How Does It Feel (To Post About R.E.M.)?

I will start by admitting ive not read this thread yet.
But ive been regularly finding advertising for the 25th anniversaty edition of Monster and numerous radio shows also plugging it.
I dont get it - found this album a massive disappointment when released and the CD languishes dusty abd dormant in some cupboard somewhere.
Why such the hype for this ?
 
MadLucas said:
I don't know about this take for a few reasons:

1. "I Don't Sleep I Dream" - the emphasis on re-equalization gives the guitars a lot more clarity and makes it sound heavier. Also much prefer this ending to the original
2. "Star 69" - now that I can understand the lyrics, I like this song a lot more
3. "Strange Currencies" - if released in this form 25 years ago, it would have been a massive hit. Somehow it's quieter where it should be quieter and much louder where it should be louder
4. "Bang And Blame" - having the drums drop out for the electronic percussion to be more prevalent clearly gives this song a definitive bridge instead of a meandering middle section that sounds like a lost verse
5. "Circus Envy" - this was my favorite song on the album 25 years ago, and the remix only enhances how damn good it actually is! Re-eq-ing the distorted bass that ran through the original version to be more guitar-like was absolutely a wise choice and the song no longer sounds muddy. Plus, his lyrics are so clear and so damn good... I don't know, a win all around on this song in particular for me. [Does anyone else get a weird B52's vibe from this one?]

Overall, these remixes have made me hear this album, even its original version, in a brand new way and gave me deeper understanding and love for these songs.
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Listened to the remixes the other night and I'm pretty much in agreement that they give the album a bit more life, yes Stipes vocals are also pushed forward, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I liked it :)
ByersVinyl said:
I will start by admitting ive not read this thread yet.
But ive been regularly finding advertising for the 25th anniversaty edition of Monster and numerous radio shows also plugging it.
I dont get it - found this album a massive disappointment when released and the CD languishes dusty abd dormant in some cupboard somewhere.
Why such the hype for this ?
Click to expand...
It seems like all the 90's Anniversary editions are being pushed, I honestly feel a lot of this IS due to the vinyl resurgence and capitalizing on that same fervor, I don't think it's particularly a "This album" specific thing. Just my opinion of course ;)
 
r.e.m. have been doing 25th anniversary reissues for several years now, all of which were also advertised fairly heavily, so i don't think it's specifically geared toward monster. they also have their post-warner deal with craft recordings, so i think getting their material out on that label has been part of the incentive in reissuing these.

haven't listened to the remixes save for what's on their youtube channel (frequency/let me in). based on those two, i'm thinking the remixes for me will be an interesting curiosity at best. let me in especially suffered.
 
I think Monster was a shock for the majority of fans of R.E.M. up until that time. It was a guitar-driven noisy rock album, and lots of people got rid of that CD. Personally, I always liked it, and didn't really get into anything after that. Even New Adventures in Hi-Fi didn't really do much for me.

This is worth a read:

"Monster sells for a penny on the Internet and used record stores can't give the album away. But at one moment, it was good enough to gain four million buyers."

"It's definitely not an album that deserves the near-toxic reception it receives in used record stores. There are far worse albums that deserve that fate. But for whatever reason, one of R.E.M's most successful albums put the band back in the commercial underground."
 
dbarila said:
Interesting that on the latest podcast the Scotts actually preferred a lot of the remixes to the originals.
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Not really surprising to me - they also won't stop talking about how much they love Songs of Experience, an objectively terrible album. They were huge fanboys (of both bands) to begin with, but once you get the kind of access they've now gotten you can't help but get captured.
 
Space Wanderer said:
Not really surprising to me - they also won't stop talking about how much they love Songs of Experience, an objectively terrible album. They were huge fanboys (of both bands) to begin with, but once you get the kind of access they've now gotten you can't help but get captured.
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I actually really like Songs of Experience.
 
I bought the 2LP set and have listened to both versions. Next week I'm going to a friends' house with a nice Sonos system to do a old track/new track back to back listen. For me it isn't about which is better or worse but about the record making process. Thousands of small decisions go into making an album. Having the two versions just gives me a chance to listen to two different representations of 12 great songs.

Also, I can't wait for the 25th anniversary of New Adventures.
 
The remixes are limited by having to use what’s available and not being able to re-record in the moment to fit the new focus but a lot of the changes are helpful, IMO. It’s great to hear the different instruments clearly and to have a variety of tones and space to breathe. The original mix is an onslaught of the same sonic attack over and over and it is nice to have the energy and mind available to hear those last few tracks. This doesn’t replace the original but it’s a nice peek at what these songs really are beneath that thick molasses.
 
I’ve had a ringing in my ear for a fortnight now. Think the fucking remixes of Monster are what caused it (and a lifetime of loud music listening). Still not a fan
 
Didn't see a thread for one of my favorite bands yet...so let's get one going to discuss all things crawling from the South and R.E.M.

New Adventures is my favorite LP of theirs, but I've been going back through their whole catalogue lately and man are those IRS era records something great as well.
 
First time seeing them was August 1983.
Next time was during college, we hauled ass across PA to this:

11 October 1987 - Recreation Hall, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
support: 10,000 Maniacs
soundcheck included: Moral Kiosk

R.E.M. set included: Finest Worksong / These Days / Welcome To The Occupation / Exhuming McCarthy / Disturbance At The Heron House / Orange Crush / Feeling Gravitys Pull / King Of Birds / Title / I Believe / Driver 8 / Superman / Oddfellows Local 151 / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) / Begin The Begin
encore included : The One I Love / Fall On Me / After Hours
 
I saw them at the Montreal Forum on June 14, 1995 for the Monster tour. I don't remember if I went back to the Forum before it was torn down the following March. Show was fantastic. The weird thing I remember about it is that Michael Stipe must have gone on stage with 10 T-shirts on. He kept taking his shirt off during the show, and every time he had another underneath.

I just looked up the set list and it was this:

 
djdavedk said:
I am obviously biased toward the earlier material, but I never felt any connection to the last few albums: Up, Reveal, Around The Sun, Accelerate, Collapse Into Now.

Maybe it's because they went from a 4-piece to a trio. Any fans of later stuff want to pick some songs to change my mind?

ultimateclassicrock.com

20 Years Ago: R.E.M. Find Their Way as a Trio With 'Up'

R.E.M. released 'Up' in October 1998.
ultimateclassicrock.com ultimateclassicrock.com

R.E.M. CALL IT A DAY (UPDATED WITH BAND MEMBERS’ COMMENTS) | R.E.M.HQ

remhq.com remhq.com
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Same thing happened to me... I was (and am) a big fan of everything until New Adventures in HiFi, but kind of lost touch when the band became a trio.
 
I'm a huge fan. One of the highlights of my life was following them on tour in 2005 for a bit, and one of my career highlights was interviewing Michael Stipe around the same time (I also saw them at MSG around this time - 2003, I think - and it was incredible as well). I've always leaned towards the IRS years, and then up to New Adventures. But I do quite like Up, and a bit of Reveal too. Later stuff doesn't hold a candle to early stuff though. They strike me as the rare band that were allowed to develop over time, with pretty much every album up to Out of Time/Monster selling more than its predecessor as they got more and more fans. My favourite tracks vary over time but would include Cuyahoga, Gardening At Night, Superman, and Country Feedback. Got a big soft spot for Unplugged 1991 too.
 
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