The Smiley Smile Message Board

I feel maybe how people felt when the Beatles broke up. After 30 years together, REM has broken up.  I've been a fan since high school, and I've been buying their albums all this time. I'm not surprised but still in shock. Their last album sounded like a swan song, let's go out with a bang thing-- "Let's show the kids how to do it fine!" But still. How weird. I feel like someone died. I'm glad they broke up amicably, with class. Very REM-like.

R.E.M. Call it a Day

"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. 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.

In their own words: The guys share their thoughts on why now.

MIKE

"During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'what next'? Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.

"We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this--there's no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We've made this decision together, amicably and with each other's best interests at heart. The time just feels right."

MICHAEL

"A wise man once said--'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' 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.

"We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It's been amazing."

PETER

"One of the things that was always so great about being in R.E.M. was the fact that the records and the songs we wrote meant as much to our fans as they did to us. It was, and still is, important to us to do right by you. Being a part of your lives has been an unbelievable gift. Thank you.

"Mike, Michael, Bill, Bertis, and I walk away as great friends. I know I will be seeing them in the future, just as I know I will be seeing everyone who has followed us and supported us through the years. Even if it's only in the vinyl aisle of your local record store, or standing at the back of the club: watching a group of 19 year olds trying to change the world."

Great band, maybe the last great band.  "Automatic for the People" I consider their masterpiece -- a great album that can be appreciated by even non-believers.  And of course there are a lot of other really gooduns in their canon.

And let us remember they, and particularly Peter Buck, were fans and champions for Brian and the Beach Boys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIXs66BPooY&ob=av2e

Good news! They probably should have broken up when Bill left the band. I saw them in '89 with NRBQ opening for them and have fond memories of the show, but I haven't been able to stand (get it?) any of their albums since Green, so for me the last twenty years have been a constant question of "why don't they just let this dead horse alone?". Hopefully they won't look back and reunite in ten years!

REM, Oh My Heart--  from their final album...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiNV1rMNXE0

And now the wait begins for the inevitable REM reunion a few years from now....

I fully expect to see the REM guys show up occasionally at local clubs in Athens, GA under other group names. They've done shows like that plenty of times before, always word of mouth and their fans always seem to know when it's them playing.

They're a great band and they've done wonderful things for the Athens community, well beyond putting the town on the musical map. I suspect they'll keep on doing the community work regardless of how active they are musically.

Really? None of the albums since green not even automatic for the people? For me they've only made one bad album around the sun. They had an amazing album run of about 15 years from murmur to new adventures in hifi my personal favourite r.e.m. album an overlooked masterpiece imo how its not more popular than it is i don't know. Afterwards they were still a great singles band leaving new york, imitation of life, at my most beautiful, daysleeper, all the way to reno, the great beyond.

I think it's sad that they didn't break up 10 years ago - they probably wanted to, but were bound in their multi-million Warners contract. It was brave of them to try new things after Bill B left, but it was never the same. I'm a fan of all the records no-one else likes, like 'Reconstruction' and 'Monster'. But undoubtedly the IRS LPs were the best, leading the pack of alternative rock and a wonderful world of their own, a bit like Smiley Smile etc.

Saw them in London in 1987 and 1989, wonderful both times. At the second show they encored with 'Perfect Circle', a true successor to 'Wonderful'!

Last 10 years' albums have been horrid, and sounded horrid - mixed for ipod and the global music economy; REM became another brand like Apple or Nike. Buck will play with all the indie bands he loves and Stipe will carry on saving the world in various ways, though apparently he's not been well recently.

I disagree that the last 10 years' albums were horrid. I didn't like Around the Sun (boring), but I really enjoyed a lot of their more recent (post-Bill Berry) stuff, especially Up, Accelerate, and Collapse Into Now (the final album). The IRS stuff is my favorite, but the newer stuff is just different. I can understand how they moved out of people's tastes, but I think the vast majority of material they created is stellar. I am glad that they decided to end up rather than fade into old age, though, even though I'm upset that they broke up...if that contradiction makes sense.
Now, what's this about Michael Stipe not being well? I know he recently talked about having bulimia back in the 80s, but I haven't seen anything about recent illness.

supposedly Kurt Cobain died while listening to Automatic For The People on repeat on his stereo

That'll do it.

it's not that bad of an album

They've been on a downward slide of sketchy and flaky albums since New Adventures.

This is really the most retarded thing I have ever read on this board and that is really saying something. High five Grillo!

That's what you choose to be your first post?! Way to give us something to chew on. Now go back to where you came from.

I'm all for expressing a difference of opinion, but seriously mate that's not how you endear yourself to the populace here. Nice one.

Not cool for your first post to trash somebody like that.

You guys will do what you will but I see a mollifying circumstance -- an NRBQ avatar!

As a huge R.E.M. fan I was pretty bummed about their breakup, however I was also dissapointed that a band of R.E.M.'s stature just posted the news on their website and left it at that, they should have at least organized a final farewell tour for the fans. Who knows, maybe there will be a reunion and even a new album in the not too distant future.