Buck, Stipe, Berry, Mills
It’s hard to believe a world without R.E.M. making music and touring. Although the hits dried up years ago, the creativity and artistic integrity never waned. R.E.M. simply befell the fate of almost all old rockers; obscurity in the modern age of processed music ala Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Glee and American Idol. 60′s, 70′s, 80′s and 90′s artists don’t stand a chance. Somehow, and to their great credit, U2 have survived and thrived. Can you think of anyone else?
Although R.E.M. are not of the era of music we celebrate here at Rock and Roll Write In!, we still would be remiss in not discussing a band that shook things up in the 90′s with big hits and great alternative music. After all, they did cover some interesting diverse music in their early years, including The Clique‘s “(I Am) Superman”, an instrumental version of Skeeter Davis’ 1960 country and pop hit “Last Date” and the Velvet Underground’s “There She Goes Again“. Here they are with an unplugged, mandolin infused version of The Trogg’s “Love Is All Around“, featuring those great Stipe-Mills harmonies:
The frenetic “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” still energizes me to this day when I hear it. The big radio staples like “Losing My Religion” and “Man On The Moon” weren’t just pop fodder. They took interesting topics and set them to great music. Luckily, the masses were in-step at the time… even if they had no clue what they were hearing. How many newlyweds in the 80′s merrily and ignorantly danced to R.E.M.’s “The One I Love”? It sounds like a love song. The title sounds like a love song. But the lyrics?
This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I left behind
A simple prop,
To occupy my time
This one goes out to the one I love
Genius… It’s a really only a love song to people who pay attention to the lyrics!
To me, the band’s greatest songs feature the interplay and harmony between lead singer Michael Stipe and bassist/vocalist Mike Mills. Examples include, “Fall On Me”, “The One I Love”, “Exhuming McCarthy”, “Strange”, “Turn You Inside Out”, “Orange Crush”, “Shiny Happy People” and “Try Not To Breathe”. Here is a great example of the complementary voicework of Mills and Stipe…
Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M. will be missed.
Click HERE to listen to R.E.M.’s version of the sixties classic, “Last Date“.
