Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

R.E.M. (REM)

American rock band formed in the city of Athens (Georgia) in 1980 by musicians Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Bill Berry (drums and percussion). One of the most important and authoritative collectives to have influenced alternative rock. The band almost immediately attracted the audience's attention with the melodic sound of the guitarist, who often used arpeggios, and the characteristic vocals of the frontman. In 1981, R.E.M. released their first single, "Radio Free Europe", on the independent label Hib-Tone. In 1983, the publication of their debut album, "Murmur", followed, which was positively met by critics. Over the next few years, the band's creative reputation was formed as a successful underground collective, especially popular on college radio stations. 1987 became a breakthrough for R.E.M.: the band released the successful single "The One I Love", thanks to which they became known to a mass audience. A year later, the musicians signed a contract with the leading label Warner Bros. and released the album "Green". This disc brought the band international fame and sold more than four million copies; R.E.M. began performing at large venues and touring around the world. By that moment, the characteristic musical style of R.E.M. had formed: indie rock with elements of post-punk and folk. At the beginning of the 1990s, when alternative rock began to enjoy success among the mass listener, the members of R.E.M., considered pioneers of the genre, released two of their most commercially successful albums — "Out of Time" (1991) and "Automatic for the People" (1992), with the style of the latter differing from the band's traditional sound. The 1994 disc "Monster" returned the band to more familiar rock canons. In support of the record, R.E.M. organized their first tour in the last six years, however, it was marred by the musicians' illness. In 1996, the collective extended their contract with the label Warner Bros.: the sum of the deal was 80 million dollars, and at that moment it was the most expensive contract in show business. The following year, Bill Berry left the band, and the remaining musicians continued their creative path as a trio. Having passed through some changes in musical style, the next decade passed for the musicians with mixed success from critics and the audience. In 2007, R.E.M. were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The collective existed for 31 years; their final disbanding was announced on September 21, 2011. At the end of 2011, the compilation "Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011" was released; it contained songs from all R.E.M. albums, which became a symbolic point in the band's career. The band's name stands for "Rapid Eye Movement", a medical abbreviation meaning rapid eye movements. In physiology, this is one of the signs of the so-called "fast sleep phase" — the phase in which the sleeper sees dreams.