For many guitar rock fans, REM's music in the eighties was a relief. The group did not like the pumped-up stadium rock of the time and concentrated on dreamy indie rock. REM was the darling of the underground scene for years, only to break through to the general public in 1992, with the single Losing My Religion and the album . After the departure of drummer Bill Berry, the band's career stagnated.
When The Light Is Mine, a collection of clips and TV appearances, is a good example of what gave the group its great appeal in the early days. The combination of melancholic pop songs and a mysterious lofi approach, both in image and sound, is nothing short of magical. The recordings made on television shows like Old Gray Whistle Test and The Tube prove that REM was also a great live band. Supplemented with interviews with the band members and all kinds of archive material, this is the definitive document about the early days of REM (MS)more
