those were the days (with hair!)

Some time ago, I had a blog entry (rock and roll photographs) that included a picture of the band U2 when they were much, much younger... back when they were teenagers! Difficult to believe that they are the same set of people that we see today. Of course, I've aged over the years as well, but that's not the point.

Anyway, I thought I'd give equal photo time to another band that has meant a lot to me and was a big part of my life, particularly in my 20's and 30's: R.E.M. I suppose that for the many people that are too young to remember, Michael Stipe has always kept his head clean-shaven, whereas for me, I still have a picture in my mind of the long locks he used to have... seriously! Not just a head of hair, but his hair was beyond shoulder length.

So, I found a couple of photos online, one that shows approximately what they look like today: contemporary R.E.M. (left to right: Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe)

and yesteryear R.E.M. (left to right: original drummer Bill Berry, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck)

Over the years, it's been interesting for me to see their looks change - Peter for awhile wore his hair longer than shoulder length himself, Mike started wearing his hair longer, lighter, and wavy (and even more striking were the shimmering clothes he started wearing on stage), but the biggest adjustment was getting used to a bald Michael.

It's a lot of fun going back through the years and remembering each album release, the articles about them, the I.R.S. years, the years with their original drummer Bill... those were the days.