Thursday, September 22, 2011

Not remembering R.E.M.

The band --  Mike Mills, left, Michael Stipe, Bill Berry and Peter Buck --  in a 1994 file photo originally released by Warner Bros. Records. Credit: Warner Brothers / Associated Press

I've had 24 hours to think about it and, well, nothing.

As a teen, R.E.M.'s breakup would've saddened me, big time, the way the White Stripe's did back in February.

Problem is, R.E.M., a band I once adored, has not made an album that mattered to me since 1992's "Automatic for the People."

The band's decision to finally call it quits actually comes as a relief, allowing me to focus on their masterful 1980s output and forget how boring they have been since the mid-1990s.


2 comments:

New Granada said...

Wade,

For for the first time, I'm going to have to agree with every single word you've written (Ha!) about R.E.M.s break-up. I'm still a huge fan of the band, although I don't any post "Automatic.." albums, sans "Up" which I thought was remotely interesting as a post-Berry album. Musically, this break-up falls into the 'so what' category, historically, I do see the significance of the news. That's it, though.

Hope you're doing good. Nice piece, and I like that you gave it 24 hours to sit/stir!

Keith/New Granada

Wade Tatangelo said...

Thanks Keith. Hope all is well for you and your numerous, exciting music projects in Tampa.