Maybe it's a sign of aging that I remember listening to my first REM cassette very early in my working career. (Cassettes, that's the second sign). My local rock station played a cut and it jumped off the radio. Holy moley, what was that? There was no push, no plug. They just sounded great and made you feel like getting up and dancing. I liked their off center lyrics and their jangly guitar sound. Since then I have bought most of their releases and still listen to them with some regularity. "Losing My Religion" remains one of the best songs of the rock era IMO.

This week brought the official announcement that they are disbanding. It wasn't big news in a music world that has changed radically since this little bar band from Athens, Georgia hit the big time. Sometimes you just want to go back to that first time and place.

http://foxkieran.com/2011/09/22/r-e-m-a-retrospective-part-1/