R.E.M.
– Lifes Rich Pageant
R.E.M. had built a cult on jangle and mystery—cryptic lyrics mumbled into chiming guitars. Lifes Rich Pageant didn’t blow that up, but it made the picture clearer. Michael Stipe stops hiding behind the murk, Bill Berry hits harder, and the band—never slack, but often subtle—decides to punch through the mix instead of skimming across it. Producer Don Gehman, fresh from Cougar country, tightens the screws and sharpens the edges.
Best of…
This is R.E.M. staring down the American condition. Environmental panic, media fatigue, and political rot creep through the album, but it’s never a lecture. Stipe still leans into the abstract, but this time he’s pointed. It’s a band using clarity not for comfort, but confrontation. “Fall on Me” pleads, “Cuyahoga” mourns, and “Begin the Begin” kicks the door off its hinges. They weren’t alt-rock yet—they were still something stranger, smarter, and more Southern.
There’s a sense here that they knew they were becoming something bigger. The guitars stretch wider, the harmonies cut deeper, and the songs—while still a little slippery—start feeling like statements. Lifes Rich Pageant doesn’t care if you agree with it. It just wants you to pay attention. And maybe sing along while you’re at it.
Choice Tracks
Begin the Begin
A mission statement. Buck’s jagged guitar riff slices through the haze as Stipe sounds ready for revolution—if only he could get the words out fast enough. The band roars behind him like they’ve got somewhere to be.
Fall on Me
Deceptively pretty. Underneath those harmonies is a lament about ecological ruin and human indifference. Stipe and Mills weave their voices into a quiet panic. The chorus is unforgettable and tragically relevant.
Cuyahoga
History as indictment. A song about rivers, memory, and the wreckage of progress. The melody is big and hopeful, but the message aches. This isn’t nostalgia—it’s a requiem.
Hyena
Buck’s guitar spirals and skitters like it’s avoiding something sharp. Stipe sings like he’s halfway between riddle and warning. One of the strangest tracks here, and one of the most rewarding after a few spins.
These Days
Urgent and youthful without being naive. The band sounds like they’re trying to outrun something—regret, maybe, or just the creeping fog of adulthood. Mills’ backing vocals are the secret weapon.
Lifes Rich Pageant is where R.E.M. got louder, clearer, and harder to ignore. They didn’t abandon their southern gothic roots—they electrified them. It’s a transition album, but not a hesitant one. It moves like a band that knows exactly what it’s risking—and does it anyway.