Track Listing

1. Begin the Begin
2. These Days
3. Fall On Me
4. Cuyahoga
5. Hyena
6. Underneath the Bunker
7. The Flowers of Guatemala
8. I Believe
9. What if We Give it Away?
10. Just a Touch
11. Swan Swan H
12. Superman

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10538 in Music
• Released on: 1998-01-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

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R.E.M. Photos

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R.E.M.'s early recordings purposefully bury Michael Stipe's vocals, allowing them to dominate the audio mix no more than Peter Buck's jangly guitar figures or Mike Mills's bass. Lifes Rich Pageant represents a subtle shift in the program, with clearly audible lyrics (though they remain obscure in meaning) on most tracks. The band still has a bit of fun with its audience, listing the songs out of order on the album sleeve and leaving a couple of them ("Underneath the Bunker," "Superman") off entirely. As good as it is to hear Stipe enunciate while he sings, the music is equally revelatory and forward-looking on the radio-friendly "Fall on Me"; harder-rocking songs like "Begin the Begin," "These Days," and "Superman" (the latter tune sung by Mills); and the haunting, folkish "Swan Swan H." --Daniel Durchholz