R.E.M. Life’s Rich Pageant released

Life’s Rich Pageant R.E.M.

Released: July 28, 1986 Peak: 21 US, 43 UK, 39 CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 3.0 world (includes US + UK) Genre: college rock

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Begin the Begin (16 CO, 31 DF) These Days (24 DF) Fall on Me (8/9/86, 94 BB, 5 AR, 7 CO, 2 DF) Cuyahoga (32 DF) Hyena (32 DF) Underneath the Bunker Flowers of Guatemala I Believe (31 DF) What if We Give It Away? (32 DF) Just a Touch Swan Swan H (24 DF) Superman (11/1/86, 17 AR, 19 CO, 3 DF) Total Running Time: 37:24 The Players: Bill Berry (drums, percussion) Peter Buck (guitar.) Mike Mills (bass, piano, keyboards) Michael Stipe (vocals)

Rating: 4.212 out of 5.00 (average of 27 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Fables of the Reconstruction was intentionally murky, and Life’s Rich Pageant was constructed as its polar opposite. Teaming with producer Don Gehman, who previously worked with John Mellencamp, R.E.M. developed their most forceful record to date. Where previous records kept the rhythm section in the background, Pageant emphasizes the beat, and the band turns in its hardest rockers to date, including the anthemic Begin the Begin and the punky Just a Touch.” “From the first sonic blastoff of Peter Buck’s opening riff on ‘Begin the Begin,’ it’s clear this was the moment when the darlings of college radio decided: To hell with student unions, we want to fill arenas!” EW’12 “The cleaner production also benefits the ballads and the mid-tempo janglers, particularly since it helps reveal Michael Stipe’s growing political obsessions, especially on the environmental anthems Fall on Me and Cuyahoga.” “The group hasn’t entirely left myths behind – witness the Civil War ballad Swan Swan H – but the band sound more contemporary both musically and lyrically than they did on either Fables or Murmur, which helps give the record an extra kick. And even with excellent songs like I Believe, Flowers of Guatemala, These Days, and What if We Give It Away, it’s ironic that the most memorable moment comes from the garage rock obscurity Superman, which is sung with glee by Mike Mills.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for R.E.M. AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine EW’12 Entertainment Weekly (9/27/2012). “Top 100 Albums” Other Related DMDB Pages: Last updated 6/18/2024.

R.E.M. “Fall on Me” released

Fall on Me R.E.M.

Writer(s): Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe (see lyrics here) Released: July 14, 1986 First Charted: August 9, 1986 Peak: 94 BB, 5 AR, 7 CO, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 5.9 video, 16.57 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: By the 1990s, R.E.M. achieved superstardom, thanks to Out of Time and Automatic for the People both achieving worldwide sales of 18 million. They’d first reached platinum status with their fifth album, 1987’s Document, thanks to the top-ten success of “The One I Love.” However, over their first four albums it didn’t look like the Athens, Georgia-based band would ever move much beyond its college rock audience. The band released their first single, “Radio Free Europe,” in 1981 and it could make a claim as the college rock anthem. After the 1983 release of their debut album Murmur, critics embraced them for their jangly pop and new folk-rock sound that defied categorization. Over the next three years they released Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, and Life’s Rich Pageant. They definitely showed consistency – all four albums were gold sellers that peaked in the top 40 of the Billboard album chart. Life’s Rich Pageant featured two singles – “Fall on Me” and “Superman.” In 1986, drummer Bill Berry said “Fall on Me” was about acid rain and how it threatened the environment, SF but lead singer Michael Stipe has described it as “a song about oppression.” WK He cited the story of Galileo dropping feathers and weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa as part of the inspiration for the first verse WK and the song’s main line: “don’t fall on me.” The title also evokes “the story of Chicken Little and his belief that the sky was about to fall.” AM The song was notable for Stipe making “a concerted effort to enunciate his trademark mumble.” AM It was a transition to “a more accessible sound” WK from the band’s earlier “murky lyrics and jangling guitar” trademark. WK In addition, the song was unusual because it was more of a duet between Stipe and bassist Mike Mills. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for R.E.M. AM AllMusic.com review by Denise Sullivan SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 6/18/2024.