later, Stipe underwent emergency surgery for a hernia.
Despite all the problems, the tour was a huge financial success. The group has recorded the main part of the new album.
The album New Adventures in Hi-Fi was released in September 1996. Shortly before it was announced that the band had signed with Warner Bros. for a record $80 million.
In light of such a huge number, the commercial "failure" of New Adventures in Hi-Fi was ironic.
Berry's departure and continued work
In October 1997, the musicians shocked the "fans" and the media - they announced that Berry was leaving the group. According to him, he wanted to retire and settle on his farm.
The album Reveal (2001) marked a return to their classic sound. In 2005, the group's world tour took place. REM was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She immediately began work on her next album, Accelerate, which was released in 2008.
The band signed with the Concord Bicycle label to distribute their records in 2015. The first results of this partnership appeared in 2016, when the 25th anniversary edition of Out of Time was released in November.
