R.E.M. announce break up
Written by admin on September 22, 2011 – 10:54 am -After 31 years of making music together, R.E.M. have announced an “amicable” split.
The alternative rock pioneers, whose hits included “Stand,” “Losing My Religion” and “Everybody Hurts,” announced the decision via a statement on their website:
| “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.” |
R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 and went on to record 15 albums together, the biggest of which were “Out of Time” (1991) and “Automatic For The People” (1991). The band topped the UK album charts an amazing seven times and managed the feat twice in the US.
R.E.M. Publicity Shot (1983)
The R.E.M. website also included individual statements on the break up from the band’s members:
Michael Stipe:
| “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 realize this wasn’t an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way. |
| “We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It’s been amazing.” |
Mike Mills:
| “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 falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We’ve made this decision together, amicably and with each other’s best interests at heart. The time just feels right.” |
Peter Buck:
| “Mike, Michael, Bill, Bertis, and I walk away as great 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 in the vinyl aisle of your local record store, or standing at the back of the club: watching a group of 19 year olds trying to change the world.” |
The band’s final album, “Collapse into Now,” was released in March of this year, but look out for a new compilation in November that will include greatest hits and some new material.
R.E.M. – “Man On the Moon”
Tags: R.E.M., R.E.M. disband, R.E.M. split up
Posted in American Rock |
