R.E.M vs. U2?
Has everyone seen the article on Slate.com by now? Their writer poses the question: Who was the best rock band of the '80s -- R.E.M. or U2?
Sounds vaguely like an argument that Times pop critic Sean Daly and I would joust over in a Ye Ole Time Blog Battle. I'm guessing he'd want to take U2 and stick me with defending R.E.M.
For some reason, it doesn't seem like a fair comparison. It's like asking, who's your favorite sports team -- the Tampa Bay Bucs or the Chicago Cubs. They're not playing the same game. Likewise, the bands' lyrics and messages were nowhere close to being similar. The guitar work by The Edge and Peter Buck were mirror opposites. Bono and Michael Stipe comparatively have the personalities of Penn and Teller. Really the only thing they had in common was the timeframe.
Two of my favorite albums of the 80s were by these two bands: U2's Unforgettable Fire and R.E.M.'s Lifes Rich Pageant. I own them both on CD and play them often, which proves the real answer to Slate's question is: Just enjoy both bands and instead focus on the real questions of the 80s, like:
- Best Daryl Hannah movie of the 80s: Blade Runner or Reckless?
- Why is Dan Aykroyd singing in "We Are The World"?
- Worst Tom Cruise movie of the 80s: Legend or Losin' It?
- How did everyone suddenly learn how to dance at the end of Footloose?
[Click here to listen to our U2 podcast from 2005]
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
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Better question is, why were any of them singing "We are the World"? That has to go down as one of the worst songs of the 80's. I would rank 99 Luft Balloons just ahead in the putrid category. Hopefully the children that benefitted from the proceeds of that song didn't ever have to listen to the song.
Posted by: Steve G | November 16, 2006 at 08:43 AM
99 Luft Balloons gained respect from me by it's use in the movie Gross Pointe Blank.
I could never compare U2 and R.E.M., because I liked both bands in the 80's (still like U2, R.E.M. not so much anymore). The albums you named were a couple of my favorites also. Particularly the songs, A Sort Of Homecoming and Fall On Me. But there was no real comparison style-wise between the two bands
Posted by: Bassnote | November 16, 2006 at 11:16 AM
Dan Aykroyd was singing on "We Are the World" because he was half of The Blues Brothers, of course!
Posted by: David P | November 16, 2006 at 02:54 PM
* Best Daryl Hannah movie of the 80s: Blade Runner or Reckless? - Splash
* Why is Dan Aykroyd singing in "We Are The World"? - Blues Brothers
* Worst Tom Cruise movie of the 80s: Legend or Losin' It? - The Outsiders
* How did everyone suddenly learn how to dance at the end of Footloose? - You call that dancing?
U2 vs REM? U2 hands down. But I would not call them the best band of the 80s. I still think REM had their best decade in the 90s myself, but that's just me.
Posted by: Greg Williams | November 17, 2006 at 01:03 AM
The 80's best album-Queensryche's "Operation:Mindcrime". Yeah, I know, who? what? Not your typical 80's fluff. Not for the easily offended (religion and politics ARE the source of most of our problems). And, no, "Silent Lucidity" is not on it. That was the next album
Posted by: Kevin | November 19, 2006 at 07:02 PM
Out of those two I will go with U2 but really AC/DC were the best and highest selling band or artist of the eighties meaning, they were better. Dah. 40 million copies in the eighties alone in the USA. Good Blog
Posted by: Steve | November 25, 2006 at 03:26 AM