I'm 71, and I like a lot of REM's music, and there's also a lot that doesn't do much for me. I saw them once live back in the 90's, with Sonic Youth opening, and kinda lost interest in REM while becoming a big fan of Sonic Youth.... I never thought of U2 as a 'Gen X band' (I was still in my 20's when I first saw them) any more than I thought of the Beatles as a '60's band'.
Is R.E.M. underrated by new music nerds?
I've been in a R.E.M. phase in late 2018, they kept me going through the toughest period of my life. A lot of their stuff especially in their incredible 1987-1996 run means a lot to me and have been pivotal in growing my music taste but emotion aside I think quality-wise they were one of the greatest rock band of all time, if not one the best band. I actually think this is not a hot take.
What I think is an interesting thing to discuss is how R.E.M. are relevant to new audiences of my age (I'm 20 btw) like all the music nerds that grew on the Internet (RYM or /mucore) or the music channels or profiles on YouTube and Instagram that review or examine music.
I think that in this demographic area R.E.M. are underrated or more specifically they are put inside the categories of "Gen X bands" like U2 or similar. And i think it's a shame because they have one the best musical palettes of all time provided by really skilled musicians and an incredible and eclectic vocalist and songwriter like Michael Stipe. A band that even when they became globally famous they managed to stay coherent to their sound (until at least the early 90s) and political ethic. Their material should get more recognition among younger audiences like mine considering the huge influence they had on a lot of artist.
What do you think?
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@roxy54 Gotta take issue with the statement "I think thatt hey were average musicians". IMHO Mike Mills is one of the top 10 bass guitar players of all time. He carried the band, drove the music forward, and sang some decent backup vocals to boot. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that REM saved rock music, coming on the scene at the peak of the pompous, overwrought arena rock era and before the emergence of grunge and the whole Seattle scene. I can remember driving home from college in 83' cranking "Murmur" on my tricked out car stereo and feeling that music was alive again. A pivotal band that with an amazing discography until "Out of Time" when they lost their way and then fizzled out altogether. |
Well, I don't think that rock music ever needed "saving". It's just a loose category that has many variations, and within that, REM certainly made their unique contribution. They were exciting, different and passionate, and not afraid to throw in an unusual instrument here and there. My apologies for underating Mike Mills. I saw them three times live, and I will agree that he is very talented. I don't know if you will agree with this, but I am someone who always pays attention to drummers, and I don't think that Bill Berry was much of a drummer at all. It's fortunate that the rest of the band was so interesting that it didn't matter much. He never had any interesting fills. He just sort of "kept time". |
I’m a-bit above 50 and REM music was never "tasty" on my listening plate, because they’re extremely boring on each and every track they’ve created. Their marketing was fantastic though, because they were able to sell feces for diamonds. Therefore overrated is a lot more precise word, then uderrated. |
Count on you for an ignorant comment like that. Since you're such an expert on the band, give specific critiques of which discs you are even familiar with. Let me guess, you know one song like "Losing My Religion", and you didn't like it. Well neither did I, but they had 4 earlier discs which were very good. |
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