The alternative rock band, R.E.M., has officially split up after 31 years together, having produced 15 albums. The decision turned out to be correct as the band continued to make hits for another 14 years. During their entire career of thirty-one years, R.E.M. produced 15 albums, among which Murmur, Reckoning, Document, Out of Time, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Up and Automatic For the People which were very well sold worldwide. The last album they produced, Collapse Into Now, was released in March 2011, but a Greatest Hits album is expected to be launched this November with the help of Warner Brothers.Despite their numerous declarations stating that the break up was unanimously decided by the band’s members, Ethan Kaplan, owner of the R.E.M. fan community Murmurs, has reasons to believe that the new label politics adopted by Warner Brothers in September 2010 influenced their final decision. In a Rolling Stone interview he stated that the new requirements that bands must fulfill in order to get their records released might have been too demanding for the R.E.M. members to accept. “The thought of going back to 'paying dues' with new label staff, in a very weird industry, was too much," he concluded.
Whether the break-up was something they decided on their own, or was the result of a series of constraining factors, one thing is for sure, R.E.M. will continue to exist through their music. Guitarist Peter Buck leaves a trail of hope behind by letting fans know that R.E.M members will gladly continue to meet their supporters in music stores or clubs.
Each member also gave their own personal response to the split.
Mike Mills wrote, ”During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves ‘what next?’ Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of working together. We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word – brothers who truly love, and respect each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this – there’s no disharmony here, no fall outs, no lawyers squaring off. We’ve made this decision together, amicably, and with each other’s best interest at heart. The time just feels right.
Peter Buck said, “One of the things that has always been so great about being in R.E.M. was the fact that the records and the songs we wrote meant as much to the fans as they do to us. It was, and is, still important to us to do right by you. Being part of your lives was an unbelievable gift. Thank you. Mike, Michael Bill, and Bertis and I walk away as friends. I know I will be seeing them in the future, just as I know I will be seeing everyone who has followed us and supported us through the years. Even if it’s only the vinyl aisle of your local record store, or standing at the back of a club; watching a group of 19 year olds trying to change the world.”
Michael Stipe wrote, “A wise man once said – the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave. We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it. I hope our fans know this wasn’t an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way.”
Source: http://perezhilton.com and http://rollingstone.com
No comments:
Post a Comment