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Topic: The Smiths vs. R.E.M. Posted: December 27 2014 at 13:08
The Smiths vs. R.E.M.
Both of these bands were known for infusing post-punk with 60s jangle and even some country twang. With Johnny Marr's and Peter Buck's signature arpeggiated styles, it was almost fate that both bands debuted at about the same time as both bands are considered of prime importance to their respective scenes.
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Posted: December 27 2014 at 15:28
I love The Queen is Dead, the best thing either of these bands released, but other than that I find many Smiths albums to be sub-par. I like R.E.M. more overall and they continued to make good albums into the 90s.
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Posted: December 27 2014 at 15:42
R.E.M. hands down. Chronic Town, Murmur and Reckoning would be a career for most bands, and R.E.M. followed that with a dozen more, all good to great, before they were done. The Smiths flamed out long before they should have and left too much unfinished.
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Posted: December 27 2014 at 16:35
REM by a mile. The 1st 4 albums are perfect...once they brought Michael Stipe up in the mix and he stopped mumbling they lost most of their charm for me
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Posted: December 28 2014 at 10:32
I'll give this one to REM. Though the last 3/4 of their career was pretty bland, the first fourth has more "wow" moments for me than all of the Smiths' output - though I do like the Smiths a lot too, it's a close call.
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Posted: December 28 2014 at 11:33
No fan of either band, to be honest. I think both are good examples of groups I would have enjoyed if it weren't for the singer's vocal style I just can't get over. I know it's a rather superficial thing to dismiss a music project over, but it's not like taste in music is always that rational.
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Posted: December 29 2014 at 03:43
The Smiths - for their (at the time) wonderful, literate, melancholy Englishness. Morrissey is an original voice (singing style and lyrical expression) who articulated insights of sensitivity, loneliness and being different in ways that were inspiring, engaging and humorous. The Smiths are one of the landmark bands in popular music history and they had a huge cultural impact.
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Posted: December 30 2014 at 16:37
I have tried to listen to 'The Queen is Dead' many times and I just don't get it. It bores me. I try it again occasionally to see if my tastes have expanded to include it because of its reputation, but I've never really 'got' it.
REM, however, have released several albums that I have enjoyed, most notably New Adventures in Hi-Fi, even if it's been a long time since I've spent much time with any of them.
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The Smiths vs. R.E.M.
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