REM is out of time

Herald-Sun (Australia)

2011-09-23

Cameron Adams

AMERICAN rock band REM has split.

The members announced their demise on their website, with frontman Michael Stipe saying: “A wise man once said, ‘The skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave’.”

Formed in 1980, REM sold more than 70 million albums worldwide.

“We built something extraordinary together,” Stipe said. “We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it.

“I hope our fans realise this wasn’t an easy decision but all things must end, ant we wanted to do it right, to do it our way.”

The band, hailed as an inspiration by Coldplay and Nirvana, helped bring American indie rock into the mainstream.

After flirting with chart success with 1987 hits The One I Love and It's End of the World As We Know It, their 1988 album Green was a commercial breakthrough.

Two years later they released the hit Losing My Religion from the album Out of Time, which would sell more than 12 million copies.

1992’s Automatic For the People was another critical and commercial success, featuring the anthem Everybody Hurts.

But after signing a then record-breaking $80 million deal in 1996, the band began to wane.

This year’s album Collapse Into Now — their final album under the record deal - peaked at just No.15 here [Australia].