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Monster
Studio album by R.E.M.
Released	26 September 1994 (UK) 27 September 1994 (U.S.)
Recorded	April–July 1994
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	49:15
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Scott Litt, R.E.M.
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone link
R.E.M. chronology
Automatic for the People (1992) Monster (1994) New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)

Monster is R.E.M.'s ninth album, and their fourth major label release for Warner Bros., released in 1994. It is their most guitar-heavy album to this day, with glam/70s rock and grunge influences. It is also very multi-layered, with references to projected images, both in the media and in personal identity, particularly in terms of sexuality.

Contents 1 Details 2 Track listing 2.1 Notes 3 Personnel 3.1 Additional personnel 4 Charts 4.1 Album 4.2 Single 5 Certifications 6 References

Monster became a multi-platinum seller, and received critical acclaim by most critics, reaching #1 worldwide. There were several hits from the album, particularly "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," "Strange Currencies," and "Bang and Blame."

The song "Let Me In" was written for Kurt Cobain, who died shortly after the sessions for Monster started. Michael Stipe said that the lyrics of the song were basically what he would tell Kurt over the phone.^[1] The song was recorded on Kurt Cobain's Jag-Stang.

"King of Comedy" is a heavily processed, electronic-sounding track; Peter Buck called it a "Leonard Cohen rip-off."^[1] It had started out as a song called "Yes I Am Fucking With You".

The caption in the liner notes reading "For River" is a dedication to late actor River Phoenix, a friend of Michael Stipe's, who died of a drug overdose of cocaine and heroin on 31 October 1993.

In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of Monster which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes. The CD (as with all in this series) is not remastered.

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.

1. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" – 4:00 (download sample here)
2. "Crush with Eyeliner" – 4:39
3. "King of Comedy" – 3:40
4. "I Don't Sleep, I Dream" – 3:27
5. "Star 69" – 3:07
6. "Strange Currencies" – 3:52
7. "Tongue" – 4:13
8. "Bang and Blame"¹ – 5:30
9. "I Took Your Name" – 4:02
10. "Let Me In" – 3:28
11. "Circus Envy" – 4:15
12. "You" – 4:54

¹ Track followed by a brief untitled instrumental.

Monster had several live B-sides. Instrumental versions of "What’s the Frequency, Kenneth", "Bang and Blame", "Crush with Eyeliner", "Strange Currencies" and "Tongue" were also issued on the Monster singles.

• Bill Berry – drums, bass, vocals
• Peter Buck – guitar, Farfisa organ
• Mike Mills – bass, piano, organ, guitar, vocals
• Michael Stipe – vocals

• Ané, Lynda Stipe, Lou Barlow and Rain Phoenix on "Bang and Blame"
• Sally Dworsky on "King of Comedy" and "Bang and Blame" (misspelled as "Dworski" on the liner notes)
• Thurston Moore (from Sonic Youth) on "Crush with Eyeliner"

Year	Chart	Position
1994	The Billboard 200	1 (54 weeks on chart)
1994	UK album chart	1 (56 weeks on chart)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1994	"Bang and Blame"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	1
1994	"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	1
1994	"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"	Billboard Hot 100	21
1995	"Crush with Eyeliner"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	33
1995	"Star 69"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	8
1995	"Bang and Blame"	Billboard Hot 100	19
1995	"Strange Currencies"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	14
1995	"Strange Currencies"	Billboard Hot 100	47

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – U.S.	Gold	December 6, 1994
RIAA – U.S.	Platinum	December 6, 1994
RIAA – U.S.	Double Platinum	December 6, 1994
RIAA – U.S.	Triple Platinum	March 22, 1995
RIAA – U.S.	4X Platinum	August 10, 1995
BPI – U.K.	3X Platinum	July 1, 1995

1. ^ ^{a b} Black, Johnny (2004). Reveal: The Story of R.E.M.. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-776-5.

v • d • e R.E.M.
Peter Buck · Mike Mills · Michael Stipe Bill Berry
Accompaniment	Scott McCaughey · Bill Rieflin · Ken Stringfellow · Amanda Brown · Nathan December · Buren Fowler · Peter Holsapple · Barrett Martin · Joey Waronker
Management and producers	Bertis Downs, IV · Jacknife Lee · Joe Boyd · Don Dixon · Mitch Easter · Don Gehman · Jefferson Holt · Scott Litt · Pat McCarthy
Studio albums and EPs	Chronic Town · Murmur · Reckoning · Fables of the Reconstruction · Lifes Rich Pageant · Document · Green · Out of Time · Automatic for the People · Monster · New Adventures in Hi-Fi · Up · Reveal · Around the Sun · Upcoming studio album #14
Compilations	Dead Letter Office · Eponymous · The Best of R.E.M. · Singles Collected · In the Attic · In Time · And I Feel Fine
Other albums	Athens Andover · Man on the Moon · Not Bad for No Tour · r.e.m.IX · R.E.M. Live
Singles	List of singles
Videos	Succumbs · Tourfilm · Pop Screen · This Film Is On · Parallel · Road Movie · In View · Perfect Square · When the Light Is Mine
Related articles	Discography · Alternative rock · Hindu Love Gods · I.R.S. Records · Warner Bros. Records · Hib-Tone · Homer the Moe