…I saw Bill play with REM last night, it was fantastic-I am still in awe at how great of a drummer he is!!! he just gets better…
Yeah Bill deserves his cash from REM for sure. His stuff on Angels Of Light’s last album was great too…
Nothing against Bill B. but it would be nice if Stipe and crew acknowledged Bill R. as an official member instead of an “additional musician”.
It’s a two way street though. Does Bill want to be an official member?
There are always legal issues involved when someone becomes a full member of any band, issues such as royalties and creative control. Stipe, Buck and that other dude have worked hard to keep their band together over the ages and they have to be very careful about who they let into their circle, there’s simply too much money and power at stake.
Always loved Bill’s drumming. Very talented individual. I think Jeff & Bill were the best drummers working with AL.
also Bill isn’t the only ‘extra’ member, Scott McCaughey from ‘young fresh fellows’ has been the 2nd guitarist for a good number of years now as well, including on Accelerate.
I think Bill’s perfectly happy being a hired gun. That way he can play for REM, Angels of Light, KMFDM, Bob Fripp, whoever without stepping on the toes of whatever band he’s “officially” in.
I saw on amazon that bill did a cd with chris connelly… anybody got this? how is the music?
It’s very much like Connelly’s post-Waxtrax solo stuff, IIRC. I remember not liking it at the time it came out, but my tastes have changed somewhat since then (I also didn’t like Rieflin’s “Birth of a Giant” when it first came out, but now I do).
Keeping himself a free agent is the way to go.
<Bill, KMFDM needs your help…>
In case anyone is interested, the show is up on Dime.
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=200252
Cheers,
SKB
wow, Johnny Marr play guitar on fall on me. cool.