Can REM still be relevant?

R.E.M.'s first album was released in 1983. They achieved mainstream widespread success in the early '90s with a string of quadruple-platinum albums: Out of Time, Automatic for the People, and Monster. The last decade has not been kind to the band, with drummer Bill Berry quitting, Peter Buck all but quitting (according to recent interviews), and three straight albums that sank deeper and deeper into keyboard-filled mush.

But now they're back; lead single "Supernatural Superserious" is their first to chart on Billboard's Modern Rock tracks since 2001's "Imitation of Life."


Their 14th studio album, Accelerate, comes out April 1, and has been very positively reviewed (listen for yourself at iLike.com). But the fact remains, this is a band with 25 years of recorded output. So I thought it might be instructive to see what other great bands were doing 25 years on:

The Beatles (debut 1963) - In 1988, they were broken up. John Lennon was dead, Ringo Starr's career was in the past tense, and Paul McCartney released a greatest hits package that charted poorly. But George Harrison had four hit singles (including a Beatles pastiche, "When we was fab," off a Top 10 album, Cloud Nine (which turned out to be his last big hit).

The Rolling Stones (debut 1964) - In 1989, they put out Steel Wheels, a Top 3 hit in the US and their big comeback album after sitting out a good chunk of the '80s due to infighting between Mick and Keef. The album produced 5 hits, and the band embarked on a monster world tour.

Aerosmith (debut 1973) - In 1998, they released A Little South of Sanity, a #12-charting live album, and wrapped up their world tour for 1997's Nine Lives, which had a couple of hits and debuted at #1. My favorite was "Hole in My Soul":


KISS (debut 1974) - In 1999, they were in the midst of their big "makeup's back on!" reunion tour and had just put out a reunion album, Psycho Circus, which marks their last original work.

Elton John (debut 1969) - In 1994, he had the big Lion King song, which hit #4 on the charts.

Simon and Garfunkel (debut 1964) - In 1989, Paul Simon was in-between Graceland and the Rhythm of the Saints, his Afropop period. Art Garfunkel had just put out Lefty, a pretty big flop.

U2 (debut 1980) - In 2005, U2 were touring behind How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, their second-straight "back to basics" album. It was a big worldwide hit.

The Who (debut 1965) - In 1990, the Who released a live album recorded on their reunion tour in 1989 (they'd done a farewell tour in 1982). It was not well-received.

Pink Floyd (debut 1967) - In 1992, the band was in between A Momentary Lapse of Reason and the Division Bell, the two post-Roger Waters albums which were quite successful but not quite as beloved as the band's earlier work.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (debut 1976) - In 2001, the band was quiet. But in 2002, they put out The Last DJ, which was critically-panned and produced only one charting single.

Neil Young (debut 1966, with Buffalo Springfield) - In 1991, Young was on the Ragged Glory/Smell the Horse tour in support of 1990's Ragged Glory, a reunion album with Crazy Horse. The tour produced a live album.

Bruce Springsteen (debut 1973) - In 1998, Springsteen released a four-disc box set of rare material, Tracks, then reunited the E Street Band for the first time in 10 years for a two-year reunion tour.

Crosby, Stills, and Nash (debut 1969) - In 1994, CSN released After the Storm, their final album for Atlantic Records. It charted at #98, causing the band to be dropped from their record contract.

So what can we take from all this? First off, very few bands make it to their silver anniversary of recorded output (yes, I'm ignoring 1981's "Radio Free Europe" single and 1982's Chronic Town EP for the sake of hyperbole). Second, for most of these acts, 25 years on marked either a comeback or a fizzling out. Kiss, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen all returned to old glories with former bandmembers. The Stones stopped fighting. The Who (what was left of them) got back together to tour, etc. etc. This seems to be what REM is going for right now, the "return-to-form" album. From what I've heard so far, they've succeeded.