R.E.M. (band)

R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in early 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe. Throughout the 1980s, while signed to the independent label I.R.S. Records, they achieved a growing cult status due mainly to Stipe's obscure lyrics and the band's sound, most noticeably influenced by the jangly, arpeggio-driven melodies of The Byrds. The band's politics, aesthetics, and hardworking ethos - largely inspired by the early punk and art rock of the 1970s - enabled the group to establish itself quickly as one of the pillars of the U.S.'s burgeoning alternative rock scene. By the early 1990s, R.E.M. were one of the world's most popular, respected, and influential bands.

Discography

EPs

Chronic Town (1982)

Related Topics:
Chronic Town - 1982

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Studio Albums

• Murmur (April 1983) #36 US US: Gold
• Reckoning (April 1984) #27 US; #91 UK US: Gold
• Fables of the Reconstruction (June 1985) #28 US; #35 UK US: Gold
• Lifes Rich Pageant (August 1986) #21 US; #43 UK US: Gold
• Document (September 1987) #10 US; #28 UK US: Platinum
• Green (8 November 1988) #12 US; #27 UK US: 2x Platinum
• Out of Time (12 March 1991) #1 US; #1 UK US: 4x Platinum/UK: 5x Platinum Worldwide: 13 million
• Automatic for the People (6 October 1992) #2 US; #1 UK US: 4x Platinum/UK: 5x Platinum Worldwide: 18 million
• Monster (27 September 1994) #1 US; #1 UK US: 4x platinum/UK: 3x Platinum Worldwide: 10 million
• New Adventures in Hi-Fi (10 September 1996) #2 US; #1 UK US: Platinum/UK: 2x Platinum Worldwide: 5.5 million
• Up (27 October 1998) #3 US; #2 UK US: Gold/UK: Gold Worldwide: 3 million
• Reveal (15 May 2001) #6 US; #1 UK US: Gold/UK: 2x Platinum Worldwide: 4 million
• Around the Sun (5 October 2004) #13 US; #1 UK UK: Platinum Worldwide: 2 million

Compilations

• Dead Letter Office (outtakes and B-sides, including Chronic Town) (April 1987) #52 US; #60 UK
• Eponymous (I.R.S.-era compilation) (November 1988) #44 US; #69 UK
• In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Warner Bros.-era compilation) (28 October 2003) #8 US; #1 UK US: Gold/UK: 2x Platinum Worldwide: 5 million

Bootlegs

• "R.E.M. Unplugged" (Care for Your Ears 003/1991)
• "Up - In The Club" (UP 021196 / Club-Gig broadcasted for Rockpalast TV-Show from Grünspan, Hamburg, Germany, 1998)

Singles

• "Radio Free Europe"/"Sitting Still" (Hib-Tone HT-0001/July 1981) UK: - /US: -
• "Radio Free Europe"/"There She Goes Again" (I.R.S. 9916/July 1983) UK: - /US: 78
• "Talk About the Passion"/"Shaking Through"/"Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)"/"1,000,000" (I.R.S. 1026/November 1983) UK: - /US: -
• "So. Central Rain (I?m Sorry)"/"King Of The Road" (I.R.S. 9927/June 1984) UK: - /US: 85
• "(Don?t Go Back To) Rockville"/"Catapult (Live)" (I.R.S. 9931/September 1984) UK: - /US: -
• "Can?t Get There From Here"/Bandwagon" (I.R.S. 52643/June 1985) UK: - /US: -
• "Driver 8"/"Crazy" (I.R.S. 52678/September 1985) UK: - /US: -
• "Wendell Gee"/"Crazy" (I.R.S. September 1985) UK: - /US: -
• "Fall On Me"/"Rotary Ten" (I.R.S. 52883/August 1986) UK: - /US: 94
• "Superman"/White Tornado" (I.R.S. 52971/December 1986) UK: - /US: -
• "The One I Love"/"Maps And Legends (Live)" (I.R.S. 53171/August 1987) UK: 51 (#16 in 1991)/US: 9
• "It?s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"/"Last Date" (I.R.S. 53220/December 1987) UK: 39 (in 1991)/US: 69
• "Finest Worksong"/"Time After Time Etc." (Live) (Europe only) (I.R.S./April 1988) UK: 50
• "Get Up"/"Funtime" (Warner Bros. 22791/September 1989) UK: - /US: -
• "Losing My Religion"/"Rotary Eleven" (Warner Bros. 19392/March 1991) UK: 19/US: 4
• "Shiny Happy People"/"Forty Second Song" (Warner Bros. 19242/July 1991) UK: 6/US: 10
• "Near Wild Heaven"/"Tom's Diner" (Live)/"Low" (Live)/"Endgame" (Live) (Warner Bros. 40195/August 1991) UK: 27/US: -
• "Radio Song"/"Love Is All Around" (Live)/"Belong" (Live) (Warner Bros. 40229/November 1991) UK: 28/US -
• "Drive"/"Winged Mammal Theme" (Warner Bros. 18729/October 1992) UK: 11/US: 28
• "Man On The Moon"/"New Orleans Instrumental No. 2" (Warner Bros. 18642/January 1993) UK: 18/US: 30
• "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"/"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (Warner Bros. 40769/Feburary 1993) UK: 17/US: -
• "Nightswimming"/"Losing My Religion" (Live Acoustic) (Warner Bros. 18425/July 1993) UK: 28/US: -
• "Everybody Hurts"/"Mandolin Strum" (Warner Bros. 18638/August 1993) UK: 7/US: 29
• "Find The River"/"Everybody Hurts" (Live) (Warner Bros. 18288/December 1993) UK: 54/US: -
• "What?s The Frequency, Kenneth?"/"What?s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Instrumental)" (Warner Bros. 18050/September 1994) UK: 9/US: 21
• "Bang And Blame"/"Bang And Blame (Instrumental)" (Warner Bros. 17994/January 1995) UK: 15/US: 19
• "Crush With Eyeliner" (UK only) UK: 23
• "Star 69" (March 1995) US: 74 (Airplay)
• "Strange Currencies"/"Strange Currencies (Instrumental)" (Warner Bros. 17900/April 1995) UK: 9/US: 47
• "Tongue" (UK only) UK: 13
• "E-Bow The Letter"/"Tricycle" (Warner Bros. 17529/August 1996) UK: 4/US: 49
• "Bittersweet Me"/"Undertow (Live)" (Warner Bros. 17490/October 1996) UK: 19/US: 46
• "Electrolite"/"The Wake Up Bomb (Live)" (Warner Bros. 17400/February 1997) UK: 29/US: 96
• "How The West Was Won And Where It Got US"/"Be Mine (Mike On Bus Version)"/"Love Is All Around"/"Sponge" (Warner Bros. 43851/April 1997) UK: - /US: -
• "Daysleeper"/"Emphysema" (Warner Bros. 17129/October 1998) UK: 6/US: 57
• "Lotus"/"Surfing The Ganges" (Warner Bros./December 1998) UK: 26/US: -
• "At My Most Beautiful"/"Passenger" (Warner Bros./March 1999) UK: 10/US: -
• "Suspicion" (UK only) (July 1999) UK: -
• "The Great Beyond"/"The One I Love (Live)" (Warner Bros. 16888/1 February 2000) UK: 3/US: 57
• "Imitation Of Life"/"The Lifting (Original Version)"/"Beat A Drum (Dalkey Demo)"/"2JN" (Warner Bros. 42363/May 2001) UK: 6/US: 83
• "All the Way to Reno" (July 2001) #24 UK
• "I'll Take the Rain" (October 2001) #51 UK
• "Bad Day" (October 2003) #8 UK
• "Animal" (January 2004) #33 UK
• "Leaving New York" (September 2004) #5 UK
• "Aftermath" (November 2004) #41 UK
• "Electron Blue" (February 2005) #26 UK
• "Wanderlust" (July 2005) #27 UK

Christmas Fan Club Singles

Every Christmas since 1988 R.E.M. have rewarded members of their official fan club with special, exclusive singles. Here are all the songs to have featured in each of those packages:

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• "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"/"See No Evil" (1988) Green vinyl 7"
• "Good King Wenceslas"/"Academy Fight Song" (1989) Vinyl 7"
• "Ghost Reindeer In the Sky"/"Summertime" (1990) Vinyl 7"
• "Baby Baby"/"Christmas Griping" (1991) Vinyl 7"
• "Where's Captain Kirk?"/"Toyland" (1992) Vinyl 7"
• "Silver Bells"/"Christmas Time Is Here" (1993) Vinyl 7"
• "Sex Bomb"/"Christmas In Tunisia" (1994) Vinyl 7"
• "Wicked Game"/"Java" (1995) Vinyl 7"
• "Only In America"/"I Will Survive" (1996) Vinyl 7"
• "Live for Today"/"Happy When I'm Crying" (with Pearl Jam) (1997) Vinyl 7"
• "E-Bow the Letter" (live feat. Thom Yorke backing vocals)/"Lucky" (live Radiohead feat. Michael Stipe on vocals) (1998) VHS¹
• "Country Feedback" (live feat. Neil Young on guitar)/"Ambulance Blues" (live Neil Young feat. R.E.M. as backing band) (1999) CD
• "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)"/"Hastings and Main"/"Take Seven" (2000) Blue vinyl 7"
• "Let Me In" (live)/"Find the River" (live in-studio video) (2001) CD ROM
• "No Matter What"/"Jesus Christ" (2002) CD ROM²
• "Country Feedback" (live feat. Wilco)/"It's the End of the World as We Know It" (live feat. Wilco) (2003) CD
• "I Wanted to Be Wrong" (live)/"She Just Wants to Be" (live) (2004) CD
• 1998 package was actually a live video from the Tibet Freedom Concert in Washington, D.C.
• 2002 package also featured a video of Michael Stipe reading 'selected works of Martin Luther King Jr.'