Now I know that some people here will bristle if I even dare compare
REM to the Church. However consider some of the many similarities
between the two bands:
1) Debut albums in 1980 (well REM's was an EP)
2) Jangly guitar-driven music
3) Lead singer/lyricists with distinctive voices and ironic/indirect/enigmatic lyrics
4) Little 20 seconds interludes before the start of "I Believe" and "It's No
Explanation" respectively (both songs were recorded within a year of
each other IIRC)
5) Were cult bands more than anything else for the first several years of their
existence (at least here in the States)
6) Both had their first big hits in the US in 1987
7) In 1991 both penned what many consider their best albums, "Automatic
For the People" and "Priest=Aura"
After said 1991 albums both groups tried to reinvent themselves on a
number of occasions, and as such their 1990's output is much more varied
if not uneven than their 80's work
9) Their original drummers eventually left the band
10) On Amazon, if you click on the "Numbers" single, you will, at the bottom,
have a "Customers who bought titles by The Church also bought titles
by these artists:", with REM third on the list.
Of course there are several differences:
A) Their music and lyrics reflect in part the cultures from which they emerged (US
South vs. Australia)
B) REM after their breakthrough hit "The One I Love" continued to be a
major-selling band for a number of years after. The Church after their
breakthrough hit "Under the Milky Way" could never follow that up with
something else to stimulate the general public, and remained a cult
attraction
C) The Church has two guitarists, while REM has only one (tho he is overdubbed
on a number of tracks)
D) REM never quite got as dark as the Church did during P=A and MATS. AFTP
was more elegaic and wistful than darkly intense.
E) REM probably was the more humorous band, tho the Church certainly has
their occasional moments (tho usually it is "black humor").
Flame away!
John DiFool
REM to the Church. However consider some of the many similarities
between the two bands:
1) Debut albums in 1980 (well REM's was an EP)
2) Jangly guitar-driven music
3) Lead singer/lyricists with distinctive voices and ironic/indirect/enigmatic lyrics
4) Little 20 seconds interludes before the start of "I Believe" and "It's No
Explanation" respectively (both songs were recorded within a year of
each other IIRC)
5) Were cult bands more than anything else for the first several years of their
existence (at least here in the States)
6) Both had their first big hits in the US in 1987
7) In 1991 both penned what many consider their best albums, "Automatic
For the People" and "Priest=Aura"
After said 1991 albums both groups tried to reinvent themselves on anumber of occasions, and as such their 1990's output is much more varied
if not uneven than their 80's work
9) Their original drummers eventually left the band
10) On Amazon, if you click on the "Numbers" single, you will, at the bottom,
have a "Customers who bought titles by The Church also bought titles
by these artists:", with REM third on the list.
Of course there are several differences:
A) Their music and lyrics reflect in part the cultures from which they emerged (US
South vs. Australia)
B) REM after their breakthrough hit "The One I Love" continued to be a
major-selling band for a number of years after. The Church after their
breakthrough hit "Under the Milky Way" could never follow that up with
something else to stimulate the general public, and remained a cult
attraction
C) The Church has two guitarists, while REM has only one (tho he is overdubbed
on a number of tracks)
D) REM never quite got as dark as the Church did during P=A and MATS. AFTP
was more elegaic and wistful than darkly intense.
E) REM probably was the more humorous band, tho the Church certainly has
their occasional moments (tho usually it is "black humor").
Flame away!
John DiFool
