In their own words - R.E.M's break up

In their own words:  R.E.M. share some thoughts about the break up

MIKE

"During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'what next'? Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.

"We have always been a band in the truest sense of the word. Brothers who truly love, and respect, each other. We feel kind of like pioneers in this--there's no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We've made this decision together, amicably and with each other's best interests at heart. The time just feels right."

MICHAEL

"A wise man once said--'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it.

"I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way.

"We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It's been amazing."

PETER

"One of the things that was always so great about being in R.E.M. was the fact that the records and the songs we wrote meant as much to our fans as they did to us. It was, and still is, important to us to do right by you. Being a part of your lives has been an unbelievable gift. Thank you.

"Mike, Michael, Bill, Bertis, and I walk away as great friends. I know I will be seeing them in the future, just as I know I will be seeing everyone who has followed us and supported us through the years. Even if it's only in the vinyl aisle of your local record store, or standing at the back of the club: watching a group of 19 year olds trying to change the world."

JAMES

I need to think about this some more. I think I should brew beer with a great wort chiller. Then I will consider my options.

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Did they burn out or fade away?

REM, the alternative rock group that shook up the music world with its experimental, edgy sound and then earned multiplatinum success and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, announced on its website that it has "decided to call it a day as a band."

"A wise man once said — 'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it," frontman Michael Stipe said in a statement on the website.

"I hope our fans realise this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way."

The Grammy-winning group, now composed of Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills, released its debut album Murmur in 1983; at the time it was a quartet, with drummer Bill Berry. He left the group in 1997, two years after he suffered symptoms of an aneurysm onstage.

The group got its start in Athens, Georgia, coming out of the region's flourishing indie-rock scene. The band was credited for helping launch college radio with songs such as Radio Free Europe.

Later, the mainstream caught on, and REM became chart-topping rockers, selling millions of albums with hits like It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine), Losing My Religion and Everybody Hurts.

Stipe, the band's chief songwriter, crafted songs that were atypical of the standard rock fare. Man on the Moon was about the late comic Andy Kaufman. Losing My Religion was not about religion at all, but about trying to relay the feelings of a crush.

The band's videos also became staples on MTV in the 1990s, including the eye-catching Losing My Religion and the stark Everybody Hurts, which had Stipe walking through a highway traffic jam.

REM became one of the more forceful voices of 1990s rock, and came along around the same time as another rock quartet — U2. But whereas U2 managed to maintain (and even increase) its popularity over the years, REM stumbled commercially in recent years, and their hits dwindled.

The band continued to create music that resonated with critics and their core group of fans; the group's last album, Collapse into Now, was released in March and a greatest hits retrospective is in the works.

But Mills said the band was running out of ideas.

"During our last tour, and while making Collapse Into Now and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'What next?'" he said. "Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realised that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together."

Buck said the band parts as "great friends" and thanked fans for their support.

"One of the things that was always so great about being in REM was the fact that the records and the songs we wrote meant as much to our fans as they did to us," said Buck. "It was, and still is, important to us to do right by you. Being a part of your lives has been an unbelievable gift. Thank you."

Warner Bros Records chairman and producer Rob Cavallo said, "To call REM one of the greatest bands in contemporary music is an understatement. They leave behind a body of work whose breadth, honesty, creativity and power has not only inspired millions of fans around the world, but also has influenced — and will continue to influence — generations of songwriters and performers for years to come."

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REM's Break Up Message

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening. R.E.M"

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REM Breakup SAD FACE

R.E.M. have broken up after 31 years of making music together.

The alternative rock band announced yesterday that they were going their separate ways after decades of touring and releasing hits.

Lead singer Michael Stipe, 51, guitarist Peter Buck, 54, and bassist Mike Mills, 52, have released 15 albums as a group including Murmur, Reckoning, Document, Out of Time, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Up and Automatic For The People.

"As lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band," the group said in a statement on their official website.

"We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality and of astonishment at all we have accomplished."

Bill Berry, 53, who was the band's original drummer, retired in 1997 after 17 years rocking out with the band.

He went on to become a farmer in Georgia but has come back with the group from time to time for special events.

The band's last album, Collapse Into Now, was released in March of this year.

Rolling Stone reported that the band worked on some new material together in Greece this past northern hemisphere summer but it is unknown if the tunes will be released.

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