R.E.M.: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2007 part 1

R.E.M. 1980-1986

Rock Hall Bio: https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/rem/bio/

Official Site: http://remhq.com/index.php

In 1980, Michael Stipe met Peter Buck in an Athens, Georgia record store. The pair discovered they shared similar musical tastes. They soon met Mike Mills and Bill Berry, who were already playing music together. The four began playing together and performed for the first time on April 5, 1980. They chose the band's name out of a dictionary. They ushered in the Alternative music genre out of Punk's ashes. Stipe's undecipherable vocals, Buck's unique jangle guitar, Mills harmonies, and Berry's lyrical filtering and prescient drumming marked the band's uniqueness.

R.E.M. recorded their first song in 1981.

Radio Free Europe (Hib-Tone): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyH7NEHfYIo

They released an EP that IRS, RCA, and others took note of.

Chronic Town (1982)

Gardening at Night (1982): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl5TdBcAUts

They turned down RCA and signed with IRS Records in 1982. Their first album is considered one of the great debuts of all time.

Murmur (1983)

Radio Free Europe (1983): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac0oaXhz1u8

Talk About the Passion (1983): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCMy6kq5ZA0

First TV appearance (1983): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsqxqeGfeLQ

Reckoning (1984)

So. Central Rain (So Sorry) (1984): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msWi0c4tHV8

(Don't Go Back To) Rockville (1984): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zgh0y9vTgY

Rough recording sessions nearly broke the band up. Some critics noted that their experiences in recording the album bleed into the work.

Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)

Can't Get There From Here (1985): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD3cYh5Pp1I

Driver 8 (1985): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuFId1RYSZE

Life's Rich Pageant (1986)

Fall on Me (1986): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf6vCjtaV1k

Superman (1986): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQS6lfn0yU

IRS decided to issue a record filled with songs from various sessions.

Dead Letter Office (1986)

Toys in the Attic (1986): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDGwSTMPa_A