Battle of the Elder Statesmen College Bands of the 1980s.

I really like em both, but if I had to decide, I would choose U2. There are maybe more R.E.M. tunes that I like versus U2, but the 'Joshua Tree' alone seals the deal for me.

Early career - R.E.M. wins
Mid career - U2 wins
Late career - U2 wins (mostly cuz R.E.M. was weak)
Recent career - R.E.M. wins ('Accelerate' is WAY better than 'Vertigo' and arguably better than 'All That You Can't...')

REM easily, no contest. U2 bought into their own hype and embraced American commercialism to the nth degree right after the Joshua Tree.

No contest U2. They were the first band I ever liked and the first album I ever bought was "Zoorapa."

REM didn't buy into their own hype post-Green?

U2, on the strength of their more recent work (compared to R.E.M.).

The good thing is, I don't really have to choose.

REM are a bunch of wimps. Stipe couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. U2 would beat the snot out of them.

I went with R.E.M.

I really don't care for U2's output after The Unforgetable Fire.

After Document, R.E.M. Still managed to produce Automatic, New Adventures and Up, I prefer those 3 to Joshua Tree, Achtung and anything else U2's done since 1985

here's how I'd rank their combined output, R.E.M gets 8 of my top 12

War
Lifes rich pagaent
Murmur
Boy
Reckoning
Automatic
Fables
October
New Adventures
Unforgetable Fire
Up
Document

U2 in 3D cements it. What a band!!!!

U2.
I like REM fine, but this is the equivalent of picking the winner of a beauty contest between Charlize Theron and Rosie O'Donnell...

Sure but not to the nth degree. I'd rate REM's six albums prior to Out of Time over all but two of U2's pre Rattle and Hum/Achtung/Zooropa self-love fest.
1. Lifes Rich Pageant
2. The Joshua Tree
3. Document
4. Green
5. The Unforgettable Fire
6. Reckoning
7. Fables of the Reconstruction
8. Murmur
9. Boy
10. October
11. War

The last 3 in no particular order, but all better than Zooropa.

David,

That's unfair. Charlize is a looker too

OK, OK...
For the first time ever, I can use the abbreviation ROTFLMAO.

How about ROTFWRO--Rolling On The Floor With Rosie O'Donnell?

I agree with Steve who mentioned not liking later U2; but on the other hand I can't stand REM at all! I couldn't even tell you why, but the only song of theres I've ever liked is The One I Love.

I'll have to leave that to Kelli Carpenter.

I've always thought they were both a bit overrated, maybe even a lot overrated at times. Bono and Stipe can both be pretentious but when it's all said and done, I guess I find Bono's brand of pretentiousness a little easier to take than Stipe's. Anyway, REM never did anything as funky as "Lemon" (but then I'm one of those who actually prefers the later U2 material...)

I'm really not a big fan of either one, but U2 has tended to annoy me far less than R.E.M. (although the only U2 disc I've ever bothered to pick up over the years has been "Greatest Hits 1980-1990"). I tend to find 80's music to be humorless and hopelessly pretentious, and while U2 arguably helped foster that musical mindset, R.E.M. was a band that simply embraced both concepts wholeheartedly and beat it into the ground. And while Bono is certainly narcissistic, he's nowhere near as self-conscously precious an arteeeste as Stipe. What seals the deal for me as far as hating R.E.M. goes is the fact that, for some reason, they're in the rock and roll hall of fame while Alice Cooper isn't. Ugh. I'd rather die of terminal diarrhea than ever go to another party where a gathering of incredibly fashionable, hip people are rocking out to "Stand".

"Stand" almost drops REM behind U2. "Shiny Happy People" as well. Then I consider Zooropa again.

I voted for death by vomit.

That was easy. I hate one and love the other.

I just want to know why I'm on the losing side.

Chip,

Which one to you love? Charlize or Rosie?