REM: Lifes Rich Pageant

With their fourth full-length album, Lifes Rich Pageant, R.E.M. began to change things up a bit and started to resemble the band that came out of nowhere to attain superstar status in the 1990s.



For the first time, Michael Stipe’s vocals are easily discernible over the sound of the rest of the band. They also introduce a harder rocking sound, which can be heard on the standout tracks “Begin the Begin” and “Just a Touch”. Finally, we begin to see some of the politically and/or environmentally-charged tracks we’ve come to expect from the band in “Fall On Me” (acid rain) and “Cuyahoga” (the polluted Cuyahoga River).

We also have bassist Mike Mills delivering his greatest lead vocal ever on the cover of the obscure garage rocker “Superman”.

I don’t know any Athens-related facts about this one.

Begin the Begin

Superman


Here is a reunited R.E.M. playing "Begin the Begin" at the 40 Watt Club on September 12.