The world’s biggest R.E.M. fan · Feb 1, 08:46 PM by Don
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I got a request recently to re-post the Bill Berry solo tracks featured on Timedoor last summer, as the one of the songs was sonically flawed. Scroll down for the new improved vinyl rips.
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Bill Berry shocked many, including his bandmates, when he decided to retire from R.E.M., one of the most respected and influential bands of the past 26 years. Berry’s decision to move on was likely inspired in part by a 1995 brain aneurysm that interrupted the Monster tour. At a press conference announcing the decision, Berry had this to say:
“I feel like I’m ready for a life change. I’m still young enough that I can do something else. I’ve been pounding the tubs since I was nine years old… I’m ready to do something else. I’m at a point in my life where some of my priorities have shifted. I loved my seventeen years with R.E.M., but I’m ready to reflect, assess, and move on to a different phase of my life. The four of us will continue our close friendship, and I look forward to hearing their future efforts as the world’s biggest R.E.M. fan.”
Many fans lament Berry’s departure, citing it as a major reason for R.E.M.‘s creative stagnation and falling record sales. The band’s last platinum album was 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I personally like the band’s first two post-Berry albums, Up and Reveal, but have to agree with most complaints about Around the Sun. I think there are some good songs on Sun, but a certain spark was missing. Here are two I liked well enough:
mp3: R.E.M. – Aftermath
mp3: R.E.M. – Wanderlust
To R.E.M.‘s credit, Reveal is a hit with Berry. Speaking to Q magazine in 2001, guitarist Peter Buck shared this:
“[Bassist Mike Mills] played Reveal for him and he thought it was the best record we’d done, and he thought that ‘Reno’ was the best song we’d ever written. But Bill’s a real gentleman; he would lie to protect our feelings.”
Berry was comfortable playing various instruments, not just the drums, and his backing vocals offered a smooth counterpoint to Michael Stipe’s keening. He was also a songwriter and made significant contributions to “Perfect Circle,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Find the River,” and “Leave.”
Berry’s 1989 solo single, released under the moniker, Thirteen-One-Eleven, is a testament to Berry’s versatility. The A-side is an original country goof titled, “My Bible is the Latest T.V. Guide.” The B-side is “Things I’d Like to Say,” originally performed by Sixties garage rockers, the New Colony Six. What I marvel at is Berry’s elastic vocal cords. “My Bible” is sung in a goofy baritone, while “Things” is delivered in a gentle alto.
mp3: Thirteen-One-Eleven – My Bible is the Latest TV Guide
mp3: Thirteen-One-Eleven – Things I’d Like to Say [New Colony Six cover]
If you’re wondering why Berry didn’t record under his own name, take a closer look at “Thirteen-One-Eleven.” Rewrite it as numbers and you’ll see it spells out “Bill” (13-1-11).
It was recently announced that the band would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12. It is highly likely that Bill Berry will sit in on the skins when the band performs at the event. He has played with the band a few times since his retirement. In 2003, Berry joined the band for two songs at an October 10 show in Raleigh, North Carolina.
On October 8, 2005, Berry came out of retirement for a second time. The four original members of R.E.M. performed at the wedding of an R.E.M. roadie.
On April 1, 2006, Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe joined Peter Buck, who was touring with The Minus 5, on stage at The Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, during the intermission of the band’s final tour date to perform “Country Feedback.”
Berry again reunited with R.E.M. for a short performance during the band’s induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame as part of the institute’s 28th annual awards ceremony. The event took place in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 16, 2006.
R.E.M. is currently working on an album. Here’s the latest from REMHQ:
Based on conversations overheard around the upstairs water fountain at REMHQ, I’ve deduced that the band will begin rehearsing songs towards the end of this month for the 14th R.E.M. record. As most of you know by now, Peter and Mike spent a few days in Seattle prior to Christmas with the inimitable Scott McCaughey along with drummer Bill Rieflin (Peter, Scott, and Bill R took a short hiatus from touring with Robyn Hitchcock) putting together demo material for the next record. Michael is busy as usual and is writing lyrics.
Might it be possible that Berry will rejoin the band? It is doubtful, but plausible.
Bill Berry Fun Fact: He lived in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, for seven years, starting at the age of three. As you may already know, Enik lives in Milwaukee, less than ten blocks from the Milwaukee/Wauwatosa border.
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I’d posted those 13111 tracks sometime last year as well! I got them by begging and pleading with some DJ in San Diego to send me them – he generously complied by also including an interview and some other stuff.
Re Berry’s Wauwatosa residency: I grew up in that town – so for all I knew, Berry (who’s three and a half years older than I am) might have been a neighbor of mine as a little kid.
— 2fs Feb 2, 10:44 PM #