Re: REM calls it quits after 31 years
Not really the right forum for this...
Not the right forum at all. Get it outta here.
Yes, becasue a guy named ian Ballard from KS would be real glad, and the rest of the civilized world ( and no, not SDUGF) who acknowledges the Rolling stones are the worlds greatest rock n roll band would have missed out on some of the greatest music of the late 20th century.
What in the world are the Stones even doing in this thread except one delusional mans attempt to bring them down to this level?
Exactly. That last phrase sums it up perfectly. Stones and REM are on different
levels. They shouldn't even draw comparisons. It is like comparing apples and oranges and expecting to come up with anything useful. R.E.M., while I do like some of their stuff, take themselves far too seriously, while the Stones always will be children/teenagers at heart. The Stones defined the modern rock band/show. R.E.M. defined nothing. Not that they were 100% bad.....just sayin'.
Most recently, I saw the Stones on the A Bigger Bang tour. They were amazing.
No, they aren't the band they were originally...but then again, they haven't been that since Brian Jones died. I love their albums up to Sticky Fingers, and quite a few of their tracks since. Exile is at least listenable to me, though not the great album it could have been with some more attention to detail and less coke. If they were going to quit, after Mick Taylor left would have been an opportune time. Rod Wood is a sloppy drunk live. It was painful to see him drop clams all over their live shows for DECADES, and to see Keith feed off this lazy energy. HOWEVER, he really can play when he sets his mind to it...and he was off the booze for the last big tour, and was playing better than I have ever heard him...and he really brought Keith's level of play up along with that. Midnight Rambler at Dodger Stadium was scary good...and I am a super harsh critic. It really sounded like the good-ol' two-guitar Stones.
In short, they are still worth seeing live. I don't think R.E.M. was ever worth seeing live. Opinion, of course, but we are all entitled.
R.E.M. is self-serious adult music, and always has been. The Stones are for those who are punks, degenerates, and horny teenagers at heart. I like R.E.M. OK, but they are just no fun. They don't "get" rock-n-roll. The Stones have personality, individually and as a group. R.E.M. is Blandsville in that department.
At any rate, happy retirement to them, and congratulations for being able to make a good living with music for over 30 years.
however. but some bands only need one good song to stay 
