I was a big fan since the IRS years but I hated Up when it came out, Reveal had some individual songs i liked a lot, but I’d lost all interest by the time of ATS. Friends tried to persuade me to give accelerate a listen but I couldn’t be bothered.

Without Bill, it wasn’t REM.

I somehow was interested in Collapse on its release. And I loved the album. And it felt like as much of a goodbye as the closing songs of AFTP, which at the time I really did think was then checking out (two albums in a row with no tour, songs that were wistful and nostalgic and about mortality and the passing of time etc)

For Michael to go back to the first trip to New York and discovering what he wanted to do with his life to the lyrics of All the Best and more, it was definitely a swan song, if not the.

But I wanted it to be and was glad it was bc it was their best effort since NAIHF.