Comments on: R.E.M. Were the Band of Our Time

By: kevfender

kevfender — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 21:04:00 +0000

Outstanding piece, Tim. Yes, some may say that your words veer towards reverence, but I feel the same way about R.E.M. and could not conceive of a better tribute.
We were still in grammar school when New York ’77 scene was full-throttle, but when I first heard Chronic Town/Murmur & saw the Rolling Stone photograph of four bookish-looking young men from the South (I thought it was a law that you had to look like Molly Hatchet to play rock south of the Mason-Dixon line), I knew there was a new scene developing, post New-Wave. My first R.E.M concert (Aragon ballroom Chicago, 1984 on the Reckoning tour) cemented my feeling you described above, that the band were guys like us. Peter Buck would write articles about bands he liked, just like another fan.

By: fille coquine

fille coquine — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 22:54:18 +0000

L’intégralité de ϲes articles sont assurément ρlaisants

By: Mark Imgrund

Mark Imgrund — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 14:38:04 +0000

Perfect.
I was that person in 1982, and I soaked up and lived and breathed every moment, every lyric, every song, every album. Straight to Hugo Largo and beyond. Thanks for writing.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 19:29:50 +0000

REM was also the first band that made me feel betrayed when the frat boys who used to mock them had to play “Superman” at full blast.

By: Jazz

Jazz — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 21:42:35 +0000

And your point?

By: Hardwood Floor

Hardwood Floor — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 21:26:04 +0000

REM sucked when they first came out, sucked through the rest of the 80’s, sucked the entire 90’s and 00’s and continues to suck hard today. Way too much good music and imagery in the 80’s with actually hot girls (note – females with armpit hair are not hot – they are friggin gross) to pay any attention to these lite weight musicians. Stand with your head up your a$$.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 22:20:36 +0000

I’m one of thos ewho know what you are talking about and agree with everything you say. I miss R.E.M. so much.

By: James H

James H — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:38:05 +0000

How true!! Awesome, well said!

Thanks

By: iLeonD

iLeonD — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:27:26 +0000

Damn. Excellent Tim.

By: tmccool

tmccool — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 12:30:26 +0000

Very nicely said. I discovered REM right after I graduated from college in 82. I got a job, moved into a duplex, and bought a new stereo system. Of course buying a new system always meant a spending splurge on (vinyl) records. The clerk at the indie record store near campus (I miss those) recommended this new band, REM, so I bought Murmur. And so I bought every LP as it came out, and loved all of them. I finally saw them perform during the Document tour. Then again on their home turf, in Atlanta, on the Green tour. And I may be labeled a heretic for saying this, but my favorite REM album is Green.But I never really felt the sense of community that you describe, and I feel kind of left out. In my midwestern college town, I was kind of a lone wolf in terms of REM. I played the records for my friends when they dropped by, and they all knew who REM was, but I was the only one who actually, you know, owned the records.

By: The Ready Stance

The Ready Stance — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:49:15 +0000

Thank you, Tim. Perfection.

By: Jim Testa

Jim Testa — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:29:23 +0000

I discovered R.E.M. (like I did so many bands) in the backroom at Maxwell’s. All they had available at the time was the “Radio Free Europe”/”Standing Still” 7 inch on Hibtone (which I still own.) I fell in love with the band that night and our romance continued at least until Green. My friends and I roadtripped up to Boston and down to D.C. to see R.E.M. shows. You nailed it with this one, Tim.