R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe. They were students at the University of Georgia. In 1981 they released their first single "Radio Free Europe" on the label Hib-Tone followed by an EP titled "Chronic Town" in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. They had some underground success with support of College Radio and in the Netherlands with support by the radio show: "Verrukkelijke 15". "So. Central Rain" is another hit of this early period. They released 5 albums with I.R.S.: their debut Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), and Lifes Rich Pageant (1986). Everything changed when Scot Litt became their producer. His first production for the band was the album "Document" (1987) including "The One I Love" and "It's The End Of The World" (their apocalypse song).
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| "The One I Love" - single cover |
"Green" is the first album by R.E.M. released by Warner Bros. and their 6th studio album to be released in November 1988. In was their commercial breakthrough. The album is about political and environmental concerns. One one the main reasons they contracted Warner Bros. is because they were given artistical freedom in comparison to I.R.S. who demanded to deliver hits.The mandolin played by Peter Buck is prominently present on this album. By given artistical freedom it resulted in bigger hits than ever before. By the time their next album "Out Of Time" was released they really became popular worldwide with "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People".
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| "Get Up" - single cover |
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| R.E.M. in 1988 |
The previous album "Document" was already attracted interest by the the singles "It's The End Of The World" and "The One I Love". The band fullfilled it's contract with I.R.S. and decided it was time to switch to another record company. "Green" marks the departure of the jangle pop and college rock styling of the band's previous albums. The album open with "Pop Song '89" which is a standard pop song with daily themes ("Should we talk about the weather?") then the first quitet songs entered titled "You Are The Everything".
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| "Stand" - single cover |
The cover art was painted by New York City minimalist line painter Jon McCafferty. The album reached #12 in the US and #27 in the UK. The hit singles were "Stand" (US #6, UK #48), "Pop Song '89" (US #86).
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| Original album cover |
Green (1988)
Pop Song 89 / Get Up / You Are the Everything / Stand / World Leader Pretend / The Wrong Child / Orange Crush / Turn You Inside-Out / Hairshirt / I Remember California / Untitled
Hairshirt
The Wrong Child