R.E.M.: A Hallmark in Rock and Roll

 

 

“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.” – quoted from the official website of R.E.M.. R.E.M., an famous American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, announced its break up in September,2011.
Formed by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. Released it’s first song “Radio Free Europe” in 1981. Then in 1983, the band released its first well-acclaimed album, Murmur, which brought the band into mainstream. While the continuous touring increased the fame of R.E.M., it reached its peak by the album “Out of Time” and “Automatic For The People” in the 1990s. “In a departure from Green, the band members often wrote the music with non-traditional rock instrumentation including mandolin, organ, and acoustic guitar instead of adding them as overdubs later in the creative process”[1] In 1996, . signed with Warner Brothers for a most expensive contract at that time – 80 million dollars! However, Bill Berry left the band in the next year. Yet the other three continued producing songs though a little bit of change in the style. After thriving in the music industry for the following decade, the band ended up separate in 2011.