The Church or R.E.M.?

[unguarded moment]

Okay, I guess I'll start my first poll and ask you which you like better, The Church or R.E.M.?

I didn't really know which band to pit against The Church but I suppose R.E.M. is as good as any, and similar if only for both bands' penchant for melodic jangly guitar, although they don't sound alike, and they both ultimately changed the sound that first brought them notice.

Early Church, from "Of Skins And Heart" up to the "Starfish" album is what endeared me to them and their first five albums are my favorites of any band of the 80's. I don't listen to them after that period since they went downhill, IMHO. R.E.M. lost me after "Lifes Rich Pageant" but they occasionally caught my ear with a song or two after that. The albums "Murmur", "Reckoning" and "Fables" will always be classics to me.

In the end if I had to choose ONE I'd have to choose The Church but R.E.M is definitely high on my list too.

What about you?

[Rubbeet921]

My choice will be THe CHURCH!!![8D] I still have a small poster of them in my room where they look really young and bizarre. Somehow, I love "The Unguarded Moment" and "Under the Milky Way" but I do admire the way REM withstand the years till this momen

[Otters Walk Among Us]

tough call, very different bands. I love the first few albums by each, and they both lost me about 1990, after Starfish and Green.

I guess the main difference is that REM came back with an album I like (Automatic For The People) after I'd written th

[romanticide]

As much as I admire REM and the whole Southern Power Pop enchilada that they launched, I have to go with the Church. Counting the concerts I've attended by each, it's Church 6 (Remote Luxury, Heyday, Starfish, Hologram of Baal, A Box of Birds, After Ever

[KYYX4ever]

early REM.
The Church never really grabbed me. Their early stuff was good, I know; but REM's"Murmur" "Reckoning", & "Fables" are among my fave 80's albums EVER. Albums (ok, tapes..ok...CDs) I can listen to for the whole ride. "So. Central Rain", "Pretty

[romoboy]

Both are great, great bands, period. Not just in the "New Wave" genre but in rock's history. Michael Stipe or Steven Kilbey? A couple of music geniuses if you ask me and I've met both.

[Panorama]

REM ~ hands down!

[ghosty]

Yeah, I have to go with R.E.M. on this one and contrary to what the critics might tell you, they still have a some classic tracks after 1994. They're just not as consistent as they were in the 80's.
I like The Church but I have'nt been impressed with the

[djsoss]

[:(!]you see? [:(!] you guys decided between r.e.m and the church right? and the groups have nothing in commen, right? you guys simply chose between both groups and decided whom you liked the best, right? well i'm pissed of because i recently posted a

[Glen]

The Church, without a doubt. I really like R.E.M., but to me The Church reigns supreme. Great band that keeps making great music.

[jetboy]

The Church

[Bitter Almonds]

R.E.M. I'm one of those whose been deprived of anything more than the [i]Starfish[/i] album [xx(]

[Major Tom]

R.E.M. hands down. When it came to consistency in the 1980s, R.E.M. were at the top of the list. They put out a new album every year starting in 1983 and every one of them, from "Murmur" to "Green" in 1988, were gems.

[n/a5]

The Church of course!

Let me apologize in advance to the R.E.M. fans and say my best friend truly is an R.E.M. fanatic!

To this day I do not see what the big deal is with R.E.M. here is why:

(1) What are they singing about?

(2) I can't underst

[golfer]

You got me here!!!!!!!!!!! REM are the most overated band since they made "The Boss" important. I have seen The Church afew times and must say thier perfomance at the Tanlorne 3 day festival was the highlight of the weekend featuring bands like Split en