at a glance...

Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Year Formed: 1980

Personnel:
Michael Stipe -vocals
Peter Buck -guitars
Mike Mills -bass
Bill Berry -drums

Related Bands:
Tuatara, Hindu Love Gods, Robyn Hitchcock, U2, Patti Smith, Radiohead, Vic Chesnutt, 10,000 Maniacs, KRS-One, Billy Bragg, Drivin' and Cryin', Fleshtones, Grant Lee Buffalo, Patti Smith, Warren Zevon, Neneh Cherry, B-52s, Golden Palominos, Kristin Hersh, Butter 08, Smashing Pumpkins, Oh OK, the Db's, the Troggs.

Notes:
In the wake of punk and new wave, the garage band sound of the Chronic Town EP, released in 1982, was R.E.M.'s first taste of critical worship, something that washed over into 1983 when the band's full length debut Murmur was universally considered the best album of the year. R.E.M. spent the early half of the '80s as a college radio station staple at universities across America, releasing at least one album a year on I.R.S. Records. On the heels of their top-five single "The One I Love," 1987's Document allowed the band to break through to a mainstream audience for the first time. The band's exodus to major label Warner Bros. allowed their unique sound to reach an even bigger audience, as 1989's Green continued garnering critical praise for the band while selling over a million records. The '90s saw R.E.M assume the role of global super-group, as Out Of Time, Automatic For The People, Monster, and New Adventures In Hi-Fi proved. Things briefly came to a halt in 1997, however, as founding member and drummer Bill Berry decided to quit the band after a severe illness. Amid speculation that this meant their demise, the remaining three members decided to keep playing and released their eleventh studio album, Up, in 1998. They finished the decade by writing the musical score for the Andy Kaufman biopic, "Man On The Moon," named after one of their songs.

In many ways, Life's Rich Pageant stands on it own in the R.E.M. timeline. It doesn't really fit into the first trilogy of I.R.S. albums that defined R.E.M. for the masses, nor is it really a peer to more deeply textured Document or Green. Sure, there are examples of that early signature sound - "Hyena" and "These Days" being two standouts. However, by the time the banjo comes out of nowhere to introduce the comparable "I Believe," it is apparent that something is different - and that the change is good.

The album opens with the properly titled "Begin The Begin," a song that expounds upon, among other things, the reason for the change, and expands from there on out. Following up the dense and darker Fables Of The Reconstruction, Life's Rich Pageant introduced a now confident and matured band to their hardcore fans.

Where R.E.M. used to slam-bam through their songs on previous albums, Don Gehman's pristine production adds a wider range of tempos via coherent, thoughtfully constructed arrangements. Also, Peter Buck demonstrates that he has learned some new tricks on his guitar. "Cuyahoga" allows Michael Stipe's voice to emerge clearly from the jangle of percussion and guitars and shine through. The bluegrass surfer guitar noodling of "Underneath The Bunker" adds a nicely placed element of humor to the album.

Perhaps the most watertight song R.E.M. have ever recorded arrives in the form of "Fall On Me," a meditation on polluting the sky, which unites vocals, instruments, and emotion into a communal harmony. Where "Perfect Circle" acted as the beautiful and contemplative centerpiece of Murmur, R.E.M. come close to equalling that stellar track with "The Flowers of Guatamala." Even the band's version of "Superman," with Mike Mills giving his best ever lead vocal performance, exhibits a gorgeous wall of sound that had never previously been achieved by the band.

As an album, Life's Rich Pageant is a great example of socially conscious pop-ified rock, Southern/country/folk influences included. No matter when you discovered R.E.M., it will likely play as one of the band's more fascinating and satisfying albums.