Lifes Rich Pageant | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 28, 1986 | |||
Recorded | April and May 1986 | |||
Studio | Belmont Mall (Belmont, Indiana) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:23 | |||
Label | I.R.S. | |||
Producer | Don Gehman | |||
R.E.M. chronology | ||||
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Singles from Lifes Rich Pageant | ||||
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Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on July 28, 1986. R.E.M. chose Don Gehman to produce the album, which was recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana. This was the only album the band recorded with Gehman, who moved them from the more obscure and dense sound of their earlier albums to an accessible, hard rock-influenced quality. The album was well-received critically.
The ecologically minded "Cuyahoga" refers to the once heavily polluted Cuyahoga River that flows into Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio. The song includes the lyric we burned the river down, which refers to the several occasions (most famously in 1969) when the river actually caught fire.
At the end of "Just a Touch" frontman Michael Stipe can be heard screaming the line "I'm so young, I'm so goddamn young", quoting longtime influence Patti Smith's live cover version of The Who's "My Generation" released on the B-side of her 1976 single "Gloria", [3] [4] which she also uses at the end of her cover version of "Privilege (Set Me Free)" from her 1978 album Easter .
During the first half of 1986, the band took a break from touring to recover energy. [5] They wanted to make a change from the sound of their previous album, with Mills saying "We wanted to get away from the sort of murky feelings and sounds that we got out of Joe [ Boyd, producer on Fables of the Reconstruction ] in London". [6] They wanted a "really hard-driving record, but we also like to throw in a lot of things: pianos and organs and accordions and banjos and what-not" and considered working with Gehman as they liked the acoustic sound of his work with John Mellencamp. [7] [6] They initially met for a number of demo sessions at John Keane's Studio in Athens, Georgia, in January & March 1986 (These recordings would later be released as the "Athens Demos" on the 25th anniversary re-release of the album). [5] After being initially skeptical, they embraced the new recording process with Gehman later stating that:
"I liked to spend time on the arrangement and layer in the overdubs and comp the vocals—all this process which, to me, was normal record-making, they had never been through before. When they saw that kind of record-making process didn't take anything away—that it actually added another level of artistic expression—they were very excited by it." [6]
The album was recorded at Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Recording Studio in Belmont, Indiana, in April and May 1986. [5] The recording studio was larger and had newer technology than they were used to, and they enjoyed the area, attending many concerts in nearby Bloomington while there. [6] [7] The band were also happy with the production of the record and the extra clarity of the vocals, bassist Mike Mills saying:
"Don (Gehman, the album's producer) is good at layering things so there can be a lot of things going on but you can still hear everything. And as far as Michael's vocals go, it's a combination of things: Michael is getting better at what he's doing, and he's getting more confident at it. And I think that shows up in the projection of his voice. The overall sound of everything was so good, we didn't mind having the vocals mixed as loud as they were." [6]
The album title is based on an English idiom. Its use is very old, but R.E.M.'s use is, according to guitarist Peter Buck, from the 1964 film A Shot in the Dark , minus the apostrophe:
The cover of the album is a photograph of drummer Bill Berry, on the upper half, and a pair of bison, signifying an environmental theme, on the lower half. It also alludes to Buffalo Bill. [9]
With R.E.M.'s fan base beginning to grow beyond its college rock boundaries, Lifes Rich Pageant proved at the time to be the band's most commercially successful album in the United States, peaking at number 21 [10] on the Billboard charts and heralding the band's first gold record. [11] In the UK, the album managed a number 43 peak. [12]
The ecologically conscious "Fall on Me" (a personal favorite of Michael Stipe) and a cover of the Clique's "Superman", sung by Mike Mills, were the only singles released from the album (the single version of the latter removed the sample from one of the Godzilla movies that began the album version).
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Chicago Tribune | [14] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [15] |
Entertainment Weekly | A [16] |
The Guardian | [17] |
Pitchfork | 8.8/10 [9] |
Q | [18] |
Rolling Stone | [19] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [20] |
Uncut | [21] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Lifes Rich Pageant received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 93 out of 100 from 20 critic scores. [22] PopMatters included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums". [23] Slant Magazine listed the album at #52 on its list of "Best Albums of 1980s" saying "Lifes Rich Pageant stands as a nearly seamless transition between the band's formative period and their commercial dominance." [24] In 2000, it ranked at number 162 in the list of Virgin's All-Time Album Top 1000 List. [25]
Anthony DeCurtis, writing a contemporary review for Rolling Stone , called it "brilliant and groundbreaking, if modestly flawed", praising it as "the most outward looking record R.E.M. has made." He found that it "carries on... the dark Southern folk artistry of last year's Fables of the Reconstruction" and "paints a swirling, impressionistic portrait of a country at the moral crossroads". [26] Robert Christgau gave the album B+ in a dismissive review that complained of a lack of progress from earlier albums. [15]
Retrospective reviews of the album in the context of the band's later work (beginning with the following original studio album, Document ) have been positive. Gavin Edwards, writing in 2003, gave it four stars, praising "Fall on Me" in particular as "the finest song in the R.E.M. canon. A lullaby of modern anxiety, it's flexible enough to serve as a potent metaphor for acid rain, nuclear warfare, satellite surveillance or any other modern phobia you choose". [19] Stephen Deusner, writing for Pitchfork , calls it "invigorating", citing it as R.E.M.'s first transitional album, simultaneously their "most pop-oriented and accessible album up to that point" and "most overtly political collection, with songs addressing environmental crises and political malaise". [9] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian says it "may represent the band at their absolute zenith... imbued with a swaggering confidence absent from its murky predecessor". Petridis also singles out "Fall on Me" for its "beautiful opacity" and the "sumptuousness of its melody". [17] Andrew Mueller in Uncut argues that it represents R.E.M. embracing the mainstream: "For the first time, it had occurred to REM that they had a constituency – and, indeed, that it might be possible and desirable to build on that" with an album where "Every note... fizzes and crackles with the urgency of people who’ve made their minds up". [21]
Both DeCurtis and Deusner praise the production work of Don Gehman, comparing it favorably to their previous album Fables of the Reconstruction . DeCurtis said Gehman "has done an outstanding job of hardening R.E.M.’s sonic jolt" while Deusner stated of Gehman that by "giving the melodic leads their own space, he emphasizes the muscle in Berry's beats and the intricate interaction between the rhythm section". [9] [26]
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, except "Superman" by Mitchell Bottler and Gary Zekley.
Original release:
Side one – "Dinner side"
Side two – "Supper side"
R.E.M.
Production
Year | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|
1986 | Billboard 200 | 21 (32 weeks on chart) [30] |
1986 | UK Albums Chart | 43 (4 weeks on chart) [12] |
1986 | Australia (Kent Music Report) | 73 (7 weeks on chart) [31] |
Year | Song | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | "Fall on Me" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 [30] |
1986 | "Fall on Me" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 94 [30] |
1986 | "Superman" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 17 [30] |
Organization | Level | Date |
---|---|---|
RIAA – US | Gold | January 23, 1987 [11] |
CRIA – Canada | Gold | September 30, 1987 [32] |
CRIA – Canada | Platinum | September 30, 1987 [32] |
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | July 28, 1986 | I.R.S. | vinyl LP | MIRG1014 |
United States | July 29, 1986 | I.R.S. | LP | IRS-5783 |
cassette tape | IRSC-5783 | |||
Compact Disc | 72434-93478-2-3 | |||
Brazil | 1986 | Epic | LP | 14495 |
Greece | 1986 | I.R.S. | LP | 57064 |
The Netherlands | 1986 | Illegal | LP | ILP 57064 |
New Zealand | 1986 | I.R.S. | LP | ELPS 4550 |
Spain | 1986 | Illegal | LP | 57064 |
United States | 1990 | I.R.S. | Compact Disc | IRSD-5783 |
Worldwide | 1990 | MCA | Compact Disc | 5783 |
United States | 1990 | I.R.S. | cassette tape | IRSC-5783 |
United States | 1992 | Universal | Compact Disc | 19080 |
The Netherlands | January 26, 1993 | EMI | Compact Disc | 7 13201 2 5† |
Japan | February 24, 1993 | Toshiba/EMI | Compact Disc | TOCP-7269† |
Worldwide | 1998 | Capitol | Compact Disc | 93478 |
Europe | 1998 | EMI | Compact Disc | 13201† |
Europe | 1999 | EMI | Compact Disc | 7132012† |
United States | July 12, 2011 | Capitol/EMI | Compact Disc | 5099908244727†† |
United States | November 22, 2011 | Mobile Fidelity | Vinyl LP | N/A |
United States | July 29, 2016 | I.R.S. | Vinyl LP | IRSLP85140 |
Notes
Reckoning is the second studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 9, 1984, by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984. Dixon and Easter intended to capture the sound of R.E.M.'s live performances, and used binaural recording on several tracks. Lead singer Michael Stipe dealt with darker subject matter in his lyrics, with water-related imagery being a recurring theme on the album.
Document is the fifth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released on August 31, 1987, by I.R.S. Records. It was the first album by the band to be produced by Scott Litt.
Dead Letter Office is a rarities and B-sides collection by R.E.M., released in April 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many additional recordings R.E.M. made from before Murmur to Lifes Rich Pageant that were outtakes or released as B-sides to their singles internationally. Many of the tracks are favorite cover versions indicating the band's disparate influences and musical tastes, including three Velvet Underground covers, and songs by Aerosmith, Roger Miller, and fellow Athenians Pylon ("Crazy").
New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major-label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia, and the following day in the United States. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was the band's final album recorded with founding drummer Bill Berry, original manager Jefferson Holt, and long-time producer Scott Litt. The members of R.E.M. consider the recorded album representative of the band at their peak, and fans generally regard it as the band's last great record before a perceived artistic decline during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It has sold around seven million units, growing in cult status years after its release, with several retrospectives ranking it among the best of the band's recorded catalogue.
Eponymous is the first greatest hits album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1988. It was their last authorized release on I.R.S. Records, to whom they had been contracted since 1982, having just signed with Warner Bros. Records.
"Fall on Me" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their fourth album Lifes Rich Pageant (1986). It was the first of two singles released from that LP. It peaked at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was one of the band's early compositions about environmentalism, discussing acid rain. It also transitioned from their murky lyrics and jangling guitar of their first three albums to a more accessible sound influenced by producer Don Gehman.
"Superman" is a 1969 song by the Texas band The Clique, made more famous in 1986 when it was recorded by R.E.M. Roger Troutman also recorded a version in 1997 that was included on the 2002 re-release of his debut album The Many Facets of Roger.
The Lonesome Jubilee is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Cougar Mellencamp. The album was released by Mercury Records on August 24, 1987. Four singles were released from the album, the first two in 1987 and the last two in 1988.
Don Gehman is an American record producer, engineer, and executive, best known for his work with John Mellencamp and Hootie & the Blowfish. AllMusic calls him one of "the most successful producers of the 1980s and 1990s." As a sound engineer, he also helped invent the modern rock P.A. and monitor systems.
The Best of R.E.M. is a greatest hits album by R.E.M. released in 1991, shortly after the success of the band's seventh studio album, Out of Time, released by Warner Bros. The Best of R.E.M., however, was released by the band's previous record label, I.R.S. Records, and only includes tracks from their first five albums while the group was with that label. As such, it covers their output from 1982 to 1987.
"Bad Day" is a song recorded by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It is one of two previously unreleased songs from their 2003 compilation album, In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, and was released as the album's lead single on September 15, 2003.
And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987 is a compilation album by American band R.E.M. It features songs from the band's years at I.R.S. Records. All tracks have been remastered, and the set was released 12 September 2006. A companion DVD, titled When the Light Is Mine, was released the same day.
Accelerate is the fourteenth studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008, in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M. previewed most of the album's tracks during a five-night residency at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, and recorded the album in a nine-week schedule.
R.E.M. Live is a live album from R.E.M., recorded at the Point Theatre, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on February 26 and 27, 2005, the closing nights of the winter European leg of the Around the World Tour in support of their thirteenth studio album Around the Sun, released in late 2004. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2007, and in the United States a day later as a two-CD audio set and a DVD, then released in February 2008 as a triple vinyl set. The performance was filmed by Blue Leach, who also directed Depeche Mode's Touring the Angel: Live in Milan.
"Cuyahoga" is a song by R.E.M. from their 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant. It was written primarily by R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, but credited to the whole band. It is one of R.E.M.'s earliest environmentally conscious songs, along with the album's lead single, "Fall on Me".
R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative rock bands, R.E.M. was noted for Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style; Stipe's distinctive vocal quality, unique stage presence, and obscure lyrics; Mills's melodic bass lines and backing vocals; and Berry's tight, economical drumming style. In the early 1990s, other alternative rock acts such as Nirvana, Pixies and Pavement viewed R.E.M. as a pioneer of the genre. After Berry left in 1997, the band continued with mixed critical and commercial success. The band broke up amicably in 2011, having sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and becoming one of the world's best-selling music acts.
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 is a 2011 greatest hits album from alternative rock band R.E.M. Intended as a coda on their career, this is the first compilation album that features both their early work on independent record label I.R.S. Records in addition to their 10 studio releases through Warner Bros. Records. The double-disc retrospective was released through Warner Bros. on November 11, 2011, and was compiled by the band members; the existence of the compilation was revealed simultaneously with the group's announcement that they were disbanding on September 21, 2011.
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions is a 2014 live album from alternative rock band R.E.M., released initially on vinyl recordings through Rhino Records for Record Store Day, and later made available on compact disc and digitally. The album is composed of two performances that the band made on the U.S. television show MTV Unplugged. Among the album's 33 tracks are 11 performances which were not aired on either broadcast. To promote the album, Mike Mills signed copies at independent record store Bull Moose in Scarborough, Maine. Video of the concerts was released later that year on REMTV.
Belmont Mall Studio is a recording studio in Belmont, Indiana, United States. Located on West Lower Schooner Road, it was founded in 1984 by John Mellencamp. Albums which have been recorded there include John Mellencamp's Scarecrow (1985) and R.E.M.'s Lifes Rich Pageant (1986). R.E.M. chose the studio because they wanted to work with Mellencamp's producer, Don Gehman, who built the studio.