Cloudspeakers

In some musty, R.E.M.-geek clagged corner of the internet, I once came across a particularly moving musing on ‘Harborcoat’, the astonishing piece of music that ushers in the Georgia indie titan... Read more

This 1984 album underpinned the belief that R.E.M. could do no wrong. Both on the original and the live CD that now accompanies it, Michael Stipe’s woozy free-associations pre-empted Greil Marcus’s... Read more

When people talk about the wondrous music of 1984—which saw the release of underground watersheds like Husker Du’s Zen Arcade, The Replacements’ Let It Be, and The Minutemen’s Double Nickel... Read more

Sometimes, when in the company of suitably opinionated music lovers, I like to announce that I think R.E.M. are a better band that The Rolling Stones. Don't judge me, you have to get your fun where... Read more

In a nutshell... Driven, unified and timelessly independentWhat's it all about?It's the 25th anniversary re-issue of R.E.M.'s second album. It features the original ten-song album, re-mastered, plu... Read more

In a nutshell... Driven, unified and timelessly independentWhat's it all about?It's the 25th anniversary re-issue of R.E.M.'s second album. It features the original ten-song album, re-mastered, plu... Read more

Pretty much from their major label debut over twenty years ago, Green, people have long said that they like R.E.M.’s earlier, I.R.S.-era (the independent record label, not the government agency) ma... Read more

I have always liked R.E.M, but never really given myself “fan” status upon the band. You know people like me – I know the singles, can discuss Michael Stipe’s finer and weaker moments, and ... Read more

What people may forget about R.E.M. is that before they lost their religion and became happy shiny eco warriors the band had released six ‘classic’ albums, one after another, which is more than The... Read more

Given their vast and varied catalog, it's sometimes easier to imagine R.E.M. as a discography than to picture them as a flesh-and-blood band. Ironically, it may be R.E.M.'s insistence upon operatin... Read more