This is the Thread Where You Bash <b>REM's Monster</b>

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why does everyone hate monster so much?

There are bunch of better than average guitar rock songs on there. Strange Currencies, Tongue, and Let Me In are among REM's best post-IRS work.

― MerkinMuffley (MerkinMuffley), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The drums are mixed too low, guitars too high. That's no way to make your "return to rock" record.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I refuse to bash this album. It was one of my 10 favorite of all time back around 1996. OK now I'll admit it's probably worse than any of the REM albums that preceeded it but it still has some great shit on it, esp. guitar-wise. I wanna give it up for "Circus Envy."

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Monster isn't too far from being my least favorite R.E.M. album, but I'm not going to bash it.

*waits for a thread about Out of Time*

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Monster is better than all of REM's IRS albums except "Murmur".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Star 69 is underappreciated. Though let's not get too revisionist, Monster still keeps a fairly even keel through the waters of mediocrity.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

only REM album I'll truly bash is Reveal. And even then I'd probably spend more time talking about how great "Imitation Of Life" is.

And btw, Geir Hongro thinks Reveal is the best REM album ever. I'll just note that so he doesn't have to.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I like New Adventures in Hi-Fi a lot more. Reveal is truly a dog.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, if I was to POO REM singles, it would probably be "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:29 (twenty-two years ago)

see, to me New Adventures in Hi-Fi is REM's adventure into mediocrity. That album is too long and has too many weak songs. Monster is consistently good and does have some interesting/"innovative" stuff like "You." The chorus of that song is pretty swell imo.

― MerkinMuffley (MerkinMuffley), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

To me, the second most grievous omission from the Best of album (next to "shiny happy people") is "Tongue". I don't even like REM, but I kinda dig that song.

And "Crush with Eyeliner" sucks, but I really like the video.

― Phantom Twinkies, Monday, 10 November 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

My mom used to listen to it when she cleaned the house. I like plenty of it, but I only know a few REM albums. I really like Strange Currencies and the one with the falsetto is really catchy.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:48 (twenty-two years ago)

better than Fables, Up, and Reveal, worse than the rest though not that much worse than Out of Time really

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

how do you figure, given that Fables is thee best R.E.M. album and everyone knows it? I mean, KOHOUTEK!!!

― Aaron A., Monday, 10 November 2003 03:04 (twenty-two years ago)

hatin' on Out Of Time. Shame. That album would be entirely terrific if not for the damn opener. Ok and maybe "Texarkana." But dig that funky bass line! That's the most Mike Mills you'll ever get in one dose ever.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Three songs save Monster from the trash heap: "...Kenneth," "Strange Currencies," and "I Don't Sleep, I Dream."

I've understood the love given to "Tongue." *yawn*

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:11 (twenty-two years ago)

er, I've never understood...

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

R.E.M. generally write good songs. Then it kind of sucks putting the singer so way behind in the mix the actual songs are not heard at all for just guitar noise.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:13 (twenty-two years ago)

ok if there's one thing I'll bash about this album it's probably that the artwork revealed that they'd all basically gone insane and started purchasing goofier sunglasses. Ok, only Michael and Mike looked immediately like they'd lost it, but Peter looks bigger and drunker than before and not long after Bill's head exploded and he decided to be a farmer and never leave his house.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Bill Berry leaves his house all the time!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

whew. good to know Peter was just exaggerating in that interview I read somewhere.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to run into him in grocery stores at like seven in the morning, he'd be all duded up in black leather and sunglasses and I'd think 'real lowkey there Bill'

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The nice thing about Monster is you can buy a copy for $3.99 in any record store in America.

It does sound better now than it did in '94. That said, I think history will be less kind to REM than they deserve.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

my sister used to ride horses on his land and the dirt road in front of his driveway is a real popular place for Oconee teens to learn how to drive

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

dude I can't blame Bill. He must see videos like "Lotus" and go DAMMIT, I COULD HAVE BEEN IN THAT!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

It's just FUCKING WRONG.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:19 (twenty-two years ago)

haha! the rem behind the music (dullest ever - "next on behind the music mike mills makes a deadly donation to npr") where he's all 'I leave the band and they make their best record (Up)' is hilarious. I remember the reaction in the press was 'well any other member and the band would be kaput' but alot of people close to the band have told me bill berry had ALOT of ideas and was generally good at grounding or vetoing stipe's bad ideas.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Berry wrote some of their best songs, IIRC. can't think of any specific examples beyond "Everybody Hurts," which isn't one of my favorites (though I do like it a lot), though.

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I doubt there's anybody except Geir who doesn't wish Bill Berry was still in the group.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Except maybe Bill.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:28 (twenty-two years ago)

It was the only REM album that made my 90s list. As I mentioned, I was shocked to realize how good it was when I put it on a couple weeks ago.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:45 (twenty-two years ago)

While "Up" and "Reveal" are IMO among the best they've done, I don't say why they would have been any less good with Bill Berry still in the group. :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 10 November 2003 03:51 (twenty-two years ago)

"Crush with Eyeliner" is fucking awesome, people. So sleazy and leering.

― Michael Patrick Brady (Michael Patrick Brady), Monday, 10 November 2003 04:09 (twenty-two years ago)

see, to me New Adventures in Hi-Fi is REM's adventure into mediocrity.

Basically true, but I think "E-Bow the Letter" is one of the finest things they've ever done. REM was officially over for me when I heard the new song they wrote for the Andy Kauffman movie -- the musical equivalent of a faked orgasm.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 10 November 2003 04:20 (twenty-two years ago)

It gets a bunch of shit now, but I seem to remember Monster being really well-reviewed when it came out, the songs were nearly inescapable on the radio, and the tour got lots of press.

Wha' happened?

― Cat Named Sloopy, Monday, 10 November 2003 05:27 (twenty-two years ago)

At the time, I think people were more interested in the fact Buck had begun playing electric guitars again than they were the album itself. One the novelty faded away, we were left with a collection of songs that really wasn't up to snuff.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 10 November 2003 05:44 (twenty-two years ago)

also, didn't they make a big movie out of the tour?

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 10 November 2003 06:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess I always assumed "Monster" was received fairly well. I probably listen to it more than any other R.E.M. album. Fuck wot anyone says, I love it.

I also like New Adventures in Hi Fi, but moreso for individual songs than the whole shebang. There's half a dozen songs I program out when I listen to it. Definitely not the first six however.

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 10 November 2003 06:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the album's songs. But it's one of my least favorite REM albums because it's at this time that Stipe shaved his head (Corgan, that fucker, soon followed (right?) and they both went to hell), Mike Mills started living in those nudie suits which became a gateway drug to bad bleach jobs and shaggy hair, and too many people bought this album then sold it back in the thousands, making the used cd racks a more terrible shade of orange.

― Carey (Carey), Monday, 10 November 2003 07:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm pretty sure it did recieve mostly positive reviews initially (RS gave it 4 1/2 stars and it was among SPIN's albums of the year).

I can understand to a degree why some may consider it a mediocre effort, but it wasn't even considered good enough for mediocre reviews - from what I gather, most reviews written after 1994 called this among the worst albums of alltime, and the biggest mistake REM has ever made. It's almost gotten to the point where bashing this album is the equivalent of praising Sgt Pepper.

I enjoy nearly every song, and it's certainly among my 3 favorite REM records.

― billstevejim, Monday, 10 November 2003 07:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it was great at the time but I was also drunk that entire year. I don't think I ever listened to it after I sobered up.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Monday, 10 November 2003 08:36 (twenty-two years ago)

"Hmm, tremelo sounds good on this song. Hmmm, tremelo sounds good on this other song. let's do it. Hey, you know, some tremelo would sound good on the new song we're recording here. I say, tremelo gets the thumbs up"

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 10 November 2003 09:13 (twenty-two years ago)

The Samson theory: REM went bad when Stipe lost his hair.

― Jonathan Z., Monday, 10 November 2003 09:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I love "let me in". very MBV-ish, love the simple keyboard melody coming in 1/3 of the way through. and stipe's voice breaking out of its mumble to unleash a WAIL. moving stuff, but a lot of this album is just clunky rock.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 10 November 2003 10:43 (twenty-two years ago)

"I like New Adventures in Hi-Fi a lot more. Reveal is truly a dog.
-- Keith Harris (kharris3...), November 10th, 2003."

Here Here, Keith!
(it's an injoke, folks.)

― musicmope (musicmope), Monday, 10 November 2003 11:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Monster received amazingly good reviews at the time of its release. I can't recall a negative one (though admittedly I have better things to do with my time). I suspect that when people say they hate it what they're really saying is that they hate the way White people sounded in 1984.

― musicmope (musicmope), Monday, 10 November 2003 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

That's 1994, of course. In 1984 everyone here who was old enough was listening to "Urgent" and loving it. No wait, I mean Chronic Town...

― musicmope (musicmope), Monday, 10 November 2003 11:29 (twenty-two years ago)

No, Monster was a huge letdown for me at the time. My friend Chris and I taped it off the radio--some Seattle station played it the midnight it was released or some such stunt--and we were both all underwhelmed shrugs.

By the way, what's the injoke. I don't get it? Did I make it?

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 10 November 2003 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)

evidently you CAN get

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/11.05.98/gifs/rem-9844.jpg
there

from

http://www.sem20.com/15-minute-interlude/rem.jpg
here

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 November 2003 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

stipe's in a b-boy stance

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 10 November 2003 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 459 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

this was a live thing where Natalie was singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and Michael was singing a different cover song as a duet and then he starts singing "I've got the music in me! I've got the music in me!" -- I have confidence that someone reading this knows about this and that it isn't a rare thing at all actually.

― sarahell, Wednesday, 20 October 2021 14:26 (four years ago)

The guitar thing where it goes "what's the frequency Kenneth, is your Benzedrine uh uh" WOKKAWOKKAWOKKAWOKKA is one of the best sounds ever

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:08 (four years ago)

otm

― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:11 (four years ago)

that tremelo effect was hot in the 90s

― Mr. Cacciatore (Moodles), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:23 (four years ago)

omg michael's outfit in the video was like the platonic ideal of what to wear in high school for me. a few years after the fact, as almost everything was in utah (96-2000)

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:29 (four years ago)

that effect blew my mind when i was 11

― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:29 (four years ago)

that solo is also still hot shit imo

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:34 (four years ago)

years later i finally hear all the 70s power pop / jangle / light psychedelia in r.e.m.'s sound. quite an achievement that they took it to the bank in the 80s and 90s. that sort of thing seemed really out of fashion esp in the 90s? at the time i don't think i really understood what i was hearing, too young.

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 15:37 (four years ago)

Which bands in particular are you thinking of?

― juristic person (morrisp), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:15 (four years ago)

"Star 69" is a jam!

― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:18 (four years ago)

this was a live thing where Natalie was singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and Michael was singing a different cover song as a duet and then he starts singing "I've got the music in me! I've got the music in me!" -- I have confidence that someone reading this knows about this and that it isn't a rare thing at all actually.
― sarahell, Wednesday, October 20, 2021 9:26 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJPvMub2JXI

Wow I had a LOT of REM boot cassettes back in the day and I assumed this was something I had but this one's new to me -- love loopy Stipe (same goes for the Tom's Diner Bingo Handjob tape)

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:21 (four years ago)

Anyway I'm glad the forces of good have reclaimed this thread and made it into the Monster appreciation thread this record deserves

Star 69 forever

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:23 (four years ago)

is bashing one's monster a euphemism

― Gardyloominati (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:24 (four years ago)

Which bands in particular are you thinking of?

― juristic person (morrisp), Wednesday, October 20, 2021 5:15 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

big star, the byrds

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:27 (four years ago)

wonder if there's a timeline where r.e.m. relaunches the byrds like pearl jam relaunched neil young

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:32 (four years ago)

i'm just shitposting, anyway monster is a cool album

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:33 (four years ago)

xxxp I had never heard that Leaving on a Jet Plane / multiple-VU-songs mashup bootleg either... nice

― juristic person (morrisp), Wednesday, 20 October 2021 16:36 (four years ago)

one year passes...

this has aged p well actually

― I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE DIAPER GOT LOOSE (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 19:11 (three years ago)

This was great then and is still great now.

― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 19:16 (three years ago)

Great album that I've never truly been able to get to the centre of. Much about it which is true is also not true.

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 1 February 2023 19:35 (three years ago)

Aged better than the remix.

― pplains, Wednesday, 1 February 2023 20:40 (three years ago)

I'm not
commodity

― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 20:43 (three years ago)

The first side is great.

Crush and Frequency, plus Bang, remain solid for me. Sorry if that's a basic opinion.

I only lose the plot at Reveal.

― forbidden fruit salad (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 21:20 (three years ago)

Monster was and is shit. Radiohead killed REM on that tour. Mike Mills wearing those ridiculous suits is just more shame accenting the end of REM.

― brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 1 February 2023 21:48 (three years ago)

strange currencies > everybody hurts

― not too strange just bad audio (brimstead), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 21:52 (three years ago)

not really

― not too strange just bad audio (brimstead), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 21:53 (three years ago)

We have to bash Rem as a whole

― CerebralCaustic, Wednesday, 1 February 2023 23:23 (three years ago)

The final three songs are a final act almost as great as the final three songs on Automatic.

(I'm sure many would point to Circus Envy as the weak link there but I really like how infected and deep fried it sounds. The mid-point between Radio Friendly Unit Shifter and the Manics' My Guernica).

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Thursday, 2 February 2023 08:05 (three years ago)

probably my favorite "rock" track on the album.

― got it in the blood, the kid's a pelican (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 2 February 2023 12:48 (three years ago)

It’s significantly better and more cohesive than Document

― beamish13, Thursday, 2 February 2023 14:39 (three years ago)

not really
― not too strange just bad audio (brimstead), Wednesday, February 1, 2023 4:53 PM (yesterday)

I think you made a typo intending to say "no, really"

― billstevejim, Thursday, 2 February 2023 15:45 (three years ago)

eight months pass...

“bang and blame” is 75% of a great song, unfortunately the other 25% is the chorus

― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 23:21 (two years ago)

The second best thing about this entire album is the jangly rhythm guitar in the verse of Bang and Blame

The best thing about this entire album is the acoustic guitar in the verse of Bang and Blame

― Road House: Songs and Stories (Master of Treacle), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 23:43 (two years ago)

I keep hoping that 25th anniversary remaster box set of this will start popping up in used bins with the frequency of the original release, but no dice so far. Haha.

― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 4 October 2023 00:11 (two years ago)

The guitar thing where it goes "what's the frequency Kenneth, is your Benzedrine uh uh" WOKKAWOKKAWOKKAWOKKA is one of the best sounds ever

otm

― Lily Dale, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 00:15 (two years ago)

i.e. tremolo (unless you're Leo Fender when you call it "vibrato" on the amp because you previously named vibrato bridges wrongly)

― assert (matttkkkk), Wednesday, 4 October 2023 00:52 (two years ago)

I can still hum the melodies of all the feedback on this record

The first and last four tracks + Tongue are all good to great

This record is like your health as a fortysomething - not the best, but as good as it gets until you break up

― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 11:50 (two years ago)

I hear it more as a DUGADUGADUGADUGA

― ...eh you get the gist of it (dog latin), Wednesday, 4 October 2023 12:13 (two years ago)

The first NEW rem album that came out after I became a super fan. I liked it at the time because it wasn't awful and I was IN on the band so much. I tried to listen to it the other day and couldn't get through it. "Tongue" is the one I still like because it isn't overworked. In a perfect world I would switch it with "Ignoreland" on Automatic, putting "Ignoreland" on Monster so I could toss the whole damn thing.

Radiohead did indeed slay on their opening slot touring.

― Cow_Art, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 13:16 (two years ago)

Sonic Youth opened for REM on the Monster tour date that I saw (KC) and similarly upstaged them. REM had a lot of sound problems with the mix that night too, I don't know if that was atypical

― erasingclouds, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 13:35 (two years ago)

i was at that show!

― andrew m., Wednesday, 4 October 2023 13:52 (two years ago)

I saw REM on the Monster tour with Radiohead, at Milton Keynes Bowl (?), and "High and Dry" was the most out-of-tune vocal I've ever heard, like literally a whole field of people wincing. Great show though

― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 14:01 (two years ago)

As in, "Don't leave me [much too high] highhhhh, don't leave me [much too low] dryyyyyyyy"

― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 14:02 (two years ago)

Blur opened on one of the Milton Keynes dates. Bit weird to think about imo.

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 14:37 (two years ago)

from what I read on Wikipedia, bill berry was really influenced by Echobelly for the Monster guitar sound. I think maybe they did that tremolo thing too?

― brimstead, Wednesday, 4 October 2023 16:09 (two years ago)

five months pass...

Surreally, Dan Rather interviewing the band and even performing a bit of "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96ucWfkML7g

― paisley got boring (Eazy), Tuesday, 2 April 2024 14:33 (one year ago)

the cover art is the worst thing about this album, in retrospect

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Wednesday, 3 April 2024 13:54 (one year ago)

special 12" remix of Dan Rather singing "Kenneth."

― poppers fueled buttsex crescendo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 3 April 2024 14:10 (one year ago)

Banged by Blame

― pplains, Wednesday, 3 April 2024 14:44 (one year ago)

Warner Bros - release the Rather mixes, you cowards....

― my opinionation (Hamildan), Thursday, 4 April 2024 11:51 (one year ago)

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This is the Thread Where You Bash REM's Monster