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review: Monster [reissue]

Reissues: Monster reviewed!

As you probably already know, Warner Bros. reissued the entire R.E.M. catalogue in March 2005. Nine original albums (1988’s GREEN, 1991’s OUT OF TIME, 1992’s AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, 1994’s MONSTER, 1996’s NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI, 1998’s UP, 2001’s REVEAL, 2003’s IN TIME: THE BEST OF R.E.M. and 2004’s AROUND THE SUN) have currently reappeared in music stores as double-disc special edition reissues. Each album’s first disc is an original music CD, while the bonus disc is a DVD, containing the whole album in remastered 5.1 Dolby DVD-Audio, as well as some extras (e.g. promotional materials, live appearances, videos). The bonus discs are especially a treat for a DVD-Audiophiles, who will be able to enjoy the enhanced sounds of the new masters, and hear the difference in prominence of various instruments and layers. Each reissued album comes in a neat Digipak and makes a nice gift for every R.E.M. fan or enthusiast. REMisON.com were given an opportunity to listen to four of the Warners reissues. Below, you will find our review of MONSTER, but check back for the other reviews, which are to be added soon. MONSTER (1994) After the delicate, acoustic, strummed D chord ended Find The River, the last song on the multi-platinum and top-ten-of-all-time Automatic For The People album, the silence followed. In that silence, one could wonder “Wow, will they ever do it again? Can they go further?”. The silence lasted for almost two years, and then, it was – literally – broken by another D chord. The opening chord for “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth”. But this one was, let’s put it, different. It was louder than anything R.E.M. have ever recorded before. After Automatic, the guys realized there was no natural evolution from the point they were in. So, they made a revolution instead. A revolution that ultimately failed, as R.E.M.’s latest history, and their recent attitude toward ‘Monster’ shows. But hell if it wasn’t necessary and courageous. It wasn’t that R.E.M. had never made a rock album before – in fact, they were no less than a rock band to the bone. However, most of the world knew them only from their last two efforts, which showcased R.E.M.’s pop-folk-rocky, radio-friendly side. First spin of Monster must have been a disturbing shock and a huge disappointment particularly for those ‘casual listeners’. Where are those catchy hit singles? Why guitar and guitar, feedback and distortion all over the album? Monster is no easy listening. In certain moments it sounds forced, troubled or even redundant. There is no doubt this was a terribly hard one to make. It is clear that the guys were in need of a catharsis and Monster was the outcome, though they didn’t manage to get over Automatic at that time yet. Having said all that, I have to add that what makes Monster a really good and classic R.E.M. album, is that it demands the listener to concentrate and dedicate on the overwhelming and purposely dissonant noise, in order to find true beauty and tenderness in the beast. It is the struggle with Monster which makes you really appreciate it. Today, 11 years after its original release, Monster seems to have aged really well. More than half the album sounds like genuine R.E.M. classics. The cornerstones are the aforementioned Kenneth (this song was the only one from Monster to make the In Time compilation), Crush With Eyeliner (with a heavy distorted sound and a cool video by Spike Jonze), Strange Currencies and Tongue (two most delicate songs on the album, the latter being a falsetto-driven soul number), Bang and Blame (mixing dub reggae with hard rock), I Took Your Name (heavy, droning track with a strong riff and a tongue-in-cheek lyrics, recently revived for Around The Sun tour) and Let Me In (a noisy ballad dedicated to the late Kurt Cobain, with Mike Mills playing Kurt’s Fender Jag-Stang guitar). The rest sounds almost as good, what might mean that Monster stood the test of time better than the grunge movement, which influenced the album very strongly, did. The irony is that while Monster was a great seller, the band members consider it one of their worst efforts. Monster songs aren’t played that often live nowadays. One might argue that the band got tired of them after the lengthy and disastrous Monster Tour. Some fans point to the fact that Monster marked the beginning of R.E.M.’s decline in popularity. Judging after their last three studio albums, R.E.M. chose to abandon the path Monster laid, returning to Out Of Time/ Automatic tradition instead. However, the album born during the Monster tour, which was to follow the Beast, took very much of its spirit without its flaws, expanding it and blossoming into a masterpiece. (See New Adventures In Hi-Fi review).     The reissued edition’s DVD makes Monster’s hidden gems easier to find. Though its surface remains rough and plain, there are plenty of sounds which add some flavor to the overall feel of the album, making it more surprising and complex. The wall of sound created by distorted Les Pauls and Rickenbacker does not crumble, but Michael’s vocals are more audible and prominent now. The sound of the new master might seem less grungy than the original. Of all four reissues I had the pleasure to review, Monster has the most altered sound.  For the beginners, it will be easier to start with the DVD-A version, while the connoisseurs should enjoy comparing CD and DVD masters and wondering whether Monster has improved or lost much of its original character. Both views are justifiable. The DVD contains also a previously unreleased documentary with interviews and 3 live songs – one of them is “I Don’t Sleep, I Dream”, much better in the concert version, featuring Michael Stipe on electric guitar! Sadly, there are no lyrics included, in contrary to most of other reissued albums.  Instead, the booklet contains an interesting retrospective article on Monster, penned by Gil Kaufman. Monster may not be R.E.M.’s best album. On the other side, it is not only their most rocking, but also their most non-commercial, uncompromising, and brave. It’s a set of rock anthems you’ll learn to love, if you are a true R.E.M. fan.