at a glance...

Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Year Formed: 1980

Personnel:
Michael Stipe -vocals
Peter Buck -guitars
Mike Mills -bass
Bill Berry -drums

Related Bands:
Tuatara, Hindu Love Gods, Robyn Hitchcock, U2, Patti Smith, Radiohead, Vic Chesnutt, 10,000 Maniacs, KRS-One, Billy Bragg, Drivin' and Cryin', Fleshtones, Grant Lee Buffalo, Patti Smith, Warren Zevon, Neneh Cherry, B-52s, Golden Palominos, Kristin Hersh, Butter 08, Smashing Pumpkins, Oh OK, the Db's, the Troggs.

Notes:
In the wake of punk and new wave, the garage band sound of the Chronic Town EP, released in 1982, was R.E.M.'s first taste of critical worship, something that washed over into 1983 when the band's full length debut Murmur was universally considered the best album of the year. R.E.M. spent the early half of the '80s as a college radio station staple at universities across America, releasing at least one album a year on I.R.S. Records. On the heels of their top-five single "The One I Love," 1987's Document allowed the band to break through to a mainstream audience for the first time. The band's exodus to major label Warner Bros. allowed their unique sound to reach an even bigger audience, as 1989's Green continued garnering critical praise for the band while selling over a million records. The '90s saw R.E.M assume the role of global super-group, as Out Of Time, Automatic For The People, Monster, and New Adventures In Hi-Fi proved. Things briefly came to a halt in 1997, however, as founding member and drummer Bill Berry decided to quit the band after a severe illness. Amid speculation that this meant their demise, the remaining three members decided to keep playing and released their eleventh studio album, Up, in 1998. They finished the decade by writing the musical score for the Andy Kaufman biopic, "Man On The Moon," named after one of their songs.

Amazingly, with Document, R.E.M. manage to outshine the brilliance of their previous effort, Life's Rich Pageant, sliding effortlessly from the upbeat pop of "Exhuming McCarthy" to the brooding tones of "Fireplace" to the 'rawk' of "Strange" to the foreboding and raw "Oddfellows Local 151." It's an album where R.E.M. really prove their mettle as songsmiths. Each composition is rich, and it's no coincidence that "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and "The One I Love" were smash hits.

Document was my introduction to the sound of R.E.M., and I haven't looked back since. I'll never forget standing in front of my middle school, waiting for my ride home, walkman blaring, mistakenly singing "consuming my car keys..." along with Michael. It's one of those cohesive masterpieces like London Calling or Daydream Nation which delineates an emotional universe which is distinctly its own, from start to finish. Stipe's lyrics are fantastic, Buck's guitar sound varies from jarring whine to delicate, dulcimer-like baroque pickings to power chord crunch, and Mills and Berry are in as fine form as ever.