In a rather unexpected move, R.E.M., one of the worldGs biggest rock bands ever to exist and also the biggest of all alternative bands announced that theyGre disbanding after a 31 year career that was full with ups and downs. Each of the three band members, have expressed their deepest appreciation to all the support they have gotten over these three decades from millions of fans worldwide.
Michael Stipe, the band leader, paraphrasing a famous person, said that Hthe key to having a great party is to know when to leaveI. All three band members have declared in a press release that was posted on their official website that the decision was unanimous and that there were no hard feelings between them.
But, due to the fact that earlier this summer there was news that the band was starting to work on a new record, some question have risen on the true motive for the break-up. Nevertheless, after fulfilling their contractual obligations with Warner Bros. records R.E.M. decided that itGs time to pull the curtain.
R.E.M. was formed in Atlanta, Georgia more than 30 years ago, when Michael Stipe met Peter Buck, the future guitarist for the group in a record store. After recruiting Mike Mills and Bill Berry, the band went on recording some seminal records in the 1980Gs like Murmur and Lifes Rich Pageant and then, after signing with Warner Bros. they found superstardom at the beginning of the 1990Gs with a string of multi-platinum albums like Out of Time, Automatic for the People and Monster.
In a final attempt to reward their fans and also to bow out in a classy way, the band will release a final retrospective album that will include songs from both their I.R.S. tenure as well from their Warner Bros. one. The news took many fans by surprise as the band has released new material earlier this year, a new album called Collapse into Now which has been highly praised for its consistency and song-writing. Their last record is definitely a wonderful swan song for a band that had and still has so much influence on a lot of artists. They will definitely be missed!
English (US) 