Monster
by R.E.M.

Well having been a defender of this album against popular opinion for so many years but realising that for the last 15 years whenever I fancy lisening to R.E.M it's never Monster, I came on here to exhume some ghosts and finally admit it's not very good. Only to find popular opinion has changed it's mind and seems to regard Monster as an underrated classic. So I thought I'd give it another listen to try and crystallise my thoughts and I'll be goddamned if I didn't really enjoy it. In conclusion, Monster is not very good but I love it. Right I'm off to listen to The Stone Roses' Second Coming and see if I was right/wrong about that wonderful piece of crap.

From Brad1770 TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/08/2021 20:21 | #264054 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Popular commentary writes that when ‘Monster’ came out in 1994 R.E.M were the biggest band on the planet coming on the back of breakthrough ‘Out Of Time’ (1991) and mega smash ‘Automatic For The People’ (1992), I’m not sure they were they were numero uno in 94 (hello U2 calling) but they were very big so anticipation for ‘Monster’ was palpable. The masses wanted more mandolins, long time fans (me) wanted a return to the political fire and brimstone ala ‘Document’ so what did we get ? Rock sure but glam rock and overt sexuality? We didn’t see that coming and TBH at the time it was pretty jarring so I moved onto other artists such as Jeff Buckley (‘Grace’); Green Day (‘Dookie’); Pearl Jam (‘Vitalogy’). It literally took me years to come to grips with the new direction of my favourite band but eventually circle back to ‘Monster’I did, time as they say heals all wounds

These 12 tracks are a real mixed bag which includes some of R.E.M’s finest moments (“What’s The Frequently Kenneth” / “Let Me In”/ “Strange Currency’s”) an out and out stinker (“King Of Comedy”) and everything else falling somewhere in between. The Tremolo does wear out its welcome towards the end and producer Scott Litt has pretty much said as much with his 2019 remix of ‘Monster’ dialling it waaaaaaay down and sounding much improved on the original 1994 release

Ive already said too much already so here’s 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Monster but are 100% true


1. River Phoenixes (who’s death hung heavy over the ‘Monster’ sessions) sister guest vocals on the album

2. “Circus Envy” and “Box Cars” were both inspired from the same scene in the movie Elephant man, which happens to be one of Stipes all time favourite movies

3. A verse in “Circus Envy” lyric literally suggests climbing a tree and defecating upon some poor individual

4. “What’s The Frequency Kenneth” is an analogy for confusion, a confused older person trying to understand the younger generation

5. “Strange Currencies” has been criticised for sounding too similar to “Everybody Hurts” , which in my opinion is valid criticism but rejected by R.E.M

6. “Let Me In” (written by Stipe about Kurt Cobain) was recorded with Mike using a fender that was previously owned by Cobain. It was given to the band by Courtney. This same fender was used when playing this track live on the Monster World Tour ( ‘Automatic For The People’ was found in the greenhouse where Kurt died and was probably the last music he ever heard) . Peter Buck and his wife were living next door to that very house in the house in Seattle

7. Thurston Moore delivers guest vocals on “Crush With Eyeliner”

8. “I can’t really listen to that one, its just so weird , I think what the hell were we doing “? Mike Mills reflects on “King Of Comedy”. Yep !

9. “ What’s The Frequency Kenneth” slows down towards end, during the recording Mike Mills became sick with appendicitis and slowed the tempo down due to illness , the band played along and ultimately left the slowed section in the released version

10. Michael Stipe first shaved his head for the Monster album and was a shock to critics and fans alike

From Acktland 06/23/2018 18:49 | #217186 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I've listened to REM since Murmur and Monster is possibly my favourite (maybe Document). It's a complete step change to both Out of Time and Automatic for the People but it's loud, brash, raw and wonderful. No matter how many times I listen to it, I pick up something new. The first time I listened to it, I was stunned and still feel the same way at every listen (Edited)

I disagree strongly that REM's good career ended at Hi-Fi. Anyway, this album is superb. My favourites are What's The Frequency, Kenneth? and Let Me In. The only disappointment for me is Star 69. Apart from that small hiccup, it's absolutely flawless.

REM's follow up to the mega selling, automatic for the people. Monster, is certainly a very different beast. Released around the time that grunge, and the alternative American scene was all the rage, it's their big, dumb rock album, and it's excellent. It contains some of the band's greatest songs. What's the frequency, Kenneth?, is a fantastic opener, catchy and ballsy, crush with eyeliner, is also great, and mentions must also go to, king of comedy, and, bang and blame. It also features some of REM's most beautiful moments. Tongue, is lovely, and, let me in, is a touching tribute to Kurt Cobain. Because of the nature of the album, some songs do feel a little throwaway and lightweight. I don't sleep, I dream, star 69, circus envy, and, you, are all fine, but hardly essential, and, strange currencies, is just a rehash of, everybody hurts. Still, it's a very enjoyable record, and the right album for REM to have made at that point.