212) REM - New Adventures in Hi-Fi

Automatic for the People had taken them into the stadiums and Monster kept them there but there was a general feeling that Monster was not a world beater.

They did not have anything to prove here, and although it did not sell like their recent records (how could it?) they had decided to record the album whilst touring Monster and for me they made the album of their career. Unknown to us this was also the last one with their original line up as drummer Bill Berry would leave the band the following year, they were never the same again.

Fourteen songs may be stretching it a bit, but this shows a band still striving for excellence and pushing themselves even though they were all multi-millionaires, once this site is bought from me for millions, I’m not sure I’ll have the same dedication to the reviews, sorry folks.

How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us is a shuffling beat and a haunting piano line that is understated and draws you in at the same time, classic start. Remember Stipe used to mumble well listen to the start of Wake-Up Bomb, here’s a confident man and REM rock out and also let Peter Buck have his guitar moments on Undertow, Departure (reminds me of Georgia Satellites for some reason), Binky the Doormat and Bittersweet Me (I’d rather chew my leg off is a wonderful line), none of these feel forced like some of the song on Monster.

E-Bow the Letter was the opening single with Patti Smith and was hardly the big comeback song the record company would have been looking for. Spoken by Stipe and the band rarely get out of first gear with Smith on backing vocals, not really a single but is what we call a grower.

Leave has a minute of Buck picking away on his guitar before a siren comes in which stays for the whole seven minutes, an intense but rewarding song and Be Mine is almost demo like before building and building.

This is nowhere near two hundred words, are they ever? but there is no let-up in the quality on this record and although REM continued to sell, many checked out after Monster, if you did, do yourself a favour and listen to this record.

 10/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: How the West Was Won