Chrissie commented on Ology's Battle Of The Fans: '80s Semi-Finals (Duran Duran Vs. Depeche Mode):
“Duran Duran -- I remember the first night I was truly cognizant of the individual band members. It was the first Friday of December, 1984. My BFF Pam and I suffered the same affliction of not having cable TV and had to get our music video fix via NBC's "Friday Night Videos." I'd seen Duran Duran videos and knew their songs, but just wasn't all that into them. The video for "Do They Know It's Christmas" came on and I was like, "Pam, who is this hot guy with the long blonde hair???" "Oh, that's Simon LeBon. He's the lead singer of Duran Duran." Hmmm... "I guess that guy with the red and black shirt that says 'Duran Duran' on it is in the band, too, huh?" "Yeah, that's John Taylor. Like EVERYONE thinks he's hot." (And I remember thinking, "He's okay, I guess," LOL!) "Hey, Pam! Who's this guy back here? Shoot, I keep missing him! They just barely show him, with the amazing make-up and the gorgeous eyes???" "Oh, that's Nick Rhodes. He's in Duran Duran, too. I think he plays keyboards." Hmmm... The next video up? "Wild Boys" by Duran Duran! Just a few moments earlier, during "DTKIC," I had picked out these three men who would fill my dreams, diaries, and Duran-induced imagination for years and years to come, three talented musicians whose band's music would, from that night forward change my life forever and whose music would literally save my life more than once.”
As expected, 2011 brought music fans a mind-numbing indulgence of overrated pop tarts, overhyped DJs, overplayed Top 40 radio, and a barrage of other pseudo-talents who are "over" in all sorts of other ways. No, don't throw out your AM/FM or unsubscribe from Spotify just yet... there was plenty of great music bubbling beneath the unsavory surface this year. In the spirit of old-school, tried and true musicianship, we're giving a shout-out to some of the real musical talents of 2011, from the breakout upstarts to the reliable staples.
No. 11 - 13: R.E.M.
A lot of great bands called it quits in 2011, but none with the same level of accomplishment, integrity, and influence as Athens, GA's original alternative rock heroes: R.E.M. Over the course of three decades and an astonishing fifteen studio albums, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills (plus original drummer Bill Berry, who left the band in the mid-'90s) performed music both intimate and bombastic... raw and meticulous... independent and mainstream. No other indie rock group in history jumped onto a major label with as much creative control— Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Death Cab For Cutie, The Decemberists, and countless others looked to R.E.M. as a model of artistic credibility.
Their cultural impact can't be overstated, but R.E.M. didn't merely bow out gracefully this year—their final studio album Collapse Into Now was released in March to rave reviews. Featuring vocal contributions from Patti Smith, Peaches, and Eddie Vedder, the album was the perfect culmination of their various sonic modes: the plucky folk of Green and Out Of Time... the aggressive power chord rock of Lifes Rich Pageant, Monster, and Accelerate... and the expansive experimentalism of Up and New Adventures In Hi-Fi. To boot, their 2-CD career spanning collection Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage 1982-2011 contained three all new songs that ranked amongst their best in several years.
R.E.M. were a true rock n' roll original, the likes of which we'll likely never hear again. Sad as I still am to see them go, I find it extremely commendable that, after everything they've accomplished together, they managed to walk away amicably, filled with pride and without regrets.
"Discoverer"
"Oh My Heart"
"We All Go Back To Where We Belong"
Stop by ology.com/musictomorrow afternoon, when we'll be sharing more of our picks for Musicians of the Year.
Who were some of your favorite music writers, composers, bands, and artists in 2011? Let us know in the comments section below.
Want to connect with fellow Music Ologists? Join the discussion over on My.Ology.
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