Placebo (band)

Chart positions are for the UK, they did not chart in the US.
. Chart positions are for the UK, they did not chart in the US. currently are touring outside of the United States on their world tour, which is currently to end in July 2005 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Robert Schultzberg was also a member of the band between 1994 and 1997. R.E.M. As of 2004, the band consisted of. are currently using drummer Bill Rieflin on Around the Sun and the tour, and his drums may help a 2006 release.

The band gained some measure of notoriety for the sexualities of its members (Molko is bisexual, Olsdal is gay, and Hewitt is straight) and their excessive lifestyles, often chronicled in their songs (the title of the track Special K from Black Market Music, for instance, is a reference to the drug ketamine). Not replacing Berry, R.E.M. Sleeping With Ghosts (2003) was more adventurous, experimenting with dance influences and a less polished guitar sound, though keeping the traditional sound for several songs, including the first single The Bitter End. 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'. The band's glam connections continued in 1998 when it recorded a version of "20th Century Boy" by T. Rex for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack. 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. The band was asked to play at David Bowie's fiftieth birthday party at Madison Square Garden. after the two albums left on their contract.

Their style altered little from Placebo through Black Market Music (2000), based around fairly straightforward guitar playing, often influenced by the style of 1970s British and American rock, and Molko's high-pitched, nasal vocals. 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. However, the band retained a huge popular and critical following in continental Europe. "Electron Blue," the third single from the Around the Sun album, has been getting much airplay in the UK. Since Without You I'm Nothing the band have fallen out of fashion particularly with the British music press, who regularly mock the personality and pretensions of its lead member, Brian Molko. needed to cancel shows, on account of Mike Mills's flu and ear infection. The singles Nancy Boy, from Placebo (1995), and Pure Morning, from Without You I'm Nothing (1998), were the peak of their British success, both charting in the top ten. 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.

As the other band members were having difficulty getting on with Robert Schultzberg, they persuaded Hewitt to rejoin the band in 1997. In 2004, the band returned with Around the Sun, which once again met with generally only mild critical praise. This said, the band offically say that "family commitments" was the reason for his absence. 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. While Hewitt was the preferred choice, he also had other commitments as drummer for London band "Breed", leading to Schultzberg being the drummer when the band signed its contract with Caroline Records. Recent R.E.M. The band could not decide on a drummer at first with Steve Hewitt and Robert Schultzberg alternating on the spot. The album gained mixed reviews.

While briefly known as Ashtray Heart, the band quickly settled on the name Placebo. 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. Placebo was founded when former Luxembourg schoolmates Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal met by accident at South Kensington tube station in 1994 and decided to form a band. The band was no longer selling well in United States, though in Europe they stayed popular. They enjoyed early success in Britain thanks to the high interest in British rock music at the time, sparked in particular by Oasis and Blur. 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. Placebo is a rock band founded in 1994. 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.

Special K (2001). 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. Twenty Years (2004) #18. 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. Protege Moi (2004). 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. English Summer Rain (2004) #23. 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.

Special Needs (2003) #27. 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. This Picture (2003) #23. recorded with Warren Zevon as the Hindu Love Gods. The Bitter End (2003) #12. In 1990, most of R.E.M. Black Eyed (2001). had become too commercial and that the quality of the music had decreased, but the band had now been brought to international attention.

Special K (2004). days complained that R.E.M. Slave To The Wage (2000) #19. Some fans from the I.R.S. Taste In Men (2000) #16. This was the band's first time with heavy promotion, and they toured stadiums extensively in 1989. Without You I'm Nothing (1999). signed to the major label Warner Brothers and released Green.

Every You Every Me (1999) #11. In 1988 R.E.M. You Don't Care About Us (1998) #5. The compilation contains several alternative versions and mixes of songs. Pure Morning (1998) #4. 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. Bruise Pristine (1997) #14. 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.

Nancy Boy (1997) #4. Dead Letter Office (1987) was a collection of B-sides and outtakes. Teenage Angst (1996) #30. "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. 36 Degrees (1996). 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. Come Home (1996). 9 on the American pop charts.

Once More With Feeling (2004) #8. 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. Sleeping With Ghosts (2003) #11. In many ways, this album marked the end of the first period in the band's history. Black Market Music (2000) #6. Ironically, the 'hit' from the album, "Superman," was a cover song that didn't appear on the original album cover. Without You I'm Nothing (1998) #7. "Cuyahoga" is about the river in Ohio that caught fire due to pollution.

Placebo (1996) #5. 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.

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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.

1984 "South Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" #85 US. 1983 "Radio Free Europe" #78 US. 1988-2003 (compilation) (2003); #1 UK, #8 US. In Time - The Best of R.E.M.

R.E.M.IX (Web Only Remixes). In The Attic (rarities compilation) (1997). R.E.M. Singles Collected (1994);.