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[Ignorelander]

15 years, 8 months and 24 days

December 29, 1995

R.E.M. have completed their Monster world tour – a journey that saw health problems for three of the four main band members, resulting in several dates being canceled.  This tour saw the debut of much of the material from the band's 1994 record, Monster, and also the introduction of several new songs that were recorded live for the band's next LP.

The last three shows of the tour were at The Omni in Atlanta, GA on November 18, 19 and 21.  These shows were filmed and later released as a live video concert titled Road Movie (a companion to Tourfilm of 1990, which focused on the band's Green world tour).

The following year, 1996, would be a quiet year for the band in terms of performing.  Studio work on the rest ofwhat would become New Adventures In Hi-Fi takes place, which is later released in September of '96.

[Blackbirds Backwards]

It also saw the debut of songs from Automatic and Out of Time (bar some TV spots and the Bingo Hand Job gig of course )

I unfortunately didn't get to see them on the monster tour, as I had tickets for a cancelled gig (would've been my first gig ever! )  I Lapped up road movie on it's release though! Really works as a gawdy sequel to the impeccable Tourfilm.  I was always a bit gutted that what became the perfect square release wasn't a film made to be the third in a trilogy. I mean, it's a great concert and all, in a great location and looks and sounds beautiful.  I just really missed the arty, choppy editing of TF & RM and the way the credits roll with the band skipping off stage in TF before going on to after hours, and the way stipe slams the mic down before walking off and been left with an arial shot of the empty stage in RM.  The sort of documentary build up footage of Perfect square is lovely, but well, i found it a bit boring compared to TF & RM.

I guess I have two real great memories of Monster era REM.  The first was the "monster-fication" of much of the sets they played.  The dirty, funky version of Drive that soon got retired, the beastified Country Feedback that eventually evolved into the version they'd continue to deliver live in the noughties (the best version easily). It wasn't a world away from the haunting Pete Buck jam that feedback became, but it was certainly more ferocious, grungier, rawer.  It's the difference between the RM version and the one played at Twickenham 2008 that really hit me how much Peter had progressed on the guitar, even from the mid nineties.  No missed or tweaked notes, just some of the most hauntingly beautiful guitar playing I've ever heard.

My other great memory was how the look of the band adapted to the whole aesthetic of what was 'monster".  It's the only time i've ever really noticed it (maybe because they were rarely visible for almost 4 years prior) .  They really did all of a sudden transform into rock gods!  Buck's sideburns, Mikey Mills with long hair for the first time and "those" suits, and as for Michael!  It's hard to think back now to how much of a metamorphosis he seemed to make, as it's of course been the norm now for so long.  The last time I'd seen him, he'd been a more arty stipe.  The MTV awards version, with an arty-farty chin beard, black suit and trilby hat.  Then when he emerged from the shadows for Monster, well, wow!  This androgynous, alien looking skirt wearing maelstrom of rock n roll sex!  Throughout the Monster period, he also seemed less whimsical and a more aggressive performer.  I thought it was the bomb!  It was a great moment when my more angsty, grunge worshipping friends all of a sudden started thinking the band were the absolute nuts!  A lot of people talk of the great commercial awakening being OOT & Automatic era, but in my experience of being 14 in a Cobain infected angst  ridden circle of friends, it was Monster that sucked them all in.  They were queuing up to borrow the Album, even more so when they realised Thurston Fucking God-damn Moore was in it!  And a Song about Kurt!  And dedicated to River Pheonix, who was so... like, dead man!

They toned down slightly and were less in your face with their image once HiFi came around, and settled back into being slightly dawky, weirdly cool for unfathomable reasons REM.  With Monster though, they really were full on, bone fide, kick ass cool!  

Good times!

[MurmursAdministrator]

So 15 years ago I was working at the OC Register during Christmas and AOL had I think released AOL 2.5 which had support for building web pages. Little does anyone know or care to remember but Murmurs.com first existed on http://members.aol.com/~ethankap/

[Blackbirds Backwards]

MurmursAdministrator, on 23 September 2011 - 04:40 PM, said:

So 15 years ago I was working at the OC Register during Christmas and AOL had I think released AOL 2.5 which had support for building web pages. Little does anyone know or care to remember but Murmurs.com first existed on http://members.aol.com/~ethankap/

Haha... That was going to be my 3rd favourite memory of the Monster era!

[Ignorelander]

Blackbirds Backwards, on 23 September 2011 - 04:28 PM, said:

It also saw the debut of songs from Automatic and Out of Time (bar some TV spots and the Bingo Hand Job gig of course )

…

They toned down slightly and were less in your face with their image once HiFi came around, and settled back into being slightly dawky, weirdly cool for unfathomable reasons REM.  With Monster though, they really were full on, bone fide, kick ass cool!  

Good times!

I think the Monster-era R.E.M. is my favourite period of the band.  They let everyone know how much they were going to kick ass the next 2 years with the 'What's The Frequency, Kenneth?' video.  And their whole look matched their sound perfectly – the sunglasses, especially Michael shaved with a chin beard and Mike with his long hair and Nudie suits.  I would have loved to have attended a '95 gig, but I was only 3.   Monster is one of my favourite albums ever, and though it's not the best R.E.M. LP, it's certainly a somewhat underrated one.  Buck really achieved some great guitar tones that sound nothing like anything else I've heard.  1995 was such a rock 'n' roll year for them, despite all the maladies.  Or maybe that makes them even more rockin'.

I saw them live in 2008 and that still was an excellent gig, but from what I've seen on Road Movie, 1995 really was a great year musically for the lads.

[Blackbirds Backwards]

Ignorelander, on 23 September 2011 - 04:52 PM, said:

I think the Monster-era R.E.M. is my favourite period of the band.  They let everyone know how much they were going to kick ass the next 2 years with the 'What's The Frequency, Kenneth?' video.  And their whole look matched their sound perfectly – the sunglasses, especially Michael shaved with a chin beard and Mike with his long hair and Nudie suits.  I would have loved to have attended a '95 gig, but I was only 3.   Monster is one of my favourite albums ever, and though it's not the best R.E.M. LP, it's certainly a somewhat underrated one.  Buck really achieved some great guitar tones that sound nothing like anything else I've heard.  1995 was such a rock 'n' roll year for them, despite all the maladies.  Or maybe that makes them even more rockin'.

I saw them live in 2008 and that still was an excellent gig, but from what I've seen on Road Movie, 1995 really was a great year musically for the lads.

Something that always makes me laugh was how the lads put down their electric guitars and picked up bongo's (and whatever else they found in the school music room) just as the world went mental for the filth of grunge, then just as Kurt dies and takes grunge with him?

"Ta-Da!!!! You ready to...?"

"Oh shit, we've fucked it again."


I know it didn't really happen like that, and no doubt the fact they were kind of doing the exact opposite to what was in at the time helped them stand out somewhat, but I really love the idea that the four college dorks seemed to keep missing the party!  So their own terms, so REM!

[Blackbirds Backwards]

"What's the Frequency Kenneth?" is such a great song and video.  If anyone were to ask me what REM are like live, I'd show them the Kenneth video and say "That!".

It's true, no one really sounds like the band on Monster either before or since.  You kind of think someone must do in the back of your head, but the sounds really something else. There are hints and influences, sure, but it takes 'in your face" to amazing new heights.

I think part of it is Peter using the Marshall stacks, Les Paul and all the fuzz and sustain peddles to essentially bang out chords and feedback, where that's a set up usually used for genuine lead guitar playing.  I'm a guitarist myself, and if I was in a band with two guitarists, you wouldn't have the rhythm player using that set up.  It's too unsubtle.  For a single guitar player though wanting to create a wall of sound and feedback, it's bloody perfect mind.

You know, add the wah into the mix (and minus a Les Paul) and it's pretty damn Hendrix!  Can you imagine Jimi walk to the front of the stage with that set up, take a deep breath then simply bang out a D, an A and a  G?

No, neither can I

Peter Buck is a Genius.  Only he could strum 3 chords and make it sound as the intro to Kenneth does.  I mean that sincerely!

[Ignorelander]

I've been working on a cover of 'Kenneth' and just realised yesterday that muting the high E-string completely makes it sound like how Peter plays it.  And when playing the A, try not to play the B-string either, so essentially the D and A chords are power chords, but at the bottom of the fret board instead of on the fifth fret, which wouldn't sound good.  I've recorded a take with this method and it sounds pretty damn close to the original now.