Mike Post

Another early job was writing music, including the theme for the series Toma, but his big break-through came with his theme song for another series by producer Stephen J. Cannell, The Rockford Files; the theme also got cross-over Top 40 radio airplay. Not replacing Berry, R.E.M. He won his first Grammy at age 22 for Best Instrumental Arrangement on Mason Williams' "Classical Gas." One of his first TV jobs started when he was 24, as the musical director on The Andy Williams Show. Currently, there have been two songs played live supposedly on the next album, rumored for a 2006 release; "I'm Gonna D.J.", the catchy rocking song with multiple guitars, and "Weatherman", played once live and then stopped due to the 'lyrics not fitting the song'. He was born September 29, 1944 in Los Angeles, California. In the same interview, Michael Stipe said he has lyrics to three new songs on his cell phone and one is almost complete and may be debuted live. Mike Post is a Grammy and Emmy award winning composer of music and theme songs for many of the most popular TV dramas first shown in the United States. after the two albums left on their contract.

In a recent interview, Peter Buck said that their next album would be very different from current R.E.M., and based on the single "I'm Gonna DJ", played live on the 2004-2005 world tour, we can expect it to be another rock album, which, if successful, could possibly lead to Warner resigning R.E.M. "Electron Blue," the third single from the Around the Sun album, has been getting much airplay in the UK. needed to cancel shows, on account of Mike Mills's flu and ear infection. Singles from this album include "Leaving New York" and "Aftermath". R.E.M.'s Around the Sun World Tour is the first tour since the infamous Monster Tour that R.E.M.

In 2004, the band returned with Around the Sun, which once again met with generally only mild critical praise. soundtrack appearances have found them revisiting some of their earliest material, hitherto available only on live bootlegs; their single, "Bad Day" (2003), was the prototype for "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," with some of the same lyrics. Recent R.E.M. The album gained mixed reviews.

2001's Reveal, confirms the return to an even mellower songwriting approach, with songs such as "Imitation of Life," "All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)," and "She Just Wants To Be" garnering some radio play. The band was no longer selling well in United States, though in Europe they stayed popular. After Berry's departure, the band returned with Krautrock-influenced Up (1998), another long and reflective record, with the lead single "Daysleeper." Many tracks contained drum machines, and Peter Buck played guitar only a little. Other notable tracks on that record include "E-Bow the Letter" (a collaboration with the legendary Patti Smith) and the intense western-themed rock of "Low Desert." The band re-signed with Warner Brothers in 1996 for the largest recording contract advance in history: 80 million dollars for 5 albums.

While on this tour the band recorded the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996), a long, roughly produced and decidedly bleak record which featured, in the seven-minute "Leave," perhaps the band's most intense song. The album was followed by a massive tour during which drummer Bill Berry suffered a brain hemorrhage on stage, which would eventually lead to his leaving the band. The band's 1994 release, the grunge-influenced Monster, including "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," proved to be a crossover hit and their best selling album to date, though many critics disliked the band's foray into glam rock. These two critically acclaimed albums featured hit singles including "Losing My Religion," "Shiny Happy People," "Everybody Hurts," and "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite." Out of Time also includes emotional, contemplative tracks such as "Belong," "Half A World Away," and "Country Feedback." On Automatic, the band developed a reserved, meditative sound that took them back to their roots, and the record's 15 million copies were sold in spite of such melancholy themes as death, suicide, and sexual jealousy.

Their next records, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), were both international hits, despite the fact that R.E.M. did not tour for either album. recorded with Warren Zevon as the Hindu Love Gods. In 1990, most of R.E.M. had become too commercial and that the quality of the music had decreased, but the band had now been brought to international attention.

days complained that R.E.M. Some fans from the I.R.S. This was the band's first time with heavy promotion, and they toured stadiums extensively in 1989. signed to the major label Warner Brothers and released Green.

In 1988 R.E.M. The compilation contains several alternative versions and mixes of songs. The album is described in the liner notes as "A little bit of uh-huh and a whole lot of oh-yeah." The band's early years are summarized in the compilation Eponymous, released in 1988. Highlights include three Velvet Underground covers, an Aerosmith cover, an uncommissioned commercial for a barbecue restaurant in Athens, and a boozy version of "King of the Road." The CD also has the EP Chronic Town at the end.

Dead Letter Office (1987) was a collection of B-sides and outtakes. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" recalls the rapid-fire lyrical style of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and can be described as pre-apocalyptic. The popularity of this song of grim satisfaction over the end of an unhappy relationship was due mainly, however, to its misinterpretation as a love song. 9 on the American pop charts.

Document (1987) was their last album for the indie record label I.R.S., and provided their first major hit with "The One I Love," which reached No. In many ways, this album marked the end of the first period in the band's history. Ironically, the 'hit' from the album, "Superman," was a cover song that didn't appear on the original album cover. "Cuyahoga" is about the river in Ohio that caught fire due to pollution.

The lyrics were becoming both more intelligible and more direct, with political themes appearing more explicitly ("Begin the Begin," "Flowers of Guatemala," "Hyena"). The songs are upbeat, the tempo is fast; this is a fairly hard-rocking album. But that's all part of life's rich pageant, you know."). The next album, Lifes Rich Pageant (sic) (1986), takes its name from a Pink Panther movie ("You'll catch your death of cold!" "Yes, I probably will.

practically defined college rock by this time. R.E.M. were critically acclaimed, and the video for "Can't Get There from Here" was played frequently on MTV. By the time this album was released, R.E.M.

"Kohoutek," their first song about a romantic relationship, compares the fizzled comet of 1973 to a fizzled romance. The source of the title of "Can't Get There from Here" is a curious phrase heard when asking directions in a rural area. Trains are a frequent topic of Southern music; they epitomize the freedom and promise of an escape from one's home environment. "Driver 8" is a song about the scenery surrounding railroad tracks.

A celebration of an eccentric individual is the subject of no less than four songs on the album ("Maps and Legends," "Life and How to Live It," "Old Man Kensey," "Wendell Gee"). Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) explores the mythology of the southern United States. The final song, "Little America," is written about driving through rural America ("another Greenville, another Magic Mart (http://www.magicmartstores.com/)"), and serves as a prelude to the Southern themes on the subsequent album. The jangling guitars and beautiful melodies obscure the dark lyrics.

Song topics include cold weather, a fairy tale of brothers with magical powers and a flood, along with five laments of separation. R.E.M.'s second album, Reckoning (1984), explored a variety of musical styles. The dark mood is broken by two brighter, more hopeful songs, "Sitting Still," and "Shaking Through", marked by the return of arpeggio and jangling guitars. The mood is grey - "Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst", "martyred, misconstrued", "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world", "lies and conversation, fear".

Evocative words are used to create a mood instead of a narrative. The songs on the album blend together. The melody is found in the bass notes, and the lyrics are practically indecipherable. The jangling guitars, so prominent on Chronic Town, are used more sparingly.

The album is stylistically unified. Their debut album, Murmur (1983), is held to be one of the best records of the 1980s. Their debut EP, Chronic Town (1982), illustrated R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and lyrics that completely avoid the standard topics of popular music - love and relationships. was one of the world's most popular, respected, and influential bands.

By the early '90s, R.E.M. Throughout the 1980s, while signed to the independent label I.R.S., they achieved a growing cult status due mainly to Stipe's obscure (and sometimes inaudible and unintelligible) lyrics and the band's sound, most noticeably influenced by The Byrds. R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Michael Stipe (vocals), Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), and Mike Mills (bass). Lyric Annotations FAQ (http://www.flim.com/remlafaq.html).

R.E.M. rec.music.rem FAQ (http://people2.clarityconnect.com/webpages6/ronhenry/remfaq.htm). Forum (http://www.myrem.com). 2nd Largest R.E.M.

Page (http://www.retroweb.com/rem.html). - The RetroWeb R.E.M. File Under R.E.M. Rock (http://www.remrock.com/).

R.E.M. Collector's Guide (http://www.svs.com/rem/). The R.E.M. news & multimedia (http://www.remison.com/).

R.E.M. fan site (http://www.rem-fan.com/). R.E.M. forum (http://www.murmurs.com/).

news, multimedia, file sharing & largest R.E.M. Murmurs : R.E.M. website (http://www.remhq.com/). Official R.E.M.

2005 "Electron Blue" #26 UK. 2004 "Aftermath" #41 UK. 2004 "Leaving New York" #5 UK. 2004 "Animal" #33 UK.

2003 "Bad Day" #8 UK. 2001 "I'll Take the Rain" #51 UK. 2001 "All the Way to Reno" #24 UK. 2001 "Imitation of Life" #83 US; #6 UK.

2000 "The Great Beyond" #57 US; #3 UK. 1999 "At My Most Beautiful" #10 UK. 1998 "Lotus" #26 UK. 1998 "Daysleeper" #57 US; #6 UK.

1996 "Electrolite" #96 US; #29 UK. 1996 "Bittersweet Me" #46 US; #19 UK. 1996 "E-Bow the Letter" #4 UK. 1995 "Tongue" #13 UK.

1995 "Strange Currencies" #47 US; #9 UK. 1995 "Crush with Eyeliner" #23 UK. 1994 "Bang and Blame" #19 US; #15 UK. 1994 "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" #21 US; #9 UK.

1993 "Nightswimming" #27 UK. 1993 "Everybody Hurts" #29 US; #7 UK. 1993 "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" #17 UK. 1993 "Man on the Moon" #30 US; #18 UK.

1992 "Drive" #28 US; #11 UK. 1991 "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" #39 UK; #69 US (1988). 1991 "Radio Song" #28 UK. 1991 "The One I Love" (re-issue) #16 UK.

1991 "Near Wild Heaven" #27 UK. 1991 "Shiny Happy People" #10 US; #6 UK. 1991 "Losing My Religion" #4 US, #19 UK. 1989 "Pop Song 89" #86 US.

1989 "Orange Crush" #28 UK. 1989 "Stand" #6 US. 1987 "The One I Love" #9 US. 1986 "Fall On Me" #94 US.

The Best of R.E.M. (1991); #7 UK. Eponymous (compilation) (1988) #44 US. Around the Sun (2004); #1 UK, #13 US. Reveal (2001); #1 UK, #6 US.

Up (1998); #2 UK, #3 US. New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996); #1 UK, #2 US. Monster (1994); #1 UK, #1 US. Automatic for the People (1992); #1 UK, #2 US.

Out of Time (1991); #1 UK, #1 US. Green (1988); #27 UK, #12 US. Document (1987); #28 UK, #10 US. Chronic Town EP) (1987) #52 US.

Dead Letter Office (outtakes and b-sides, incl. Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) #21 US. Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) #28 US, #35 UK. Reckoning (1984); #27 US.

Murmur (1983); #178 US. Chronic Town EP (1982). Download sample of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" from Monster. "Losing My Religion" may have been the biggest hit song that uses a mandolin as the main instrument.

They started out as Twisted Kites for the first show they played at a party, but, according to "It Crawled From the South," considered Negro Eyes, Slut Bank, and Cans of Piss before settling for R.E.M. They liked the name because it was so ambiguous. out of the dictionary. The band members picked the name R.E.M.