As much I would like them to reform,I can't see them doing it,they ended when they wanted to,they don't need the money and they dont owe Warner bros any more albums.
I see R.E.M. as retired more than having totally split, they play oneoffs in various regroupings and always do interviews when reissues are out. I can't blame them for not wanting to deal with the pressures of constant touring and promotion, they had to for almost 30 years after all. Also, "We All Go Back To Where We Belong" is one of the most poignant goodbye songs ever.
I think REM called it a day at the right time.. I was a massive fan from Life’s Rich Pageant onwards , they were a big cult band in the U.K. until out of time when they got a whole new fan base ... I went to a show on the monster tour and the crowd generally didn’t react to any pre out of time material... monster kinda lost all those passive fans , I agree new adventures is a great album , and their last essential one. They were in step in the 80’s indie and grunge eras but out of step in the britpop era , a bit like U2 , almost dinosaurs for a while .. the 80$million contract and loss of Bill Berry killed them
I discovered them in 1991 when my older brother brought Out of Time on cassette with him from Costa del Sol. Losing My Religion was of course one of the biggest song of that summer. But my brother only cared for that song. I began to listen to the other songs on the album and really loving them. Especially Half a World Away, which may be my favourite R.E.M. song.
The original Dinosaur Jr. lineup with Lou Barlow that reunited, to great effect, only made three albums together during their initial run. They had unfinished business. If R.E.M. had broken up after Fables of the Reconstruction, they might have a similar reason to reunite. But they did everything that there was for them to do, and then some.
Please disregard - I didn't realize how many pages were after the post I quoted. Anyway, I should probably give Around the Sun another shot. It's been probably close to 10 years since I've listened to it.
Jeebus Christ. R.E.M. was Stipe. They wrote the music for him and he put the lyrics and melodies over it. That’s a lotta input for someone ‘they don’t need’. To be honest, it’s likely the other way around, Stipe could sing over whatever music that took his fancy and it would be good.
On another point but for any U.K. members , the BBC cd box set is down to £28 at HMV online and in store shipped
Me either, unless some kind of cultural re-assessment happens and there's suddenly a massive demand for them (particularly in their home country). Sure, they could get back together and play big venues in Europe, but they won't. But I think if something happened that triggered some kind of massive popularity boost and a new generation suddenly being really into them, they'd reform. But I also don't really see how that happens.
Just offering my thoughts on the circumstances that would prompt them to reconsider. It wouldn't be about money, it'd be about "a new generation of fans who didn't get to see us the first time around." But again, I don't really see a window in which REM suddenly becomes beloved by youngsters. They're like the alt-rock Moody Blues: hugely popular amongst those who were there, and years later largely unknown to those who weren't.
What bands that were as big as R.E.M. simply never reunite? Seems like all the classic rock acts have reunited over the years... and many alternative bands have followed .. the Pixies w/Kim Deal (at least for a bit), the Replacements, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, Belly, L7, Jawbox, Outkast, Digable Planets, ....even Nirvana did the Rock Hall of Fame w/out Kurt, ..they seem to be such an outlier especially for a group that seems to get along enough.
The Smiths, The Jam, and Sonic Youth will never reform because of bridges that have been burnt beyond repair. R.E.M. will never reform because they did everything they set out to do, and Buck’s self-imposed rules and refusal to look backwards won’t allow it. And individual members of groups such as the Pixies or Pavement needed the reunion cash far more than anyone in R.E.M. does.
That lack of animosity technically leaves the door open, though, in ways it isn't for those other bands. Again, I don't think it's likely, at all. But I can see very narrow circumstances in which it's feasible they'd change their minds. I could also see them reforming for a one-off political or charity event. I don't know whether Buck or Stipe would be the toughest holdout, but I'm just saying, if they thought they could make a difference, I could see them getting up and playing a few songs for a non-profit/fundraising situation. (I won't say "awareness" because I'm not sure their visibility is high enough at this juncture where it'd be a big enough deal for them to do it) REM is slightly different than some of these others...of course Weller could reform The Jam for a charity gig and fund all of England for a year, but he's a big enough solo artist where he can still do those gigs and make a difference. No REM member can do much on their own on a large scale. Again, very, very long shot. Just hypothesizing ways in which I could see it happening. These guys are all 60 or close to it...sometimes musicians can soften up a bit and get slightly nostalgic as time goes by. Even Buck.
I do think a younger DIY crowd is warming more to REM these days. This is totally based on my own personal perceptions but I’ve seen more discussion about them on social media in the last few years than before. I’ve seen folks discussing putting together tribute comps, though nothing has surfaced yet.
On this point, the new Uncut R.E.M. Ultimate Music Guide just arrived in my mailbox, and Buck wrote an afterword for it in which he comes closer, but still not very close, to contemplating a reunion: I don’t think a reunion is a possibility. We only discuss it when we have to reject offers to get us to tour. I can’t see the point of it, really. If all four of us - and that has to include Bill - felt we had something we needed to accomplish then I think we’d do it, but nobody is even talking about it. I dread the idea of doing a tour. Would we make a record? I don’t know. I think we are very good where we are. That Bill has to be part of a reunion just makes it that much more unlikely.
Interesting. I hope that continues. But when I say "new generation" in terms of moving the needle, I really mean in a more mainstream sense. I don't see many rock bands from that era in general being in the zeitgeist/conversation in the moment among people under, say, 25 or 30, not even seemingly permanent mainstays like U2. It'd be great to see REM get attention at least from the younger indie rock crowd, although I wonder if it'd be a kind of "stop at the end of the IRS era" thing.
Oh, I definitely don’t see them (or any other similar band) taking off again in a mainstream nostalgic sense. But it is cool seeing younger indie folks getting excited about them!
