REM In Profile

Hailing from Athens, Georgia, REM was formed in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry and founded the American college rock sound that dominated the indie charts in the late '80s. REM's music combined the jangly guitar sound of The Byrds with the artistic spirit of late 1970s NY Punk. After a string of early albums more critically lauded than popularly consumed, REM attained both during the late '80s and mid-'90s. Berry left the group in '97, but the band has continued as a trio. Despite fair sales and fading relevance, their legacy remains intact.

University of Georgia student Michael Stipe met Peter Buck in the Athens record store where the latter worked; they bonded over shared musical interests. They soon recruited Mike Mills and Bill Berry for their rhythm section. After playing locally as Twisted Kites, the band settled on the name REM, releasing their debut single, "Radio Free Europe," on indie Hib-Tone Records in 1981. That now classic song led to label boss Miles Copeland signing the band to I.R.S. Records. In spring of 1982, REM released their debut for that label, the five-track Chronic Town EP.

With I.R.S., REM issued five albums that defined the college rock aesthetic, with a ringing guitar sound and melodies that were catchy yet unlike most pop of the era. '83's Murmur was critically beloved, with Rolling Stone naming it album of the year and the LP's sales edging it into the top 40. Over the next three years, REM released three more albums: 1984's Reckoning, 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction, and 1986's Life's Rich Pageant. The group's popularity grew incrementally, until the 1987 Top 10 single "The One I Love" brought them national exposure. Its parent album, Document, also went Top 10.

Propelled by their new status as pop stars, REM signed with Warner Bros. In late '88, that label released Green. Along with a Top 10 single in "Stand," the disc also featured Peter Buck's first use of mandolin. That instrument would feature on their next hit, "Losing My Religion," from '91's Out of Time. That record topped the charts in both the US and the UK. At that time, prior to the Grunge explosion that year, REM were arguably the biggest rock band in the world. One year later, Automatic for the People would nearly match its predecessor's chart success while earning the band still more critical praise.

It wasn't until the fall of 1994 that REM's music reflected the louder, distorted guitars of the Grunge era. Monster was unlike any previous REM record, emphasizing the harder rock of early '70s Glam, as did the band's flashy new wardrobe. Fans took to the new sound, and, once more, REM topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997 to retire to his farm. REM have continued on as a trio, but to limited success. 1998's Electronica-tinged and melancholic Up was a sleeper, earning a tepid response from fans and the media. In the 21st century, REM have so far released two albums, Reveal in 2001 and Around the Sun in 2004.

• Murmur:
• Automatic for the People:
• Eponymous: