R.E.M.: The Rolling Stone Files

by Rolling Stone Magazine, Anthony DeCurtis (Introduction)

This Georgia-based alternative rock band has developed legions of fans since 1981 and has been propelled to the top of the charts with albums such as 1991's Out of Time and hit songs like "Losing My Religion" and "Stand." Here Rolling Stone pays tribute to this hard-working group--America's preeminent college-radio band.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

About the author

Rolling Stone is a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, it turns out that I somehow bought two versions of this book -- this copy and R.E.M. : The Rolling Stone Files : The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts, and Opinions from the Files of Rolling Stone. They have exactly the same text, even though this version is two years newer and is from the UK. The only difference is that R.E.M. : The Rolling Stone Files : The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts, and Opinions from the Files of Rolling Stone is flashier looking. Thus, I give this version 2 stars (the text is okay), but I'll give the other one 3 or 4 stars -- it has a better font, better cover, and better page layout.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun time capsule looking back at one of my favorite as they were evolving.

[Quinn Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is simply a collection of everything Rolling Stone magazine published about R.E.M. from their first appearance on the scene to the release of their album Monster (which, coincidentally was about the time I lost interest in R.E.M.)

Since the magazine articles were never written with an anthology book like this in mind, there is quite a bit of repetition: most notably, the fact that R.E.M. came from the Athens, Georgia college music scene which also produced The B-52s and Pylon.

Aside from the repetition, though, it is a very interesting book recounting first-hand the band's rise from indie-label EP to arena-filling concert status. The band's rise was steady and gradual, and each article compiled here seems to catch the pulse of the band just perfectly at each increment. I enjoyed the book very much.

[Davida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for musical nostalgia. It’s going back in the Little Free Library!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn between giving this three and four stars. The book is a compilation of reviews, notes, and interviews from Rolling Stone magazine from R.E.M.'s debut through Monster (1994). Some of the articles are really good, but overall, it's just a compilation of articles. It is a nice little time capsule, though.

I somehow bought two versions of this book, despite what I used to think was a meticulous mental list of which R.E.M. books I had and which I needed -- this copy and "R.E.M.". They have exactly the same text, even though the other version is two years newer and is from the UK. The only difference is that this one is flashier looking. Thus, the other version got only 2 stars: the text is okay (since it's the same as this one), but this one has a better font, better cover, and better page layout.

[Nóinín · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich lese eine Kompilation von Interviews aus dem Rolling Stone, was kann ich dabei falsch machen? Ich kann mir, weil es erst 1995 ist, der Internet-Versandhandel in den Kinderschuhen steckt und Bücher in Originalsprache in der deutschen Provinz nur schwer und mit enormem Versandporto erhältlich sind, die ins Deutsche übersetzte Version kaufen. Was ich damit in Kauf nehmen muss sind ein teilweise unbeholfen wirkender Stil sowie seltsame Übersetzungsfehler: Wenn ich z.B. lesen muss, wie "de(r) Regisseu(r) indianischer Abstammung Tarsem" das Video "Losing My Religion" "im Stil einer bestimmten Spielart des indianischen Films" umgesetzt hat, muss ich für meinen Teil leider sagen, dass solche Aussagen meinen Lesegenuss schmälern. Schade.

[Lulu ⭐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Di libri come questo ne leggerei mille, da ossessionata fan dei R.E.M. quale sono.

Le parti che risaltano di più sono, oltre alle recensioni di Automatic for the People, le lunghe interviste a Peter Buck ed a Michael Stipe, che catturano in pieno l'essenza dei due - un cinico rock'n roller il primo, un artista volutamente eccentrico il secondo - , e che svelano dettagli particolari e curiosi.