Monster

R.E.M.

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 1994)
• Original Release Date: September 27, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MU3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (165 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,384 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Jangle Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
R.E.M. pushed the jangle out of the picture with Monster, replacing it with reverberating snaps, crackles, and pops. An album that wraps itself to '70s glam finery while reaching out to the flannel-clad post-Nirvana throngs, it largely succeeds at demonstrating that these Georgians still know how to rock. The MTV fave "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" kicks things off on a high note as Peter Buck's distorted power chords set the tone for the 12-song set. "Strange Currencies" may be alarmingly reminiscent of the Automatic for the People hit "Everybody Hurts," but it's actually the superior song. "Let Me In" is a heavily distorted nod to the fallen Kurt Cobain. While Monster is far from R.E.M.'s most consistent effort, it stands as a ragged and risky respite from safe and sound alterna-rock. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best record you'll ever see in a bargian bin, May 13, 2000

By	"dave3k" (Orono, ME) - See all my reviews

I was walking through the used-record shop and was disgusted to find several copies of Monster. Why did so many people give this tantalizing rock record away? Perhaps because it doesn't offer the mainstream chamber-folk that hooked them on Automatic, or the jangle-pop that 80's purists want still more of. Monster is NOT the shallow, failed attempt at grunge that many of these crazy reviewers would have you believe. It's still got more musical scope than Automatic and its songs range from wild rockouts to fuzzy ballads. The beautiful, shimerring "Strange Currencies" is what the plodding "Everybody Hurts" should've been. "Circus Envy", "Star 69", and "What's the Freq.." are also standout cuts. A few of the more experimental tracks seem half-formed, but none are annoying. Awash in feedback and pulsing with creativity, Monster is as unique as any REM album. Delete your "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" mp3 and buy the whole album, 'cause it's far more than the slip-up, sellout record these fools would have you believe.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right Frequency, December 19, 2000

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

On R.E.M.'s previous two albums, Out Of Time & Automatic For The People, the band created quiet classics by employing a wide array of beautiful instruments including mandolins, harpsichords, strings and the like. They did a complete 180 on Monster, which is anything but quiet. The album is steeped in the glam-rock of the 70's and the grunge music of its day. Peter Buck threw away the acoustic stuff, plugged in and turned the volume up to 11. The band shows off their musical aptitude as this album sounds like nothing they've done before or since. "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" opens the album awash in buzzing guitars and undesciprable Michael Stipe vocals. "Crush With Eyeliner" is a glam-rock classic and sounds like it could be out of the David Bowie songbook. "I Don't Sleep, I Dream" is a pulsating track while "Star 69" is straight ahead, tongue-in-cheek rocker. "Tongue" is probably the band's sexiest song done in a bump and grind style. "Let Me In" is their tribute to the late Kurt Cobain. "Bang And Blame" is the best song on the album, with its synthesized sound and popping guitars. Monster was the band's first album to debut at number one and with it, they continued to push the envelope and shake up their identity.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is there room here in the Grey Area? (3 STARS), April 18, 2002

By	Janson Kemp "jwk" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow. Who thought that a single record could be a sell-out, monotonous, a masterpiece, both the band's worst and best record, and blasphemous? But those are your exact words... Since we all seem to have an opinion about the actual music (some of us have too much of an opinion, believing it as fact), why don't we discuss the record completely objectively?

Point #1. The album is unique for REM. They may have flirted with the idea of stoner rock, glam rock, grunge rock, or whatever else you wanna call this record, but they had never released a full album of it.

Point #2. The album is risky. After salvaging their career by having good "pop" songs on "Document," REM find themselves in an identical situation; trying to keep old fans while they try something new.

Point #3. The album heralded (at least) 5 singles and had millions of buyers, many of whom had not listened to the band previously. (So goes the "No Hits" theory so many reviewers have referred to. REM obviously thinks differently.)

Point #4. REM picked up a few new fresh-faced fans, while losing a considerable amount of hard-cores. People have a very hard time stretching themselves, experiencing new things, facing the unknown. Many vintage fans would be happy if REM kept producing and selling the same album over and over (referring to the similar song structure and sounds on the first four albums.) As soon as a new element is introduced to a familiar equation, the subject ceases to be comfortable, and the listener feels "cheated."

Opinion: I find this to be neither REM's best nor their worst album. But I find it to be the band's most important record, because they stray so far off from their patented sound. They explore. They test. And it angers many old fans, while it could be helping them to learn to broaden their horizons, so to speak. It happened in 1987 when REM tried to release something that was different from their first four albums. It has happened to Radiohead, Metallica, Tori Amos, and several other rock-icon bands. People hate change. I find it invigorating and essential to our minds. I believe in the philosophy that we should "never stop moving." Always be looking for a new way to see things. Besides, "Kenneth," "Crush With Eyeliner," and "I Took Your Name" are in my opinion some of their best work. Anyhow, how effective or bad the album is should be stated as a matter of opinion. But I love REM, and I suggest that any new fan (granted they have not heard "Monster") listen to the album with open ears. Overall: 6 out of 10.