Maps of Music

Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)

Where the lyrics of Lifes Rich Pageant take you, and where it was really made.

R.E.M. made only one album with producer Don Gehman, yet it moved the band from a murky, dense sound toward an accessible, hard rock-influenced one.

Key places

Belmont Mall Studio, Indiana (1986)

Recording site Belmont Mall Studio — The album was recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana, in April and May 1986. The pin sits at Belmont city center, not on the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cuyahoga River at Cleveland (1986)

In the lyrics Cuyahoga River — The song Cuyahoga refers to the once heavily polluted Cuyahoga River, which flows into Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio. The lyric about burning the river refers to occasions when it caught fire. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Album story

Overview

• Lifes Rich Pageant: fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M.
• Released July 28, 1986 by I.R.S. Records
• Produced by Don Gehman, the only album the band recorded with him
• Gehman moved the band from the obscure, dense sound of earlier albums to an accessible, hard rock-influenced quality

Background

• During the first half of 1986 the band took a break from touring to recover energy
• They wanted to leave behind the murky sound of their previous album
• They liked the acoustic sound of Gehman's earlier work with John Mellencamp
• Initial demo sessions were held at John Keane's Studio in Athens, Georgia, in January and March 1986
• Those demos were later released as the 'Athens Demos' on the 25th-anniversary re-release

Recording

• Recorded at Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Recording Studio in Belmont, Indiana, in April and May 1986
• The studio was larger and had newer technology than the band was used to
• The band enjoyed the area and attended many concerts in nearby Bloomington during the sessions
• Bassist Mike Mills praised Gehman's layering and the extra clarity of the vocals
• Gehman spent time on arrangements and overdubs, and said the band was excited by the layered process

Cover

• A photo of drummer Bill Berry covers the upper half, and a pair of bison covers the lower half
• The bison signify an environmental theme and also allude to Buffalo Bill
• The album title is based on an English idiom, and the band dropped the apostrophe

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, all University of Georgia students
• Released the single "Radio Free Europe" in 1981 on the independent label Hib-Tone
• Signed with I.R.S. Records in 1982

Members

• Michael Stipe (lead vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass, vocals), Bill Berry (drums) until 1997
• Bill Rieflin served as touring drummer from 2003 until his death in 2020

Career

• Breakthrough hit "The One I Love" in 1987 from Document; signed with Warner Bros. in 1988
• Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992) made them leaders of alternative rock
• Continued as a trio after Berry left in 1997
• Broke up in 2011 after selling more than 90 million albums worldwide
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album was well-received critically
• Anthony DeCurtis, writing for Rolling Stone, called it 'brilliant and groundbreaking, if modestly flawed'
• DeCurtis praised it as the most outward looking record R.E.M. had made
• Robert Christgau gave the album B+ in a dismissive review that complained of a lack of progress from earlier albums

Reappraisal

• Retrospective reviews, in the context of the band's later work, have been positive
• Gavin Edwards, writing in 2003, gave it four stars and praised 'Fall on Me' in particular
• Stephen Deusner, writing for Pitchfork, called it 'invigorating' and cited it as R.E.M.'s first transitional album
• Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said it 'may represent the band at their absolute zenith'
• Andrew Mueller in Uncut argued that it represents R.E.M. embracing the mainstream
• Review aggregator Metacritic reported universal acclaim, a weighted average of 93 out of 100 from 20 critic scores

Records

• Peaked at number 21 on the Billboard charts, and heralded the band's first gold record
• Reached number 43 on the UK chart
• The only singles were 'Fall on Me' and a cover of the Clique's 'Superman', sung by Mike Mills
• PopMatters included it in its list of 12 essential 1980s alternative rock albums
• Ranked number 162 in Virgin's All-Time Album Top 1000 List in 2000

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album title comes from an English idiom; the band dropped the apostrophe, which guitarist Peter Buck traces to the 1964 film A Shot in the Dark
• The cover shows drummer Bill Berry on the upper half and a pair of bison on the lower half
• The original LP and CD back covers listed the track order incorrectly, and some pressings corrected it
• Some early UK compact disc copies list the track as 'Superwoman' instead of 'Superman'
• At the end of 'Just a Touch', Michael Stipe screams a line that quotes Patti Smith's live cover of The Who's 'My Generation'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact