Up [Import]

R.E.M. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 27, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 27, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B00000DD54
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (453 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,006 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

CD > POPULAR MUSIC > ROCK

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A successful sonic experiment for true fans, February 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Up (Audio CD)

When REM signed it's monumental $80 million contract, executives at Warner Brothers were probably hoping for more Losing My Religions and Man on the Moons for years to come. These songs were huge singles for the band but don't expect any hits off Up!

The first post Bill Berry album finds the (now) trio in an experimental mood. From the first hypnotic synthesizer tones of Airportman to the subdued ballad closer Falls to Climb, Up is a maudlin, slow paced effort. It also contains some of the most ambitious music this amazing band has made to date.

Only Daysleeper (the already failed single) and Lotus recall earlier work by the band. The driving Bill Berry beat has been replaced by drum machines and occasional real drums. Outstanding tracks include the Beach Boys tribute "At my most beautiful", the driving Hope (to the tune of Leonard Cohen's Susanne) and the almost positive "Walk Unafraid".

One final warning. Unless you are prepared to sit down and spend some time absorbing this album, don't expect it to grab you by the neck like Out of Time. However if you do love this band and appreciate their past uncommercial efforts, you will find a cornocopia of amazing music on Up.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another ESSENTIAL release, August 12, 2004

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Up (Audio CD)

Difficult for casual fans to get their heads around, UP is a very rewarding listening experience for those willing to forget about the "old REM" and open themselves up to something new. The departure of Bill Berry seems to have thrown the band into a bit of a tail-spin , but this collection of songs are some of the best REM have ever recorded. There are only two songs on this cd I don't like ( I don't even know what they are called, I always skip them ) but 12 out of 14 songs is a pretty good average in my opinion. The first 5 or 6 songs are simply brilliant. And Sad Professor is THE SADDEST SONG ever written. Period. A radical departure for REM, "UP" barely went gold in the US, if I'm not mistaken, where their commercial clout has been decreasing for about a decade. They continue to be critics' darlings, however, like they always have been. And I suppose that's enough for them. They will probably never make another album as straightforwardly "pop" and as commercially succesful as Out of Time , but I'm not sure I'd want them to.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars substance over style, November 29, 1999

By 

Andrew Welsh (dallas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Up (Audio CD)

Reviewers are all over the map here. And I think I know why: This disc is hard to peg, doesn't necessarily grab you on the first listen, and is such a radical change of pace for REM.

But if you really LISTEN to this all the way thru and pay attention to the lyrics, backbeat, and subtle genius of the musicianship, you will learn what many already know: It is another REM masterpiece.

Most bands don't take the chances that REM does. It would be so easy for them to crank out radio-friendly jangle pop that they essentially wrote the book on. But this a band that believes you have to take risks to grow artistically. We should all be grateful they have this integrity.

So take 55 minutes out of your busy day, turn off the idiot box, stop multitasking, grab something cool to drink, and do something seriously lacking in our current culture: Listen.