Live From Athens, G.M.T! Geoff Trainor

Many of you probably think you know R.E.M, 80's underground, riding the waves of the post-punk jangle pop. You are partially right, but their story goes back further than that. In was a cool summer morning in Athens, GA, 1978, three years before R.E.M. as you know them would take the world by storm with their hit debut. A young Michael Stipe was waiting at a barstool for his audition for vocalist lead in some local house band, when he stumbled upon a newspaper ad. Wanted: Back-up vocalist for new band, G.M.T. Have a record deal! Willing to do anything to get his foot in the door, Stipe went to meet the band, fronted by Geoff (M) Trainor. The Original Line-Up For G.M.T. Little did Trainor know that the rest of the band, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, were looking to replace their tyrannical frontman. Canadian born Trainor never quite fit in with the rest of the band, despite having written all their songs. It was Buck who came up with the plan. They had all the material they needed for numerous releases, so all they had to do was find a replacement singer. Mills convinced Trainor that the band needed another voice to add a bit of harmony to the group. When Stipe arrived, Buck knew instantly that he would be the one to replace Trainor, mostly because he thought his name sounded better, more rock and roll. So Stipe was in, and Trainor slowly faded out. They changed their name to R.E.M. and by 1980, it was as if he never existed. The band, with Stipe at the helm, released their first stolen single, Radio Free Europe, in 1981. Michael Sure Looks Cheeky After Replacing Geoff As far as R.E.M. go, the rest you already know. Trainor on the other hand was forced to go solo. He waited 20 or so years and attempted a come back with a friend of his, Jack. Update! Just saw this on the Editors and their cover of R.E.M.'s Orange Crush at NME. Here are some other offenders: Download: Tori Amos - Losing My Religion John Frusciante - Country Feedback Suicide Machines - It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) The Flaming Lips - The One I Love The Editors - Orange Crush Dashboard Confessional - Everybody Hurts Motion City Soundtrack - Pop Song 89 Sufjan Stevens - The One I Love Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Losing My Religion The Coors - Everbody Hurts Nina Persson - Losing My Religion Buy: R.E.M. - Automatic For The People Various - Losing My Religion: Tribute to R.E.M. The String Quartet Tribute To R.E.M. Related: Live From Manchester, The Trainors! Satan Comes In Fifth Place