New Adventures in Hi-Fi

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New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Studio album by REM

Publication
(s)

1996

Label (s) Warner Brothers

Format (s)

CD , LP

Genre (s)

Rock , alternative rock

Title (number)

14th

running time

65 min 33 s

occupation Drums : Bill Berry
Bass : Mike Mills
Guitar : Peter Buck
Vocals : Michael Stipe

production

Scott Litt & REM

Studio (s)

Bad Animals Studio , Seattle

chronology
Monster
(1994) 		New Adventures in Hi-Fi Up
(1998)

New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album of American alternative rock - band R.EM It appeared on 6 September 1996 at the major label Warner Brothers . At the same time it is the last album by the band in their original line-up; Drummer Bill Berry announced his departure in 1997.

History and production

Most of the songs were created on the world tour the band undertook after the previous album Monster was released in 1995. The musicians used the sound checks before the concerts to develop new songs. Every song was recorded so that by the end of the tour there were hours of material. Some songs were taken directly from the live recording of the soundcheck onto the album. The final production of the album, where some songs were re-recorded, took place in the Bad Animals Studio in Seattle . Was responsible Scott Litt , who already have the previous five REM albums had produced. Michael Stipe's great idol Patti Smith sang the backing vocals for the song E-Bow the Letter .

Cover / artwork

The cover and artwork of the album are consistently designed in black and white . The photographs mainly show landscapes, sometimes in blurred settings (e.g. photographed by Michael Stipe from the tour bus).

Music genre

On New Adventures in Hi-Fi there are some classic rock songs that are kept in a style similar to the majority of the previous album Monster ( The Wake-Up Bomb , Departure , Binky the Doormat ). However, with songs such as B. Electrolite , the ballad Be Mine or the instrumental piece Zither also represent quieter numbers. Overall, most of the songs are characterized by a medium tempo and minor keys.

subjects

As the genesis and the cover already suggest, the songs on the album deal primarily with the motifs of travel and being on the move, but also the associated themes of change or loss. Michael Stipe says that some of the lyrics came to his mind while on a bus ride or on a flight.

Track list

All the songs on New Adventures in Hi-Fi are by Bill Berry, Peter Buck , Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe.

  1. How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us - 4:30
  2. The Wake-Up Bomb - 5:07
  3. New Test Leper - 5:25
  4. Undertow - 5:08
  5. E-Bow the Letter - 5:22
  6. Leave - 7:17 am
  7. Departure - 3:27
  8. Bittersweet Me - 4:06
  9. Be Mine - 5:32
  10. Binky the Doormat - 5:00 am
  11. Zither - 2:33
  12. So Fast, So Numb - 4:11
  13. Low Desert - 3:30
  14. Electrolite - 4:05

reception

New Adventures in Hi-Fi received mostly positive reviews; The BBC's Nick Reynolds retrospectively called it very good, even the last great REM album. Mark Kemp praised the spontaneity of the creation and called it the most ambitious work of the band in the US edition of Rolling Stone .

Chart placements

album

country position
United States 2
Great Britain 1
Germany 1

Singles

year title Chart positions
US UK DE
1996 E-Bow the Letter 49 4th 65
Bittersweet Me 46 19th 93
1997 Electrolite 96 29 83

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Chris Heath: REM: The Rolling Stone Interview. In: Rolling Stone. No. 10, October 1996. DRS Verlag. ISSN  1612-9563 , pp. 50-57
  2. ↑ Nick Reynolds: Review of REM - New Adventures In Hi-Fi.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: BBC Music, March 12, 2008; Retrieved July 30, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.bbc.co.uk  
  3. ↑ Mark Kemp: New Adventures In Hi-Fi by REM . In: Rolling Stone Music, September 19, 1996; Retrieved July 30, 2011
  4. ^ Billboard.com. Retrieved July 29, 2011
  5. ↑ a b Everyhit.co.uk Accessed 29 July 2011
  6. ↑ Charts.de.Retrieved July 29, 2011
  7. ^ Billboard Charts on Allmusic.com.Retrieved July 29, 2011
  8. ↑ Charts.de.Retrieved July 29, 2011