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?
This joke is older than Bono: Change Bono with Teacher. Not that I care for Bono and U2 is a horrid band, but this is a total urban legend.
|
Just a thought—does anyone else think seola30 is a bot? It’s (his/her/their?) very first post after joining manages to get the pot all stirred up, then it copy-pastes a response to it’s own OP, but the “response” is actually the original post itself, along with a link to some dubious Android app. Hmmmmmm… P.S. If you are a real person, seola30, my sincere apologies; but if you’re a bot, you might want to check out this hot new band out of MIT called “The Turing Test,” they offer some very challenging material! -
|
@mitchagain Thanks for mentioning "The Comeback Special". What a great concert and the sonics are great on my headphones. I will crank this on 2-channel tomorrow. A shame Johnny Marr does not play on this one. That guy is why I started listening to deep dives of the THE THE catalog. Incredible guitarist, especially with good audio gear.
|
REM was absolutely pivotal to the growth of my interest in music growing up in the 80’s. Saw them several times (Harvard track stadium with Husker Du opening!), and a big reason I did the college DJ thing for a few years, which really opened up a wide world of music for me. They were also pivotal in showing that underground alternative bands could “hit it big,” and I think had a very big impact on the music industry as a whole. And of course their run from Chronic Town to Monster was one of the most impressive string of albums I can think of in rock music. I still listen to them, and it warms my heart to hear from younger folks who have discovered them. Happy listening OP. |
