release date: Sep. 10, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,45]
producer: Scott Litt & R.E.M
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA
Tracklist: 1. "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" - 2. "The Wake-Up Bomb" - 3. "New Test Leper" - 4. "Undertow" - 5. "E-Bow The Letter" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 6. "Leave" - 7. "Departure" - 8. "Bittersweet Me" - 9. "Be Mine" - 10. "Binky The Doormat" - 11. "Zither" (2,5 / 5) - 12. "So Fast, So Numb" (live) - 13. "Low Desert" - 14. "Electrolite" (4 / 5)
10th studio album by R.E.M. is a 14 track album and the 6th consecutive but also final album to be co-produced by Scott Litt and the band - 6 albums, which more less constitute THE most interesting material by the band excluding Lifes Rich Pageant, from 1986, produced by Don Gehman, and they all represent a decade of heydays spanning from 1986 to '96.
The band has almost always throughout their long career been able to seek out new ways of expression, and this is no exception, although, the change from Monster (1994) to this is huge, it's still a small change from the sound they had before Monster. I've always felt that it was more like the natural follower to Automatic for the People (1992) with Monster in between as a unique and highly original release. Their musical style here is expanded to embrace americana and a stronger folk rock style, although, it's still certified alt. rock. It also contains some grunge rock fragments left in the distorted guitars as heard on "The Wake-Up Bomb", "Undertow", and "Departure". Patti Smith adds vocal to the great single hit "E-Bow The Letter". Overall, it's mighty fine, it doesn't contain a lot of poor tracks or fillers (perhaps with "Zither" as the only), it's like a bit... safe with many fine compositions but not many great ones either. The album is the band's best selling album to date, and it went to number #1 on more than a dozen of albums hit lists world-wide except for in the US where it reached number #2. Furthermore, it's known for being the band's own favourite among their own releases. Whether or not personal emotions play a major role in this their own ranking, is of course difficult to verify, but fact is that this was the first album to feature Bill Berry back on drums after his departure from the band due to a serious brain aneurysm on the live tour with Monster. I remember how it was in the news at the time, and frankly I recall thinking that he would most likely never return to such a stress-related job in the spotlight after that. But for a short while he did return to studio recordings, and this is the so far only album to feature Bill Berry back on drums as he would leave the band permanently in '97.
This was the last R.E.M. album that I purchased at the time of its release. All their following 5 studio albums were not my cup of tea, but along the way, I have looked for and found the band's soul in what followed, and I also found it necessary to acquire them all, although, I don't really listen much to exactly those 5 releases but like all the band's 15 studio albums, they also do contain fine songs.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 /5, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 5 / 5 stars ]
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