R.E.M.
BEST OF ’87/’88: Document, featuring their biggest single yet. PROFILE: With enigmatic song titles and unintelligible lyrics, R.E.M. had to be content with their status among critics and cultists as divine beings—until their seventh record, that is, a bona fide smasheroo.
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R.E.M.
TOP OF THE POPS
BEST OF ’87/’88: Document, featuring their biggest single yet.
PROFILE: With enigmatic song titles and unintelligible lyrics, R.E.M. had to be content with their status among critics and cultists as divine beings—until their seventh record, that is, a bona fide smasheroo. Singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry are now at their peak, as Document, uh, documents. BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: “The One I Love,” the first single from Document, is the band’s first-ever Top 40 hit.
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: The
fun-lovin’ R.E.M.sters have added “Midnight Blue,” a song by ex-Foreigner member Lou Gramm, to the ever-growing list of eclectic cover tunes they perform live.
BIGGEST SECRET: R.E.M.’s lyrics are highly-guarded, classified information. Not even their record company knows the words, and often, even singer Michael Stipe is a bit unsure.
HOME: The Athens, Georgia-based R.E.M. is the most successful band to come from peach-country since the B52s. MOONLIGHTING: Despite R.E.M.’s
newly-enjoyed platinum success, Buck still works once a week at a small Athens record store when he’s in town.
MOST SACRILIGEOUS ACT: When R.E.M. first formed, they couldn’t afford a rehearsal space so they practiced in an abandoned church.
MAIN SQUEEZES: None. The field is wide open.
QUOTE: “All I want is that when I’m done with this, I can think about what I’ve done in the past and go, ‘Yup, we did good. We did a good job.’ That’s it. And other than that, it just doesn’t matter.”
—Peter Buck
