Oh yeah...REM. They were OK enough that I owned 1 record - Monster - until I picked up a Richard Thompson tribute record featuring REM covering "Wall of Death." They shouldn't have done it. Remember, years ago, when Linda Rhonstadt would occasionally cover a Warren Zevon tune and, while it may have been lovely, it just sounded like she didn't get the dark humor? "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" completely devoid of irony?
It's like that, only whiney, whiney like an annoying teenage girl with a spot on her new dress. Just awful. I haven't been able to listen to REM since without hearing that awful whine. I can barely look at pictures of Michael Stipe. OK...I exaggerate for effect, and I'm sure at this point you're either offended or amused. I'll hope for amused. But I really can't stand that cover.