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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?

seola30
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,959 posts
 

@onhwy61: Don Dixon---NOW yer talkin'! I love his stuff, and his gal Marti Jones' as well.

As for The Ramones and The Byrds peaking out of the gate, I must disagree. The Ramones took a giant leap forward when Marky replaced Tommy on drums (the Road To Ruin LP). Marky is a much more muscular, punchy drummer than was Tommy, which really helped the band. By-the-way, they were the loudest band I ever heard live, far louder than even The Who.

The early Byrds albums are fantastic, but so are the middle and late period ones. Every musician I knew had the Sweetheart Of The Rodeo album, and the addition of Telecaster-master Clarence White turned them into a serious band (though drummer Gene Parsons was kinda lame, very sloppy, over-playing like crazy. He didn't understand how to play country music).

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,089 posts
 

@loomisjohnson 

Disagree about the Byrd's. They had a lot of great material, and yes, Clarence White was a great addition. I saw them a number of times when he was in the band.

I completely disagree concerning The Cars. Candy O was their magnum opus.

dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,406 posts
 

@kb54 copy The Smiths they were working the same field but on the other side of the water—and they also had a great bass player.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,089 posts
 

The Smiths were brilliant and still one of my favorites. Their best music is timeless.

moonwatcher
488 posts
 

I liked them from Murmur till Monster then sort of lost interest. If any of you haven't, check out Dead Letter Office. That's a really good album with some great covers that rise up to perhaps best the originals.  As an aside, I agree with Michael Stipe. Murmur was OK but Pylon's debut album sounded better. 

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