I grew up with a big brother who played the Beatles back when I was still in single digits, and it wasn't until the '70s that I started buying my own records. While '60s stars like the Stones comprised my early purchases, it was naturally music by acts who sprang from the '70s that became my own secret discoveries. Bowie begot Mott the Hoople, a mere gateway drug to Roxy Music, and before long, I was in the thick of glam rock before I even knew "it", this androgynous, deliriously catchy yet eccentric music, had a name.
REM was not only an organic outgrowth of so much iconoclasm but a happy reminder that the '80s were not a lost cause after the first wave of post punk, after Ian Curtis offed himself and the Smiths emerged as a sort of British counterpart to REM. Some would have it that U2 were more of a counterweight to the boys from Athens, but U2 clearly had their eyes on a singular sort of superstardom that makes them more of a throwback to the Stones than the more democratic, Beatlesy image of REM and the Smiths.
As talented as the U2ers are, their earliest recordings are too stark and topical, too punky, to hold up like REM and the Smiths from the get-go. The Smiths may have burnished their legacy simply by disbanding a mere five years after forming, despite Morrissey's insistence he never wanted them to. Given his remarkably successful solo career, Johnny Marr's sporadic one, and Marr's steadfast refusal to reunite, he can't help but look a bit churlish, even if it was Mozz who disapproved of Marr's occasional sideman work whilst still a Smith. Whatever the reason, the justly celebrated team of Morrissey and Marr is one that ended prematurely.
REM, on the other hand, soldiered on long after it would have been hip or shocking to break up, say also in '87, after five albums and before they moved from indie IRS to Warner Bros. Instead, they continued to grow and evolve, turning out 10 more albums, and in the process deflecting any serious charges of selling out, instead becoming more popular honing and refining their unique sound until it was a natural addition to the top of the charts. Who knows how much longer U2 will carry on, but after 31 years, REM has decided to bow out.
They peaked commercially and some might argue artistically, in the early '90s, with Out of Time ('91) and Automatic for the People ('92.) Monster ('94) and New Adventures in Hi Fi ('96) were likewise hits, but sales gradually dwindled after "People." Drummer Bill Berry left in '97, and the band seem to lose some sort of chemistry in the process. Their decision to endure, without drama, may have been their style, but it can't help but look like a missed opp in hindsight. That's where integrity comes in. Berry insisted that his departure could not mean the end of the band, or he would not have left.
Two bands who were in a somewhat similar situation back in the late '70s were the Who and Led Zeppelin. Both suffered the death of their drummer, Keith Moon in '78, and John Bonham in '80. Not only had the Who been together for a good four years before Led Zeppelin, but they chose to replace Moon, where the latter promptly announced their end as a band. Not only was replacement drummer Kenney Jones an unpopular choice, but bassist John Entwistle would pass away in 2002 before a new album could be recorded. More recently, singer Roger Daltrey convinced Pete Townshend to pair up with him to record under the Who moniker as a duo.
REM seems to have taken a path somewhere in between the relative brevity of Led Zeppelin, and the maddening uncertainty of the Who. Not only have the latter issued an absurd number of compilations, but their frequent farewell tours and failure to bolster their ranks with the winning likes of a Ron Wood (like Jones, a former member of the Small Faces) have made them seem both imprudent and opportunistic. It's too soon to tell exactly how REM's legacy will be evaluated, but it is clear they managed to last longer than any other major US band, while resisting the tendency for domestic bands to either shuffle members (the Byrds) or break up too soon (the Velvet Underground.)
What's left are dozens of wonderful songs that already exist somewhat removed from any sort of visual baggage, and are only likely to endure as the work of a wonderfully unique, idiosyncratic band that may prove to be a model for future bands.
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