Jubilee Offer: Patriot Classics for £2.50 |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
R.E.M. pushed the jangle out of the picture with Monster, replacing it with reverberating snaps, crackles, and pops. An album that wraps itself to 1970s glam finery while reaching out to the flannel-clad post-Nirvana throngs, it largely succeeds at demonstrating that these Georgians still know how to rock. The MTV fave "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" kicks things off on a high note as Peter Buck's distorted power chords set the tone for the 12-song set. "Strange Currencies" may be alarmingly reminiscent of the Automatic for the People hit "Everybody Hurts," but it's actually the superior song. "Let Me In" is a heavily distorted nod to the fallen Kurt Cobain. While Monster is far from R.E.M.'s most consistent effort, it stands as a ragged and risky respite from safe and sound alterna-rock. --Steven Stolder
Review
A confident, sublimely delivered collection of miniature masterpieces laid out in three chords and four minutes, Monster puts R.E.M. onto the musical map of the mainstream. The band's ninth full-length recording; this is their most convincing stab at the conventional 'rock' album format. it's essentially a two-man show: As Michael Stipe's laconic vocals slug it out with Peter Buck's garage-band guitar, the rest of the band effectively count the minutes till quitting time. With Let Me In a self-declared message to the recently-deceased Kurt Cobain, R.E.M. lock themselves once and for all into the world of everyday traditional rock 'n' roll.
Previous production habits conspire to lend much of the set a messy, confused mix, and deciphering the lyrics is still mostly mind-bendingly difficult; but, by opening with a brace of hook-filled killer tracks, and releasing both as pop-charting singles, the band manage to capture the attention of a new audience.
Although it continues to demonstrate R.E.M.'s informed, intellectual deconstruction of the blatant peculiarities of modern life in the Western world - peeking slyly into the underworld confusion of a paranoid assailant in What's The Frequency Kenneth?, before sneaking back to Bowie's basement to flirt with androgyny and omnisexual experimentation in Crush With Eyeliner - taken as a whole, it must be seen as a double-edged triumph. It guaranteed them international success and rewards beyond the dreams of avarice while condemning them to a career on the treadmill of bland but smart, US-friendly, market-tested rock, alongside Fleetwood Mac, Talking Heads and Tom Petty. --Al Spicer
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Probably REM's most underrated album.
I guess that following on from such 'great' albums as 'Out of Time' and 'Automatic for the People' was an almost impossible task, and that anything other than the greatest album of the decade would have been a dissapointment, but I feel that 'Monster' showes REM at their most courageous.
Abandoning the soft, melodic acoustics of the previous two albums, Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe retraced their roots to produce songs more remeniscant of 'Lifes Rich Pageant' and 'Document' than 'Out of Time'. The thunderous guitars on 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?', 'Crush with Eyeliner', 'Star 69' and 'I took your name' give the songs real energy, while the rock-solid rhythm section ensure that the songs never get out of hand. The vocals are pushed further back into the mix (so they aren't as clear as on the last two albums)but the lyrics are every bit as complex as in 'Automatic for the People', with Stipe dealing with image, authenticity and fame.
'Star 69' is simply a great tune, while the drum beat in 'Crush with Eyeliner' gives it a woozey, sexy feel that is complimented by the Stipe's singing. 'Strange Currencies' and 'Tongue' bring a period of calm to the middle of the album, with the latter being one of the most beautiful songs that REM have ever written. The weakest track is 'You', which never really goes anywhere, and arguable the album faulters after track 7; but nevertheless this is a fantastic piece of work.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A lot of nonsense is talked about this album, generally of the order that it's a disappointment after Automatic and Out of Time. Wrong! This album is a corker from start to finish- there's hardly a bad song here. Just because Bucky has ditched the mandolins and turned up his amp doesnt mean that these aren't very well-crafted (and well-produced) songs. In fact, its worth noting that album sounds fantastic- although you may be forgiven for thinking that its an album of murky sludge, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite Buck's heavily delayed, feedback-soaked riffs, the sound is perfectly balanced, with drums, bass and vocals all present and correct, giving the album one heck of a punch.
So, in terms of songs, what do we have here? Well, What's the Freqency Kenneth is a cracking opener (with its lead guitar solo played backwards), while Crush With Eyeliner and I Took Your Name are swaggering alt-rock beauties with an impeccably sleazy groove. Let Me In is a beautiful tribute to Kurt Cobain, a sparse arrangement with Stipe's vocal set against guitars which sound like they could strip wallpaper. Circus Envy is a blast, with a great tune and yet more fabulous guitar distortion. But its not all amps-turned-up-to-ten RA-W-WK. Tongue is a beautiful ballad sung in a falsetto, while the single Bang and Blame is more conventional REM rock, but its every bit as good as an REM single should be. Strange Currencies is the (arguably superior) counterpart to Everybody Hurts. Perhaps Star 69, with its sloppy punk riff, is the album's only low-point.
Although Monster can't match up to Automatic (what album could?), its certainly better than its successor New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which was heralded at the time as a "return to form," when actually it was just a compromise between Monster's rough edges, with the kind of conventional REM fare which many people seem to want from them. Monster on the other hand, is a brave album- it certainly sounds nothing like anything they have recorded before or since, and that alone surely makes it worth a look, but its rough sonic edges shouldn't deter anyone from the polished songwriting which lies beneath the surface.
So, in terms of songs, what do we have here? Well, What's the Freqency Kenneth is a cracking opener (with its lead guitar solo played backwards), while Crush With Eyeliner and I Took Your Name are swaggering alt-rock beauties with an impeccably sleazy groove. Let Me In is a beautiful tribute to Kurt Cobain, a sparse arrangement with Stipe's vocal set against guitars which sound like they could strip wallpaper. Circus Envy is a blast, with a great tune and yet more fabulous guitar distortion. But its not all amps-turned-up-to-ten RA-W-WK. Tongue is a beautiful ballad sung in a falsetto, while the single Bang and Blame is more conventional REM rock, but its every bit as good as an REM single should be. Strange Currencies is the (arguably superior) counterpart to Everybody Hurts. Perhaps Star 69, with its sloppy punk riff, is the album's only low-point.
Although Monster can't match up to Automatic (what album could?), its certainly better than its successor New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which was heralded at the time as a "return to form," when actually it was just a compromise between Monster's rough edges, with the kind of conventional REM fare which many people seem to want from them. Monster on the other hand, is a brave album- it certainly sounds nothing like anything they have recorded before or since, and that alone surely makes it worth a look, but its rough sonic edges shouldn't deter anyone from the polished songwriting which lies beneath the surface.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I listened to this album for the first time with trepidation as I was a big fan of 'Out Of time' and 'Automatic for the People', But I have to admit that I love it. It's nice to sometimes hear something new from a band who are not willing just to stick to the same, popular path but to tread new ground. The opening track had me thinking initially 'What's it all about?' Now I know the story is about a friend of the Band who was beaten up in the street, by complete strangers, who seemed to think he was someone else. Leaving him bleeding on the ground , one of them asked him 'What's the frequency, Kenneth?'. I love this track but have to admit that my favourite song is 'Bang and Blame'. From the intro to the fade-out, it washes over you like a little piece of perfection. I think the album has an even quality, no weak tracks although King of Comedy is not one of my favourites. I prefer the tracks which are full of emotion and which move me. Despite the rise in noise level, there is plenty of emotion on this album. I wouldn't urge anyone to buy this as it is so different from most of REM's other stuff. It's raw and anything but safe. But if you are the sort of person who dosen't get upset when Bands you like stray from a tried and tested formular, then risk it. I did and I'm glad I did.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very good CD
Monster is one of my favorite REM albums. The style is completely different from their previous records, it is a very rocking record. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Marta Hernandez
Surprising for some...
This was quite a shock for those who had made AFTP their first REM album. But there were claims throughout the recording of AFTP that the band would ditch the acoustic numbers for... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nassim
Something very different, but equally as special
Back in 1993 Automatic For The People was the first REM album I got into. A superb, mellow, heart warming experience start to finish, something that surely could not be improved... Read more
Published 23 months ago by The Nige
Big dumb rock with brains
Standing along with New Adventures in Hi-Fi and Up as one of R.E.M.'s most unfairly maligned albums, Monster does exactly what it says on the tin. Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. Jenkins
Better than the last two albums
After the two minor wobbles Out of time and Automatic for the people every thing seems to be back to normal with this album Monster. Read more
Published on 27 April 2010 by Stephen
Not bad at all!
Just like with "New Adventures", there have been some negative reviews, but this is definitely not a bad album! Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by T. Edwards
What's the point, Michael?
R.E.M.'s attempt at a heavier, less M.O.R. sound after `Out of Time' and `Automatic for the People' doesn't really work. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by A. Willard
US Music
"What's the Frequency Kenneth", bought this on tape many years ago, my favourite early R.E.M. album, "Bang and Blame", "Strange Currencies" and "Crush with Eye Liner". Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2009 by WJR
REM rock monster
Having previously only listened to REM's best of album from a few year's back I thought it was about time I took the plunge and acquainted myself with their back catalogue in more... Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Nickoteen
R.E.M. turn the Guitar amps right up to mixed results.
Following up an album like Automatic for the People was always going to be hard, so instead of releasing an Automatic for the Peopl Vol. Read more
Published on 8 July 2009 by T.K
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
