R.E.M.

09/07/22 • 34 min

Formed at the University of Georgia in 1980, by Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills. R.E.M. Would soon become the flag bearers for the burgeoning Alternative scene in the music industry. Fueled by their love of the jangley folk-rock guitars of bands like the Byrds and the lyrical intellectualism in the words of artists like Lou Reed and Patti Smith, they soon found themselves with a whole new musical style. Signing to indie label, IRS records, the band spent the decade of the '80s releasing yearly albums and becoming one of the biggest artists in the newly found "college-rock" scene. At the turn of the decade, the band found major success with a new deal with major label Warner Music and a creative partnership with producer Scott Litt. With dozens of hits under their belt like "Losing My Religion", "The One I Love" and "Everybody Hurts" the band became one of the most popular rock bands of the decade, selling over 80 Million albums and being touted by artists like Nirvana, The Jayhawks, Coldplay, and Mazzy Star as major influences, R.E.M. have left an undeniable mark on the music world. In this episode of Influenced, we dive deep into the influences of this seminal band and their iconic sound.
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Talk Talk & Mark Hollis

Inspired by the early electronic style of Brian Eno with his work in the band Roxy Music and artists like David Bowie, Talk Talk was formed in the early eighties by Mark Hollis, Lee Harris, Paul Webb ands Simon Brenner. Initially part of the synth-pop boom in the early eighties and sharing producers with acts like Duran Duran, Talk Talk began to see their early singles charting across Europe. They expanded further into art rock territory on their most successful album, The Colour of Spring which garnered gold certifications and hit singles for the group. Contrary to their labels hopes after finding success, the band shied away from the spotlight ceasing any live shows and almost all promotional prospects. Instead they dove deep into the avant garde with Miles Davis and ambient music becoming common touchstones for the band. They proceeded to hired dozens of session players and got to work on some of the most ambitious experimental music any mainstream group had made to that point. Commonly touted as a major influence for musicians as wide-ranging as massive arena bands like Blur and Radiohead to modern acts like Foals and Arcade Fire. In this episode of Influenced we explore the wide ranging career of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk and discuss their wide ranging influence.
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