What does R.E.M. stand for?
A) Rapid Eye Movement
B) Really Entertaining
Music
C) Revealing Exciting
Melodies
D) All of the above
This is not a question you will see in a test during your stay atDe Anza College. However, the answer is “D.”
Since their first hit single “Radio Free Europe”entered the scene back in 1981, R.E.M. has been famous for theirlive performances while producing great albums including “Outof Time,” “Murmur” and “Automatic for thePeople.”
Even after 23 years of music and the departure of drummer BillBerry in 1997, R.E.M. has maintained its success and is consideredto be among the top rock bands in the world.
Like cheese and wine, R.E.M. gets better with age. All three of theband members are well into their 40s, but R.E.M. is still rockingthe stage and continuing to put out great music.
Their latest album, Around the Sun, has already been getting greatreviews. During their recent tour stop at the Greek theatre inBerkeley, they introduced to their fans some new songs such as”Final Straw,” “The Outsiders” and”Leaving New York,” all of which sounded great live.But these new songs are different.
Frontman Michael Stipe arranged a new style of lyrics that has beenproven to be successful. Most of the songs, according to Stipe in arecent interview, came from the heart.
This is apparent as Stipe was more involved with the crowd andpreaching the lessons of his songs. This is very un-R.E.M. stylebut many enjoy the new R.E.M, the coming of age R.E.M.
Frontman Mike Matione of Five Eight, who opened for R.E.M. in theearly stages of their tour, grew up listening to R.E.M. Coming fromtheir hometown of Athens, Georgia; Five Eight finds R.E.M.’spast and present music to be very influential and uplifting.
While R.E.M. has put out new songs, they haven’t forgottenabout their roots. In both the Berkeley and the Irvine concert,they brought out old songs out from the bag including”Chuyahoga,” “Welcome to the Occupation”and the “Finest Worksong.” That is one of the reasonsfor R.E.M.’s success, their early jangle rock.
Even with the introduction of the old songs, they mesmerized thecrowd with hit songs “The One I Love,” “Man onthe Moon” and “Losing My Religion.” Keeping witha basic stage setup and little fancy lighting, R.E.M. wasentertaining to watch on stage as Stipe pulled in the fans with hisvoice and expressions.
R.E.M. recently joined forces with rock legends such as BruceSpringsteen, Pearl Jam and many more in the MoveOn.org concertseries in hopes of spreading awareness of the upcoming election andendorsing Democratic candidate John Kerry.
Part of R.E.M.’s success is due to the political views intheir songs.
Whether it’s “Ignoreland,” “It’s theEnd of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” or”Drive,” Stipe has always merged strong politicalviewpoints with creative harmonic melodies.