Monster (REM album)

monster
Studio album by REM
Publication (s)	1994
admission	October 1993 - May 1994
Label (s)	Warner Brothers
Format (s)	CD , LP
Genre (s)	Alternative rock
Title (number)	12
running time	49:15
occupation	Singing : Michael Stipe Electric guitar : Peter Buck Electric bass : Mike Mills Drums : Bill Berry
production	Scott Litt , REM
Studio (s)	Kingsway Studio, New Orleans , Crossover Soundstage, Atlanta , Criteria Studios, Miami , Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles
chronology Automatic for the People (1992) monster New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
Single releases September 21, 1994 What's the Frequency, Kenneth? January 10, 1995 Bang and Blame April 18, 1995 Strange currencies August 15, 1995 Crush with eyeliner October 31, 1995 Tongue

Monster is the ninth studio album by the US rock band REM. It was released on September 26, 1994 and is the successor to Automatic for the People .

Track list

1. What's the Frequency, Kenneth? - 4:00
2. Crush with Eyeliner - 4:39
3. King of Comedy - 3:40
4. I Don't Sleep, I Dream - 3:27
5. Star 69 - 3:07
6. Strange Currencies - 3:52
7. Tongue - 4:13
8. Bang and Blame - 5:30
9. I Took Your Name - 4:02
10. Let Me In - 3:28
11. Circus Envy - 4:15
12. You - 4:54

The lyrics were written by band members Bill Berry , Peter Buck , Mike Mills and Michael Stipe .

useful information

With Monster , the band returns to their roots after their predecessors Automatic for the People and Out of Time , which had a much more poppy sound. The music is mostly to be settled in the area of alternative rock , guitar riffs are more often distorted than on their predecessors. The song Let Me In is dedicated to a friend of Stipes , namely the Nirvana front singer Kurt Cobain , who died in April 1994 and who shot himself. The entire album was dedicated to the late musician and actor River Phoenix , who died of an accidental overdose in 1993 . His sister Rain contributed the backing vocals to Bang and Blame . Stipes' sister Lynda, Lou Barlow and Ané also contributed to the song . Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth headed Crush with Eyeliner in the background vocals.

reception

Rolling Stone's Robert Palmer awarded four and a half stars out of five. Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded two and a half stars out of five at Allmusic. He called the album the long awaited rock album; it just doesn't rock the way you expect ( "Monster is indeed REM's long-promised" rock "album; it just doesn't rock in the way one might expect." ).

Chart success

album

The album sold around 2 million times across Europe, and around 2.9 million times in the USA.

country	space
Germany	2
Austria	1
Switzerland	1
United States	1
UK	1

Singles

year	title	Chart placements
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1994	What's the Frequency, Kenneth?	74	21st	22nd	9	21st
	Bang and Blame	74	-	-	15th	19th
	Strange currencies	-	-	-	9	47
1995
	Crush with eyeliner	-	-	-	23	-
	Tongue	-	-	-	13	-

Sales figures and awards

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	platinum	70,000
Belgium (BEA)	gold	(25,000)
Germany (BVMI)	platinum	(500,000)
Europe (IFPI)	2 × platinum	2,000,000
Finland (IFPI)	gold	(21,125)
France (SNEP)	2 × gold	(200,000)
Canada (MC)	6 × platinum	600,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	platinum	15,000
Austria (IFPI)	platinum	(50,000)
Sweden (IFPI)	platinum	(100,000)
Switzerland (IFPI)	platinum	(50,000)
Spain (Promusicae)	platinum	(100,000)
United States (RIAA)	4 × platinum	4,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	3 × platinum	(900,000)
All in all	4 × gold 22 × platinum	6,685,000

Main article: REM / Awards for Music Sales

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.musik-sammler.de/media/19272
2. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/monster-20010502
3. ↑ http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat1996.html
4. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=R%2EE%2EM%2E&titel=Monster&cat=a
7. ↑ http://hitparade.ch/artist/REM .
8. ↑ REM's discography in the Official UK Charts (English)
9. ↑ Chart sources: [1] CH Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. DE [2] AT