FEATURE:
The Great American Songbook
R.E.M.
__________
THIS is a series…
where I focus on terrific American artists. The Great American Songbook has a different meaning and does refer to a particular style of music. However, stretching it out, I wanted to apply it to wonderful American artists who have made a significant contribution to the industry. Their music has been transformative and revelatory. R.E.M. hail from Athens, Georgia. Formed in 1980, R.E.M. were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Fronted by Michael Stipe, they released classic albums such as Document (1987), Automatic for the People (1992) and Monster (1994). The band’s final album, 2011’s Collapse into Now, was a sad farewell to music royalty. I am going to come to a twenty-song mix from R.E.M. A career-spanning representation of their brilliance, they have inspired musicians as wide-ranging as Nirvana, Pavement, Pearl Jam, Collective Soul, and Liz Phair. If you are not a huge fan of R.E.M., I do hope that the playlist provides some proof that R.E.M. are one of the most important bands ever. I have loved them since childhood and their absence is notable. I wish they were still recording together. However, rather than wish for the impossible, let’s take a look inside the catalogue of…
THE sensational R.E.M.