DeViCom Biography: Blind Melon

R.E.M.
f. 1980 in Athens, Georgia, USA

R.E.M. played their first concerrt in Athens, Georgia, USA, on April 19, 1980. Their line-up consisted of four dropouts from the University of Georgia; Michael Stipe (b. Jan 4, 1960, Decatur, Georgia, USA; vocals), Peter Buck (b. Dec 6, 1956, Los Angeles, California, USA; guitar), Mike Mills (b. Dec 17, 1958, Orange County, California, USA; bass) and Bill Berry (b. Jul 31, 1958, Duluth, Minnesota, USA; drums). Without the charisma of Stipe and his eccentric onstage behaviour, hurling himself about with abandon in-between mumbling into the microphone, they could easily have been overlooked as just another bar band, relying on the harmonious guitar sound of the Byrds for their inspiration. Acquiring a healthy following among the college fraternity in their home-town, it was not long before they entered the studio to record their debut single, "Radio Free Europe", to be released independently on Hibtone Records. This was greeted with considerable prasie by critics who conceded that the band amounted to more than the sum of their influences. Their country/folk sound was contradiced by a driving bassline and an urgency that put the listener more in the mind of the Who in their early mod phase. Add to this the distinctive voice Stipe and his, on the whole, inaudible, perhaps even non-existent, lyrics, and R.E.M. sounded quite unlike any other band in the USA, in the post-punk era of the early 80s. Gaining further favourable notices for the Chronic Town mini-LP, their debut full-length album was now eagerly anticipated, and was eventually made Album of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine. As in the USA, the band earned a devoted cult following in Europe, largely comprised of college students. Reckoning appeared the following year and was permeated by a reckless spontaneity that had been missing from their earlier work. Recorde in only 12 days, the tracks varied in mood from frustration, as on "So. Central Rain", to the tongue-in-cheek singalong "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville". The songs were accesible enough but, as would be the case for most of the 80s, the singles culled from R.E.M.'s albums were generally deemed uncommercial by mainstream radio programmers. However, their cult reputation benefited from a series of flop singles on both sides of the Atlantic. Although received enthusiastically by critics, Fable of the Reconstruction was a stark, morose album that mirrored a period of despondency within the band. Peter Buck summed it up in the 90s - "If we were to record those songs again, they would be very different." Lifes Rich Pageant, in 1986, showed the first signs of a politicization within the band that would come to a head, and coincide with their commercial breakthrough, in the late 80s. Stipe's lyrics began to dwell increasingly on the prevailing amorality in the USA and question its inherited ethics, while still retaining their much vaunted obliqueness. Tracks such as "These Days" and "Cuyahoga" were rallying cries to the young and disaffected; although the lyrics were reflective and almost bitter, the music was the most joyous and uplifting the band had recorded to date. This ironic approach to songwriting was typified by "It's the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)", from the equally impressive Document. Released also as a single, it intentionally trivialized its subject matter with a witty and up-tempo infectiousness, more characteristic of the Housemartins. Green arrived in 1988 and sold slowly but steadily in the USA, attendant single "Stand" reaching number 6 there, while "Orange Crush" entered the UK Top 30. Apart from demonstrating their environmental awareness, paricualry in "You Are the Everything", the album laid more emphasis than previously on Stipe's vocals and lyrics. This, to the singer's dismay, led to his elevation as 'spokesman for a generation'. Already hero-worshipped by adoring long-term fans, Stipe insists: "Rock 'n' Roll is a joke, people who take it seriously are the butt of the joke." The world tour that coincided with album's release sa R.E.M. making a smooth transition from medium-size venues to the stadium circuit, due as much to Stipe's backdrops. After a break of rwo years the band reemerged in 1991 with Out of Time. Their previous use of horns and mandolins to embroider songs did not prepare their audience for the deployment of an entire string section, nor were the contributions from B-52's singer Kate Pierson and Boogie Down Productions' KRS-1 expected. Ostensibly the band's first album to contain 'love' songs, it was unanimously hailed as a masterpiece and entered the UK Top 5 on its release, topping both US and UK album charts shortly afterwards. The accompanying singles from that album, "Losing My Religion", "Shiny Happy People", "Near Wild Heaven" and "Radio Song", gave them further hits. After picking up countless awards during the early 90s the band has maintained the high standard set by Out of Time. Automatic for the People was released in October 1992 to universal favour, reaching the top of the charts in the UK and USA. Michael Stipe was seen both as pin-up and creative genius. The album produced a number of memorable singles including the moody "Drive" and the joyous "Man in the Moon", with its classic Elvis Presley vocal inflections from Stipe and an award-winning accompanying monochrome video. Monster showed the band in grungelike mood, not letting any accusations of selling out bother them, and certainly letting fans and critics alike know that they had not gone soft. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" started a run of hit singles taken from the album and further awards were heaped upon them. Following the collapse of Bill Berry in Switzerland while on a majour tour in 1995, the band were forced to rest. Berry was operated on for a ruptured aneurysm and he made a full recovery. In August 1996 the band re-signed Warner Brothers Records for the largest recording contract advance in history: $80 million was guaranteed for a five-album contract. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was released in September. Retaining the harder-edged sound of Monster on most tracks, it was another excellent collection. From the epic chord changes of "Be Mine" to the cool understated calm of "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us", it showed the band's remarkable depth and ideas. The critical praise heaped upon the band has been monumental, and through all the attention the band united, reasonably unaffected and painfully modest. They are one of the most important and popular groups to appear over the past three decades. In October 1997 Bill Berry announced his intention to leave R.E.M.; the remaining members were quick to confirm that they would be continuing without him, using the adage that a three-legged dof can still walk. Replacing Berry with a drum machine, the sessions resulted in 1998's Up, widely touted as R.E.M.'s most experimental recording in years.