I fainted in the curry house when I heard REM had split up.

That's me in the korma.


Great band who did some good stuff. If you like them, what would be your fave REM song?

Hard to pick a favourite song but my favourite album is Document, a sort of turning point between the indie / 'college rock' early years and the mainstream love in that followed.

It kicks ass as they say.

To think I saw them live in 1985 without knowing much about them or paying them much attention (it was raining, we headed off for chips before the headliners came on.....).

Brilliant band with a fantastic back catalogue (I've very recently bought the first 2 albums as remasters with live second CDs) but there has been little point to their existence for at least 10 years. The odd great song and plenty of OK ones but nothing earth shattering.

Didn't realise they were still going

Used to like them. Faves would be "So.Central Rain" and "Country Feedback" off the top of my head.

Great band in their day, though, as Murf says, nothing much of consequence for a while now.

First saw them in 1985 at Hammersmith Palais, on what was, i think, their second Uk tour, following the release of Fables of The Reconstruction.

Favourite tracks probably Perfect Circle and (Don't Go Back) to Rockville. Favourite album possibly Life's Rich Pageant, the one that was expected to take them to a wider audience, though that did not happen until Green in 1989. Love Document too, the album in between LRP and Green, and a bit of a retreat into the earlier less obviously mainstream albums in many ways.

I think that they have been pretty good from start to finish with lots of highlights. Fantastic live.

Never really got into them to be honest, and that was before being told a scurrilous piece of "gossip" from a reasonably reliable source.

Supposed to see them about '92 but tour was called off - drummer had an illness.

Green is my favourite album by far. Think I first heard "Its the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)" in a student club.

However, Electrolyte and Nightswimming are staggeringly brilliant songs. Nightswimming in particular is awesome.

Not really got any of their stuff turn of the century. It's perhaps right that they have called it a day.

Stipe really has an amazing/unusual voice which makes them sound so distintive.

Document, the Reckoning, Life's Rich Pageant - genius

For me Night Swimming deserves a quiet night, i'm not sure all these people understand ......................

Not much of a fan but, if pushed, Orange Crush.

Thought they were ok until Shiny Happy People. What a load of old bollo that was.

One of my favourite bands although to be fair last few albums have been a bit poor by their standards. Saw them at the Rose Bowl 2 years ago on their Accelerate tour and they were fantastic, great show and stage and strong vocals and great interaction with the crowd. They sometimes mix up their performances as well live playing what they feel like which is unique I think.

My top 5 would be:-
1. Losing My Religion (my all time favourite song, so many memories)
2. End of the World
3. The One I love
4. Orange Crush
5. Imitation of Life

I loved all the early stuff too which was very under rated, I have a 61 strong playlist of all my favs which I keep coming back to.

At least I got to see them before they retired. In the words of Douglas Adams So long and thanks for all the music.

They never play that ever LIVE, they have been quoted as being embarrassed by that and that it was such a big hit and that it is often what they are only known for.

Nightswimming is definately my favourite.

With 'Gardening at Night' and 'Nightswimming' [yes, 2 of their greatest songs] you have to wonder about the nocturnal activities of Mr Stipe.....

I love this one...

Do prefer the older stuff, although they have written the odd gem since. Not listened to much since 'Monster' tbh. Saw them on that tour - round 1995 I guess? Huddersfield McAlpine, with The Beautiful South (who were excellent), Echobelly and Terrorvision (who were also surprisingly good).

Excellent gig - sun was shining during the supports and REM came on as the sun was setting.

"Find the river" my personal fave

I love this song but it also takes me back to skinny dipping in a pool in Australia under the stars having climbed over a fence to get in with my bride to be!

One of the great bands IMO, particularly for their early stuff up to Automatic (For the People). My personal favourite would probably be Life's Rich Pageant, I consider getting that along with a handful of other albums from the library (those were the days) to be when I started to discover 'real' music in the mire of mid-80s blue-eyed soul/funk. But Automatic is a very fine album too, and Nightswimming, as mentioned a few times already, a beautiful track.

Maybe it was just coincidence, but they never seemed to be the same after their drummer left, and I gave up getting their albums about 10 years ago. here's a clip of them in their prime:

A similar story for me. I think i bought Murmer in around 1981 or 2 and from then REM and the Waterboys were the two bands that made me realise that there was more to music than i had been lead to believe!

If you've not heard Murmer check out Shaking Through and infact the whole album is just great

Heady days. They dont make them like that anymore etc

The Waterboys went downhill very quickly after This is the Sea, but were very good before that, and awesome live. They have a new album out now\soon, but I haven't heard any of it...

Here's a good one that may be off the beaten track... Very good as long as you play it very loud!!!

Accelerate, their 2008 LP was superb.

Their early albums were totally inspiring, I used to listen to Chronic Town, Murmur and Reckoning continually when I was at college. Lifes Rich Pageant was always my favourite though I know it wasn't their best.

Its self indulgent shit

My favourite of their later stuff:



Of the earlier stuff, take your pick

Well that's most music summed up

Saw them at Huddersfield as well. Great gig - I had a gold pass with full back stage access but sat in the stands with my kids. Only found out next day that I could have sat on side of stage with a fridge full of beers at my disposal - did get some great pics of the band though.
They may reform after a re-shuffle and come back as E.R.M.

Favourite tracks

What's the frequency & Losing my religion.

The Waterboys changed after TITS (never twigged that acronym before...). I still loved the next 2 albums but they weren't 'The Big Music'.

New album is based on Yeats' poems so not for the newcomer!

REM evolved too but was a far more obvious progression path and even the deliberate sideways steps like Monster weren't that drastic. Looking back I suppose what Kenneth and Losing My Religion are miles apart but it made sense somehow!

Nice one Bazza...

I said to my dyslexic mate, "Who's that band that have split up" ?

He said "Erm"