By Rich Copley 10.20.96 Athens Daily News R.E.M.’s latest album, “New Adventures in Hi-Fi,” is a No. 1 hit. That’s probably news to chart watchers who’ve seen the critically acclaimed disc debut at No. 2 on Billboard magazine’s album chart and then methodically descend over five weeks to its current position at No. 19. But [...]
By Chris Heath Rolling Stone Michael Stipe on Bob Dole (Mooned At) At the private airport in Seattle where Michael Stipe flew in during the final sessions for R.E.M.’s album “New Adventures in Hi-Fi,” there was one other plane on the tarmac. A huge plane. After it landed, all these cars with flashing lights drove [...]
10.16.96 Allstar The last thing you expect to see Peter Buck doing is humping his own equipment into a gig. But there he was, digging into the back of an old VW bus, lugging guitars, amps, and assorted black crates through the doors of Seattle’s Crocodile Cafe on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Inside, more well-known names [...]
By Todd Colby TV Guide It was an overcast, drizzling afternoon in New Paltz, NY. Michael Stipe had agreed to meet me in an old converted barn where several artist friends of his lived and worked. Beautiful and secluded, surrounded by dense green foliage, it was a perfect place for a party and an interview. [...]
By Mike Gee iMAGAZINE Michael Stipe mooned Bob Dole. He dropped his pants and gave the Republican US Presidential hopeful a shot of ass. And that’s Michael Stipe for you. The man who cares. The man who bleeds. The man who carries his heart on his sleeve. The man whose eyes say it all. The [...]
By Milo Miles 10.12.96 Request Line Grizzled and hard at work after 15 years, R.E.M. offers up a review of its strengths on New Adventures in Hi-Fi. R.E.M.’s 12th album is a perfect incarnation of mature folk-rock, with the joys and liabilities of the band hinging on frontman Michael Stipe’s voice. Folk, like the material [...]
By Ryan Schreiber Pitchfork Magazine Rating: 9.5 It’s good to see that Monster was just a momentary diversion instead of a Zooropa-style permanent one. The sound of New Adventures In Hi-Fi is like blending all the different styles R.E.M. ever persued into one solid state. You’ve got a bit of the early Murmur and Reckoning [...]
By Tom Moon Philadelphia Inquirer When R.E.M. began its Monster tour in late ’94, it had a big agenda: The Athens, Ga. quartet not only intended to promote its current work, it wanted to write and record a new batch of songs. Everything was documented: rehearsals, soundchecks, dressing-room jam sessions and more than 110 two-hour [...]
By Bill Prince Q Magazine 5 stars As befits a record conceived on the road and delivered within four months of leaving it, New Adventures In Hi-Fi finds R.E.M. at a crossroads. It’s their last album under the terms of their current contract with Warner Brothers and the first to enter the world without the [...]
10.04.96 Wall Street Journal When Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. Records re-signed the rock band R.E.M. to a record-breaking five-album contract for more than $80 million in August, some Warner executives actually cried with relief that the label could still hold on to top talent after two years of management turmoil. Now, however, they may [...]