Album Review: REM – Lifes Rich Pageant [Deluxe Edition]

Also served as a breaking point for the band. Recording overseas in England with famed producer Joe Boyd may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but the consistent poor weather managed to work its way into the sessions. The music does not suffer, though it is considerably darker than the two albums and E.P. that preceded it. When any band suffers through these conditions, there is only one answer: John Cougar Mellencamp.

Or John Cougar. Or John Mellencamp. The point is, in 1986, for their next album, the band chose to record at Mellencamp’s recording studio in Indiana, a far cry from London, and much closer to their home base in Athens (Georgia, not Greece). In addition to the location, they worked for the first and only time with Mellencamp’s producer, Don Gehman, and created a politically-charged, much more upbeat record called Lifes Rich Pageant . Guitarist Peter Buck’s Rickenbacker has a bit more kick, and oftentimes bassist Mike Mills’s harmonies enter through the headphone marked “L” while lead singer Michael Stipe’s vocals pop through “R”. Bill Berry’s percussion is given an extra boost, as well. Some vocals get appropriately buried in the mix (“Underneath the Bunker”), while others are justifiably pushed to the forefront (“These Days”). Like the previous three deluxe edition R.E.M. records, there is a bonus disc, with material culled from demo sessions recorded by the band in Athens before heading west. Like the rest of the album, they make for essential listening.

The original album, though, sounds superb. Opener “Begin the Begin” still stirs up the emotion any great album or concert opener should, inviting the audience in to play. The guitar chords hang in the air during the verses, while Stipe’s vocals sound even more venomous than they did before. “These Days” now features a clearer harmony from Mills at the song’s conclusion, before fading into the background. The companion piece to “These Days” comes in the form of “I Believe”, perhaps the most inspiring music from the R.E.M. catalogue. The soaring chorus, and Buck’s guitar-picking elevate the track to a different level.

From a technical standpoint, “What If We Give It Away?” has a clearer guitar line before each Stipe lyric. The numerous instruments in the semi-instrumental “Underneath the Bunker” get a little more attention, from the Spanish guitar to the percussion.