R.E.M.: Talk about the Passion; An Oral History: An Oral History

by Denise Sullivan

This is the story of R.E.M.--whose most recent album sold over 14 million copies--as told by friends of the band, fellow musicians, and music industry insiders. Sullivan charts R.E.M's rise from an Athens, Georgia party-band to a politically active, world-renowned rock group who has influenced alternative bands for more than a decade. Includes a complete discography, photos, and line drawings.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 088733184X
• ISBN13: 9780887331848
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Underwood-Miller
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

All about perspective

This is neither a "companion piece" nor a "tell-all" book. Equally, it is not a flimsy paperback stapled and glued together just in time for the band's next big tour. What Denise Sullivan does write (and write well, also) is much closer to an anecdote, a souveneir, a recalled event. She avoids the trite and passionless type of "rock'n'roll" review/expose we have to endure all the time and instead lets the reader get a glimpse not so much of the band REM, but of the people that REM exerted some influence on, or the people for whom REM mattered. Reading Sullivan's book, I am reminded of how one of my closest friends and I discuss REM -- from memory, from songs, from what has been happening in our lives. This book feels like a friend.

A Necessary Companion

Unlike most "rock-n-roll" books which often pander to the lowest common denominator -- which usually is the author's own personal bias barely hidden in the text and most often the lens through which we are forced to watch the history of the band/singer unfold -- Denise Sullivan gives us something better, and frankly, more fun. "TATP" offers an original and fresh perspective on a very enigmatic yet familiar college - rock - alternative - mainstream - wacky - superstar band. This book is a must-have for both the fan and fanatic. The writing is well-done, the subject matter well-handled. While almost everyone's favorite REM song and/or album may change over time, this remains my favorite book on the band.

An informative look at R.E.M.

This book was excellent. It was great to get a history of what went on by people who actually were there.Recommendwd if you are a fan of Mr. Stipe and Co. or just interested in a the history of great music that shaped a scene.

Great

You can't get much better than this -- personal accounts of people who actually were there. There is just as much information to be found here as in _It Crawled from the South_. It proceeds chronologically with great detail, and feeds the REM-fact hungry reader just what he/she wants.