when did REM get so shit?

[Bags]

Losing my Religion is not among my faves.  Not bad, but I can live without it.  But, that may well be because I heard it so damn much back in the day!
 
     [/b][/quote]

[redsock]

It is understandeable you may not like everything REM has ever done, but they are the seminal college rock band. They came before all others and certainly deserved to be given their due. I know some of you like Neutral milk Hotel, who are direct descendants of REM. As are lots of other bands we all like, that I just can't think of at the moment. for sure, their last two albums are shit. Think what you will of monster, but "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" is actually a decent album when taken in its whole. And it shows they were still willing to try stuff. If I had $50 I'd go to the concert next week. Or if they started giving tickets away.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I thought Guster and OAR were the seminal college rock bands?

[jadetree]

Originally posted by redsock:
  I know some of you like Neutral milk Hotel, who are direct decendants of REM.

Because they have a connection with Athens?  It certainly is not due to the music.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

No, because we all subscribe to Magnet.
 
 

Originally posted by jadetree:
   

Originally posted by redsock:
  I know some of you like Neutral milk Hotel, who are direct decendants of REM.

Because they have a connection with Athens?  It certainly is not due to the music. [/b]

[Mobius]

I walked into the dying remnants of Kemp Mill in Dupont yesterday.  And in the depressing scene at what used to be a very cool place, surrounded by pathetic CDs being sold for $0.20, what serves as the soundtrack?  REM's Monster.  Seemed perfectly fitting.  REM has shat the bed so thoroughly its difficult to remember how cool they were.  Murmur and Reckoning put them on a plane above everyone.  But they got some strange artistically self-destructive impulse.  First in the form of shit pop with the likes of Stand and Shiny Happy People and then just misguided crap. Losing My Religion was a great cry for help and Automatic For the People was a great "Hey, I'm  losing my shit for real" CD.  Then they were lost (w/ a brief semi-return to form w/ Adventures in Hi-Fi) Michael Stipe's demise is almost on par with Syd Barrett's.  Talk about aging ungracefully.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I'd have to say that Automatic For the People was their closest to being a return to decency in their post-Green output. Adventures in HiFi?
 
 
 

Originally posted by Mobius:
  I walked into the dying remnants of Kemp Mill in Dupont yesterday.  And in the depressing scene at what used to be a very cool place, surrounded by pathetic CDs being sold for $0.20, what serves as the soundtrack?  REM's Monster.  Seemed perfectly fitting.  REM has shat the bed so thoroughly its difficult to remember how cool they were.  Murmur and Reckoning put them on a plane above everyone.  But they got some strange artistically self-destructive impulse.  First in the form of shit pop with the likes of Stand and Shiny Happy People and then just misguided crap. Losing My Religion was a great cry for help and Automatic For the People was a great "Hey, I'm  losing my shit for real" CD.  Then they were lost (w/ a brief semi-return to form w/ Adventures in Hi-Fi) Michael Stipe's demise is almost on par with Syd Barrett's.  Talk about aging ungracefully.

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
  I thought Guster and OAR were the seminal college rock bands?

I heard OAR try to somewhat cover Bob Marley and i must say it insighted much rage in me.
 
    OAR sucks eggs, and Guster is right behind them.  No one should be allowed to cover Bob, or Led Zeppelin.

[scumpond]

I've seen REM around 12 times and will see them next week as well.  Always a great live show.  Loved Monster and its predecessors, never got into anything after Monster,though.  
 
 I saw them in Vegas a couple of weeks ago and now that I am more in a Wilco phase, I liked the Wilco set much better.  REM still put on a good show, but much of their stuff just seems dated now.

[mankie]

REM Will be on Today on NBC this Friday morning.
 
 Goddamn, has-been, washed-up sell outs! eh Rhett?

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

I think REM lost it at around the time their lyrics stopped being unintelligible.  Once you could hear what Michael Stipe was saying, it was possible to notice that a lot of the lyrics were rather dumb, whereas before it was possible to insert one's own thoughts into the parts that couldn't be understood, thus making it seem a lot more personal.  But musically also, they became increasingly boring and generic.  The last halfway decent album was that one with Kate Pearson on it, and even that is a far far cry from the brilliance of Chronic Town, Murmur, Reckoning, and Fables.

[bungle bud]

rem are a bunch of ring pirates.

[Guiny]

Originally posted by bags:
 [QB] Aw Mank, come on.  I think all of the first eight R.E.M. albums are wonderful.  Up through Automatic for the People.  And I like Monster, but you could do without it.
 
 I couldnt have said it better myself, i loved Automatic for the People and Monster was pretty good. After that........They lost me.

[2nabote]

Are you kidding?  REM was one of the worst blends of C&W (both kinds of music, to paraphrase the owner's wife of Bob's Country Bunker) and pop.  To sell music has nothing to do with talent.  Get a clue.

[stu47]

they lost me kinda of with monster....hi-fi sort of brought me back...the load of crap they released after that...that was it