Chad
Slender Hobbit
That's what I assumed, but Buck is the only guy we seem playing an instrument with that is traditionally used to write the harmonic content of songs.
I like Robert Smith's concept, Queen did that for the last few albums. I get annoyed by the single songwriter credit on band albums, with Sting being the biggest target of my ire in this area. He may have written the basic harmonic structure of the tunes, as well as the lyrics and bass parts, but there is something huge and unreplicable the Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers brought to the tunes. Once they contributed they should have been give at least a quarter share of the credit for the songs each for their contributions. This goes for most bands, in that if your bandmates either need to or are given the freedom to interpret the tunes, the parts they have written for the tune or its arrangement should be valued in credit on the sleeve and monetarily.
It would be cool to know who wrote the bulk of the REM catalog (if it was heavily favored to any one person), as their sharing with their mates is to be commended. I did notice that the last album (at least) credited the tunes to just Buck and Stipe.
I am with you on the Sting thing. I mean, Every Breath You Take without Summer's guitar part is a boring song that wouldn't have been a single.
Honestly, I always thought Mike Mills wrote most of the REM stuff. He plays guitar and piano and is always singing the harmonies. I'm sure he didn't write the actual part Peter plays, but the overall song. His post REM music is more in line with REM than Bucks, but that could be that Buck is done playing that kind of music after 30 years which is understandable.