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Monster
 
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Monster

R.E.M.
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (172 customer reviews) More about this product

List Price: $7.98
Price: $6.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. What's The Frequency, Kenneth? 3:59$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. Crush With Eyeliner 4:38$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. King Of Comedy 3:41$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. I Don't Sleep, I Dream 3:28$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. Star 69 3:08$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. Strange Currencies 3:53$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. Tongue 4:13$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Bang And Blame 4:50$0.99 Buy Track
listen  9. I Took Your Name 4:03$0.99 Buy Track
listen10. Let Me In 3:28$0.99 Buy Track
listen11. Circus Envy 4:15$0.99 Buy Track
listen12. You 4:54$0.99 Buy Track

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Biography

Athens, Georgia band R.E.M. were one of the most influential bands in the formation of alternative rock and indie, and became one of the biggest rock groups in the world in the early 1990s. Initially inspiring an underground following, their popularity then blossomed into mainstream success, their touring venues changing from cramped bars to expansive sports arenas and festival stages, over a… Read more in Amazon's R.E.M. Store

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Frequently Bought Together

Monster + Green + Automatic for the People
Price For All Three: $26.97

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  • This item: Monster ~ R.E.M.

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    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
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  • Green ~ R.E.M.

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Automatic for the People ~ R.E.M.

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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 (172 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,098 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #14 in  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

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Customer Reviews

172 Reviews
5 star:
 (62)
4 star:
 (56)
3 star:
 (23)
2 star:
 (20)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (172 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
21 of 24 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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Monster In A Jewel Box, September 22, 2003
I don't normally write reviews for discs as over-reviewed as this one (109 reviews and counting), but I thought I might be able to offer a different perspective on this album, seeing as how my two favorite REM albums are 'Monster' and 'Murmur', and I find 'Green' unlistenable! This may put me in a special group of REM fans...so let me explain why I love this album so!

If 'Automatic' was the first sign that REM was breaking out of the pretentious, chirpy, god-awful bubble gum of 'Green' and 'Out Of Time' by becoming more serious and austere (albeit extremely low-energy), then 'Monster' finished REM's re-emergence as a newer, better-than-ever and extremely hard-rocking ensemble. Gone are any additional instruments (strings, brass, mandolins, etc.), this is just the four REM dudes rocking their socks off. They also seem to be enjoying the new energy level, and that sense of enthusiasm permeates the album.

For you gloom n' doom fans (me too!) there are still the tormented 'Let Me In' and the wistful and countrified 'Strange Currencies', also the ethereal raga-rock of 'You'. But this album is mostly about the rockers. From 'What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" on, this CD never lets up the loud, buzzing and partified atmosphere. I also like how Stipe sings in a variety of voices, falsetto on 'Tongue', and a Gordon Lightfoot-esque growl for 'Crush With Eyeliner'. Other faves are 'I Took Your Name' and the chugging 'Circus Envy'. The only tune I'm not 100 percent behind is 'King Of Comedy', although it has great lyrics, it's a wee bit grating.

All in all, if you like REM, AND you like to rock, pick this one up. Used, it's often cheaper than any other album by them (probably due to most fans wanting to hear 'Losing My Religion' redone another 1000 times...).

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Right Frequency, December 19, 2000
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "It's Only Rock 'N Roll", and that's OK
REM pretty much put aside their folk influences on "Monster". Instead they used as their launching pad classic rock from the 60's and 70's - Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, David... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Steven Haarala

5.0 out of 5 stars REM Monster
Was just listening to this yesterday. Really good album. Quite energetic. Peter uses some cool effects on his guitar as does Michael on his voice throughout most of the album... Read more
Published 8 days ago by jonathan brailsford

4.0 out of 5 stars Monster
Monster being Rem's 9th studio album and 1994 release and the sound is alternative rock and is very good release. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Bjorn Viberg

4.0 out of 5 stars Monster! I Always Return to This One
To be honest this is the album that got me into REM. I always admired their radio output, but never picked up one of their albums. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Garrett Redd

2.0 out of 5 stars An experiment gone awry... Stipe lost the frequency maybe?
Reviews of art are very subjective. There are no doubt people who LOVE this album and in reading this review would scoff at it, calling me an idiot. Read more
Published 3 months ago by G. Kline

5.0 out of 5 stars Borderline Masterpiece
That this record was viewed as a failure is one of those inexplicable "world gone stupid" random idiocies that strike the collective imagination without warning. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Vain Saints

5.0 out of 5 stars underrated
Monster is considered one of the worst R.E.M. albums. I do not agree with critics. In my opinion, this is one of their best, just after their master "Automatic... Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. Alessandro

5.0 out of 5 stars Bright When It Shines
I understand completely why so many REM fans don't like this album. The lyrics are vaguer, more suggestive than meaningful. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Formal Treehouse

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid R.E.M.
Like a lot of R.E.M. fans I got started on ''Out of Time'' and ''Automatic''. I picked this one up used for 4 dollars so I had to have it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by soundstudio

3.0 out of 5 stars The experiment has failed....
Well I guess they did promise a rock album, so you can't say you weren't warned. But instead of the expected jangley folk-rock, Monster draws its influence from 90s alternative... Read more
Published 12 months ago by H. Jin

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