1. 22 September 2011

    notes: 53

    reblogged from: perpetua

    People love to complain that R.E.M. should have broken up when Bill Berry quit in 1997, to preserve their legacy in a pristine state. Except this misses the fundamental point of R.E.M., which is that rock and roll is something you do, something that’s part of your real sloppy life, rather than a fleeting phase. They decided not to be a “go out in a blaze of glory” band like the Smiths or Husker Du, and they also decided not to be a “blaze gloriously and then kinda fade out so everybody assumes you broke up even though maybe you officially didn’t” kind of band, like Echo and the Bunnymen or the Jesus and Mary Chain. They decided to be a “run it into the ground” band, plowing ahead whether they had the wind at their backs or not. And they ran it into the ground. That’s an essential part of their greatness
    — 

    R.E.M. R.I.P.: Thank You for Running It Into the Ground | Rob Sheffield | Rolling Stone

    Rob Sheffield is a man who gets it.

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    4. ds-litjournal said: I’m not sure about this. The value is in their great albums. I’ll take half of Up and after that there’s not much of value. That is the crucial marker IMHO. The problem with REM came when Stipe stopped caring, which he did, and that’s indefensible.
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