R.E.M.'s Breakup - Possibly the Worst of Last Decade

 There have been many bands that have split over the past decade, or are embarking on farewell tours. However, the most shocking of all these breakups has got to be R.E.M.
A blue-tinted photograph of musicians in front of an industrial background. From left to right: a long-haired male stands playing bass guitar, a middle-aged Caucasian male sings into a microphone, a middle-aged Caucasian male plays behind a black-and-silver drum set on a riser, and a guitar player at the edge of the photo.

A massive surprise

Being an unusual band, with a sound centered on Peter Buck's jangling guitars, and Michael Stipe's usually unclear vocals, R.E.M. rose to fame and prominence by the late 1980s thanks to their 1987 album Document. Their peak came with 1991's Out of Time, and 1992's Automatic For The People - the former including their signature hit, Losing my Religion.

Years in the making

R.E.M. had been discussing breaking up for several years before they officially did. The fuel for the fire was created with lackbuster reception of their 2004 album, Around the Sun. It was on September 21, 2011, that the band announced, on their site, that they were "calling it a day as a band."

Aside from the lackbuster album performance, shakeups at Warner Bros. Records were given as another possible explanation. The news came as a shock, but Stipe said he hoped fans realized that it wasn't an easy decision. "All things must end, and we decided to do it the right way, to do it our way." 

Despite the breakup, there have been many post-breakup releases, the most noteable of which was a massive greatest hits package, Part Truth, Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Garbage. This is the first album to feature songs from their I.R.S./Warner Bros. tenure, as well as several songs recorded after their last album, 2011's Collapse into Now. 

In 2014, for Record Store Day, Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions was issued. Later that year, the band compiled REMTV, a video box set. 

And regarding reunions, both Michael Stipe, and bass player Mike Mills, have stated in the months following the breakup, that they may not reunite ever.

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