R.E.M. Calls It Quits
 

R.E.M. announces they're calling it quits

Fans of the long-running rock band R.E.M. got a bit of a shock Wednesday when the group announced on its website that they were calling it quits.

"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, said a statement at remhq. "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.

"A wise man once said -- 'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave,'" Michael Stipe said on the site. "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."

R.E.M. formed in Athens, Ga., in 1980 with singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. The alternative rockers found an audience among college-radio faithful and went on to release 15 albums. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Out of Time and Automatic For the People are in my top 3 albums of all time list.

I would say this is a sad occasion but they have been around for over 30 years now and they haven't been vital since Monster.

yeah they had a good run

Stipe will probably go solo

I became a fan of these guys when I first saw the video for Losing My Religion on MTV back in 1991

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It has only been in the last couple of years that I have been buying their records from the 80's. I don't know why I waited so long as they are down right tasty.

15 years too late

They were a good band but as everyone pointed out, who really gives a fuck at this point?

I didn't know they were still going for like 10 years.

I thought the lead singer died of aids a long time ago.

that was a rumour in the mid 90's that he had AIDS because he was gaunt looking and palor

plus the fact he's gay didn't do much to disspell those rumors

Ya, I mean I didn't even know about a rumor. I just always thought he looked like he had aids. Wasn't he in High Fidelity?

Exactly what they said about Kano.

They were pretty average. That end of the world song was alright but that everybody hurts bullshit is pretty faggy

turned me on to the greatness that is/was Andy Kaufman