Album · 40 years old this year
Lifes Rich Pageant
Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth studio album by R.E.M., released on 28 July 1986 on I.R.S. Records. It followed Fables of the Reconstruction and came before Document, and it finds the Georgia band stepping away from the murkier, more tangled sound of their early records.
The band chose Don Gehman as producer and recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana. It remained their only album with Gehman, and his influence is easy to hear: the sound is clearer and more direct, with a hard rock edge alongside the jangle pop the band were known for. Critics welcomed it. If you want to hear R.E.M. coming into sharper focus before their bigger commercial years, this is the place to start.
Lifes Rich Pageant on Riffology
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Lifes Rich Pageant: tracklist and credits
12 tracks · 38:30Tracklist
- 1Begin the BeginBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:29
- 2These DaysBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:25
- 3Fall on MeBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:50
- 4CuyahogaBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:21
- 5HyenaBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:52
- 6Underneath the BunkerBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe1:27
- 7The Flowers of GuatemalaBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:57
- 8I BelieveBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:50
- 9What If We Give It Away?Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:34
- 10Just a TouchBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:01
- 11Swan Swan HBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:50
- 12SupermanMitchell Bottler and Gary Zekley2:54
- Produced by
- Don Gehman
- Recorded at
- Belmont Mall, Belmont Mall (Belmont, Indiana)
- Recorded
- April and May 1986
- Mixed at
- Can‐Am Recorders
- Labels
- I.R.S. Records, I.R.S.
- Length
- 38:30
Line-up
- Bill Berry · drums (drum set)
- Peter Buck · guitar
- Mike Mills · bass guitar, lead vocals
- Michael Stipe · lead vocals, background vocals
Singles
- “Fall on Me” · August 1986
- “Superman” · November 1986
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1991 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Silver |
| United States · 1987 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
76.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
133k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
8.6k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 28 July
Every year →
More from R.E.M.
Full discography →
Chronic Town
1982
Murmur
1983
Reckoning
1984
Fables of the Reconstruction
1985
Dead Letter Office
1987
Document
1987
Eponymous
1988
Green
1988
Out of Time
1991
The Best of R.E.M.
1991
Automatic for the People
1992
The Automatic Box
1993
Singles Collected
1994
Monster
1994
New Adventures in Hi‐Fi
1996
Essential R.E.M.: R.E.M. in the Attic (Alternative Recordings 1985–89)
1997
Up
1998
Reveal
2001
R.E.M. Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003 2003
Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003
2003
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
2003
Around the Sun
2004
iTunes Originals: R.E.M.
2004
And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987
2006
Live
2007
Accelerate
2008
Reckoning Spotify Sampler
2009
Live at the Olympia
2009
Collapse Into Now Sampler
2011
Collapse Into Now
2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011
2011
Live in Greensboro
2013
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
2014
Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988–2011
2014
Complete Rarities – I.R.S. 1982–1987
2014
R.E.M. at the BBC
2018
Live at the Borderline 1991
2019
Radio Free Europe 2025
2025
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More on I.R.S. Records
The label →Document
R.E.M. · 1987
Murmur
R.E.M. · 1983
Fables of the Reconstruction
R.E.M. · 1985
Headless Cross
Black Sabbath · 1989
Reckoning
R.E.M. · 1984
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
TYR
Black Sabbath · 1990
Forbidden
Black Sabbath · 1995
Cross Purposes
Black Sabbath · 1994
Eponymous
R.E.M. · 1988
The Sabbath Stones
Black Sabbath · 1996
Cross Purposes – Live
Black Sabbath · 1995
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 28 July 1986 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 28 July 1986 | |
| Wikidata | July 1986 | |
| US release | 29 July 1986 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 28 July 1986 | earliest UK or European date |
23 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | I.R.S. Records | 00724349347854 | other |
| — | CA | — | 00602537796724 | other |
| 1986 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 008811908027 | other |
| 1986 | FR | I.R.S. Records | 5099746538125 | other |
| 1986 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099705706411 | other |
| 1986 | US | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 1986 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5013747101423 | other |
| 1986 | US | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 1986 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724349347823 | other |
| 1986 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099705706428 | other |
| 1986 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 28 July 1986 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5013747101416 | original |
| 28 July 1986 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099705706428 | original |
| 28 July 1986 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 008811908027 | original |
| 29 July 1986 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732578322 | other |
| 29 July 1986 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732578315 | other |
| 29 July 1986 | US | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 1987 | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732578322 | other |
| 1993 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 077771320125 | other |
| 8 July 2011 | XW | Capitol Records | 5099908244758 | deluxe |
| 11 July 2011 | GB | Capitol Records | 5099908244727 | deluxe |
| 2012 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 2016 | — | Concord Bicycle Music | remaster |
Cover art sources
itunes · upscaled: minor: best source 1401x1401, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1401×1401 | upscaled: minor: best source 1401x1401, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07) |
| coverartarchive | 1300×1300 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |