After years of tinkering on his solo work, Michael Stipe has finally released a track – from the soundtrack to an HBO series. Presumably a deadline and a big pile of cash helped.
Anyhow, I quite like it.
New from Michael Stipe
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I like this!
I too wish he’d get on with it….. This is pretty light, but has sufficient Stipisms, such as repeating a word 3x at the end of a line, with different inflections. Probably my favourite male singer.
Probably my favourite male vocalist too, so distinctive and immediately recognisable. It’s been 15 years since Collapse Into Now; surely enough time to take stock, dabble in other things and get on with that bloody long overdue solo album.
I’d love to hear a proper Stipe solo album and this sounds very promising indeed. He’s “released” a few solo things over the years, often via YouTube, and they sounded like early versions of decent songs.
There’s a lot of chatter about REM touring again next year. Part of me hopes it doesn’t happen (how many bands call it a day and actually mean it?), but if they have to then some more new material would be good.
Where is this chatter?
Here.
some here for a start
plus lots more going around in recent months about the four of them being together socially, guesting at other shows etc – I’ve probably seen more of this in the last twelve months or so than I have in the preceding decade.
Do I think it will happen? Probably not, although I might be placing too much faith in their integrity. They went out perfectly, and it’d be a shame to mess with that, plus a ‘reunion tour’ would have to be Berry / Buck / Mills / Stipe and is Bill even healthy enough for a tour?
On the pro side, I think there’s a sense that they are slipping out of history and becoming a little forgotten. The kids today are mad for the early 90s (the amount of, say, Jeff Buckley I sell in my shop is ridiculous) but R.E.M., who were arguably the biggest band in the world at the time, don’t register at all. Perhaps they want to put that right and spotlight their legacy. Or perhaps not.
Stipey also turned up at a gig by Superman actor Michael Shannon’s R.E.M. covers band and sang a bit.
That’s the kind of thing I would want Michael Stipe to do. He seems to be a top man and this kind of behaviour, on top of his (and his bands) fine canon of work, is to be applauded.
All of the REM members have appeared with the Shannon/Narducy band. They have been having fun with the whole thing. Wilco’s John Stirratt is the bassist at the moment. The idea seems to be to hang out at a grass roots level, and be part of the fandom. It looks like a great show (check out the videos) and a lot more fun than a stadium show.
They have also appeared with The Minus 5 (except Stipe), I saw them at Wilco’s Solid Sound festival a few years back. On that day only Mills and Buck, but Berry shows up occasionally
A shout for the show, Rooster, as well. After 1 episode, it seems to be well worth a watch. And not just for the 80’s UK heavy soundtrack.
when someone gets up with a tribute band it seems pretty clear they still have the urge to be back on the stage.