Album
Monster
Monster is R.E.M.'s ninth studio album, released in September 1994 on Warner Bros. Records. The band produced it with Scott Litt, recording across four studios. It followed Out of Time and Automatic for the People, and it was a deliberate change of direction: loud, distorted guitars and simpler lyrics took the place of the more reflective sound of those two records.
The lead single, "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?", was a success, and the album went straight in at number one in the United States and at least seven other countries. Four more singles followed, with "Bang and Blame", "Strange Currencies" and "Tongue" all reaching the UK top 20. The 1995 tour was the band's first since 1989, and though it did well commercially, several members suffered health problems along the way. Monster was nominated for Best Rock Album at the Grammys, losing to the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge, and much of its follow-up, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, was recorded on that tour.
Monster: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 48:16Tracklist
- 1What's the Frequency, Kenneth?Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:59
- 2Crush With EyelinerBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:39
- 3King of ComedyBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:39
- 4I Don't Sleep, I DreamBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:25
- 5Star 69Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:07
- 6Strange CurrenciesBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:51
- 7TongueBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:08
- 8Bang and BlameBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:48
- 9I Took Your NameBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:07
- 10Let Me InBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:27
- 11Circus EnvyBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:14
- 12YouBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:52
- Produced by
- Scott Litt, R.E.M., Peter Buck
- Recorded at
- Criteria Studios (Miami), Crossover Soundstage (Atlanta), Kingsway Studios (New Orleans), Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood)
- Recorded
- October 1993 – May 1994
- Mixed by
- Victor Janacua, Pat McCarthy
- Mixed at
- Louie’s Clubhouse
- Engineered by
- David Colvin, Jeff DeMorris, Mark Gruber, Mark Howard, Pat McCarthy, Scott Litt
- Labels
- Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 48:16
Line-up
- Bill Berry · drums (drum set)
- Peter Buck · guitar, farfisa
- Mike Mills · bass guitar, guitar
- Michael Stipe · vocals
- Thurston Moore · guest
- Sally Dworsky · guest
- Lou Barlow · guest
- Ane Diaz · guest
- Rain Phoenix · guest
- Lynda Stipe · guest
Singles
- “What's the Frequency, Kenneth?” · 5 September 1994
- “Bang and Blame” · 31 October 1994
- “Crush with Eyeliner” · 16 January 1995
- “Strange Currencies” · 3 April 1995
- “Tongue” · 17 July 1995
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1994–95 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1994–95 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 1994–95 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1994–95 | 1 |
| Dutch Albums · 1994–95 | 1 |
| European Albums (European Top 100 Albums) · 1994–95 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1994–95 | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · 1994–95 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 1994–95 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 1994–95 | 1 |
All 20 charts
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1994–95 | 2 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 1994–95 | 2 |
| German Albums · 1994–95 | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1994–95 | 2 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 1994–95 | 3 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1994–95 | 5 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1994–95 | 11 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1994–95 | 25 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1994–95 | 26 |
| Italian Albums · 1994–95 | 52 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1995 | Platinum |
| Austria · 1995 | Platinum |
| Belgium · 1995 | Gold |
| Canada · 2003 | 6× Platinum |
| Finland | Gold |
| France · 1995 | 2× Gold |
| Germany | Platinum |
| Italy | 2× Platinum |
| Netherlands | Gold |
| Spain · 1995 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1995 | Platinum |
| Switzerland · 1995 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1995 | 3× Platinum |
| United States · 1995 | 4× Platinum |
| Europe · 1996 | 2× Platinum |
Awards
- SNEP double gold album
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
79.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
114k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
11k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 26 September
Every year →
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More from R.E.M.
Full discography →
Chronic Town
1982
Murmur
1983
Reckoning
1984
Fables of the Reconstruction
1985
Lifes Rich Pageant
1986
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
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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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1994-09-26 vs 1994-09-23 (musicbrainz), 1994-09-27 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 23 September 1994 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 26 September 1994 | |
| Wikidata | 27 September 1994 | |
| US release | 27 September 1994 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 23 September 1994 | earliest UK or European date |
29 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574064 | other |
| 1994 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574019 | other |
| 1994 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1994 | ZA | Warner Bros. Records | 6001491309928 | other |
| 1994 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1994 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 093624576327 | other |
| 1994 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | other |
| 1994 | AU | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | other |
| 23 September 1994 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | original |
| 23 September 1994 | XE | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | original |
| 26 September 1994 | AU | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | other |
| 27 September 1994 | CA | Warner Bros. Records | 77749912162102 | other |
| 27 September 1994 | CA | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | other |
| 27 September 1994 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 093624574026 | deluxe |
| 10 October 1994 | JP | Warner Bros. Records | 4943674010127 | other |
| 25 October 2000 | JP | WEA Japan | 4943674228621 | other |
| 2005 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 081227394929 | other |
| 1 March 2005 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 081227394929 | other |
| 2014 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 2014 | XW | Concord Records | 00888072396159 | other |
| 1 April 2016 | XW | Concord Records | 00888072396142 | other |
| 1 November 2019 | US | Craft Recordings | 888072111493 | other |
| 1 November 2019 | US | Craft Recordings | 888072111486 | other |
| 1 November 2019 | — | Craft Recordings | 888072111455 | deluxe |
| 1 November 2019 | AF | Craft Recordings | 00888072125841 | remaster |
| 1 November 2019 | AF | Craft Recordings | 00888072129207 | deluxe |
| 1 November 2019 | — | Craft Recordings | 888072111523 | deluxe |
| 1 November 2019 | DZ | Craft Recordings | 00888072125858 | remaster |
| 29 October 2021 | JP | Craft Recordings | 4988031455524 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |