User:Elephantranges/sandbox

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Up
Studio album by
R.E.M.
ReleasedOctober 26, 1998 (1998-10-26)
Studio
Length64:31
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
R.E.M. chronology
R.E.M.: In the Attic – Alternative Recordings 1985–1989
(1997) 		Up
(1998) 		Man on the Moon
(1999)
Singles from Up
  1. "Daysleeper"
    Released: October 12, 1998[1]
  2. "Lotus"
    Released: December 7, 1998[2]
  3. "At My Most Beautiful"
    Released: March 8, 1999[3]
  4. "Suspicion"
    Released: June 28, 1999[4]

Up is the eleventh studio album by American rock band R.E.M. It was released on October 26, 1998 through Warner Bros. Records. The album was the band's first without drummer Bill Berry, who retired from the band in October 1997. In his place, R.E.M. used session drummers such as Joey Waronker and Barrett Martin while also utilizing drum machines. The band produced the record with Pat McCarthy, marking the end of a partnership with Scott Litt which extended back to Document (1987).

The songs on Up display a much larger electronic music influence than previous R.E.M. material, with extensive use of keyboards and drum programming. Among the ideas Stipe set out to explore lyrically were what he described as the "religious-spiritual versus science-technology-modern-age", in addition to the use of an "automatic, unconscious" style. The making of the album was tumultuous, with the band later admitting to coming close to breaking up during the process.

While Up was commercially successful, reaching the top 3 in both the US and UK, its sales fell short of R.E.M.'s previous albums. Four singles were released from the album, with "Daysleeper" and "At My Most Beautiful" being the most successful. Critical reception has been positive, with many considering it to be a transitional record for the band and praising its integration of electronic elements. The band toured throughout 1999 in Europe and the US in promotion of the album. In 2023, Up was reissued with bonus material for the 25th anniversary of its release.

Background[edit]

Bill Berry performing with R.E.M. in the 2000s.
Up was R.E.M.'s first album without drummer Bill Berry.

In 1995, R.E.M. embarked on a tour for their ninth studio album Monster (1994), their first since the Green (1988) tour.[5] While the tour was critically and commercially successful, the band was marred by health problems, including an aneurysm suffered by Berry at a show in Lausanne, Switzerland.[6] After receiving emergency surgery, Berry made a full recovery, although the band had to cancel the rest of their spring tour.[6] Bassist Mike Mills additionally had to have an intestinal tumor removed in July of that year, whilst in August lead vocalist Michael Stipe suffered a hernia.[6] The next year, the band signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records worth an estimated $80 million, which had been regarded as the largest recording contract awarded up to that point.[7] In the spring, the band parted ways with longtime manager Jefferson Holt due to allegations of sexual harassment.[8] In September 1996, the band released New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which had been partially recorded live and during soundchecks from the Monster tour.[9] The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching number two in the US and number one in the UK.[10][11] However, none of its singles managed to reach the top 40 in the US and sales were lower than the band's previous few releases.[10]


Recording[edit]

  • The band began rehearsals for a new album in February 1997 at West Clayton Street in Athens, Georgia.[12]
  • These rehearsals produced around 20 backing tracks, and the band began to consider bringing Scott Litt in to produce the forthcoming record. However, due to other obligations, Litt declined.[12]
  • Band then got together at Buck's house in Maui in March 1997, putting "about 40 songs on tape"; mostly using drum machines with very little guitar.[12]
  • Material produced at this time included a demo entitled "Pounce Pony", which would evolve into the album's closing track "Falls to Climb".[13]
  • Hawaii sessions ended in April, and the band took a break.[14]
  • To create material, Buck utilized his personal studio at his Seattle home using "first-generation beat boxes, analogue synths and primitive keyboards like the Mellotron, the Baldwin Discover, the Kitten, and the Univox."[14]
  • Since he was unable to simply jam with Berry and Mike Mills in Athens, he utilized drum machines for rhythmic backing. He would add other instrumentation to his demos, including guitar by Scott McCaughey; eventually the demos sounded very different from R.E.M.'s previous work.[14]
  • Buck described sound as "Elton John performed by Suicide".[14]
  • The band intended to reconvene in early October 1997 at West Clayton Street to resume work on the album. However, at this time, Berry announced his departure from the band.[12]
  • Berry decided to go into farming.[12]
  • While the band had previously declared they would disband following any member's departure, Berry would only leave on the condition that the band continued.[13]
  • Band decided they would augment the core lineup with additional musicians.[15]
  • Band discussed "stripping down the drum sound", utilizing beat boxes and maracas.[14]
  • Band tried to convince Berry to remain in the band, but by the end of October conceded his decision.[14]
  • Buck and Berry tended to be more punctual, while Mills and Stipe would arrive later and work late in the day. Berry's absence created an imbalance in this dynamic, and Buck found himself working on songs with Scott McCaughey], Barrett Martin and Joey Waronker before the rest of the band showed up.[15]
  • Berry maintained a relationship with the band, and would drop in on sessions and provide support.[15]
  • Band relations collapsed during the spring of 1998.[15]
  • Stipe suffered from writer's block.[15][12]
  • Buck stated the band "couldn't face" having a drummer after Berry's departure, so session drummer Barrett Martin tended to instead contribute instruments such as double bass and vibes.[12]
  • McCaughey noted that while outside musicians didn't contribute to writing due to the sheer amount of material generated by the three main members, they were still encouraged to contribute to arrangements and "[felt] like part of the band."[12]
  • Toast Studios sessions lasted nine weeks.[12] Buck's main contributions to the album consisted of the creation of basic tracks, which concluded early in the process, leading him to contribute less as the sessions went on. Mills and Stipe would focus more on little details; Mills would play a song multiple times to develop it, whereas Buck envisioned a song's final form from its conception.[12]
  • Stipe thought the album would be the band's "last will and testament."[12]
  • Band maintained an "anything goes" attitude, possibly using percussion to a much smaller extent than before.[16]
  • In the past, Buck and Berry would meet up early in the afternoon to work out material, while Mills would join in later to contribute. Due to the changed dynamic, Buck would work out backing tracks by himself in many cases; he would play bass on much of the album. Buck would work out tracks with Scott McCaughey and Barrett Martin, and as the bass parts had already been created, Mills would instead contribute keyboards.[16]
  • Buck was enthusiastic about the album during recording: "I was thinking, 'this could very well be our best record', said when the band was working in two studios simultaneously at Toast.[16] Many elements from the demos were retained, including drum machines and "crazy" guitar parts.[16]
  • Stipe came to San Francisco with six sets of lyrics prepared, including those for "Suspicion", "Parakeet" "Airportman", and "Sad Professor".[16]
  • Sessions moved back to John Keane studio on May 10th for overdubs (featuring just the three core members), where work continued until late July.[12][16]
  • The return home caused Stipe to suffer from writer's block, which left Mills, Buck and McCarthy to continue tweaking with the tracks while they waited for lyrics. Buck felt this compromised the spontaneous element of the music.[16]
  • After performing with the band at the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Joey Waronker was called in to add drums to "Daysleeper" and "Suspicion".[16]
  • Buck was frustrated by the slow pace of progress on the album.[16]
  • Half the album's mixes were finished by the end of July, while the other half were worked on by Nigel Godrich.[16]

Individual songs[edit]

  • "Airportman" was one of the first songs to be completed. "Written, recorded, sung, and mixed" in one day, according to Stipe.[12] Writer's block happened shortly afterward.[12]
  • "Hope" developed from a "heavily synthesized" track entitled "Boomerang", its working title named after the sampling device used to create it.[12][17] Stipe changed its title and transposed key to suit his voice.[12]
  • "Daysleeper" started life towards the end of the New Adventures in Hi-Fi sessions; at that time a demo was created but it was not completed in time to appear on that album due to a lack of lyrics.[12]

Music and lyrics[edit]

  • Stipe wrote lyrics from a "disturbed, questing, questioning persona."[15]
  • Laden with "religiosity and biblical musings."[15]
  • Aimed to write about how "technology and material advancement complemented or contradicted one's spirituality."[15]
  • Among the percussion claimed by the band to have been used is duffle bags filled with percussion instruments dropped on the floor, slammed piano lids, and candy bar wrappers.[16]
  • "Airportman", "Hope", and "Daysleeper" all share a theme of, according to Buck, "people doing jobs that they're not happy with and living lives which make them aspire to more than that."[12]

Individual songs[edit]

  • "Hope" was inspired by a trip to San Francisco; writing credit given to Leonard Cohen due to lyrical similarities to his song "Suzanne".[16]
  • "Walk Unafraid" was inspired by a conversation Stipe had with Patti Smith in which she encouraged him to be "fearless" when making the record. Stipe wanted the theme to be more "universal" than just the process of creating an album.[12]

Release[edit]

  • Album's name was taken from a packing crate when they were almost out of time.[16]
  • Discussing the album to the press during its creation, Buck, McCaughey, and Martin told fans to expect a "complete overhaul" of the R.E.M. sound: "You can't really tell it's us on most of the songs."[16]
  • The band decided to include the album's lyrics within the booklet, a first for R.E.M.[16]

Promotion[edit]

  • Performed at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in June 1998, where they opened with "Airportman", which they followed with other new, unreleased material.[15] Joey Waronker was the drummer.[12]

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

  • Black, Johnny (2004). Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. Backbeat. ISBN 0-87930-776-5.
  • Buckley, David (2002). R.E.M.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography. Virgin. ISBN 1-85227-927-3.
  • Fletcher, Tony (2013). Perfect Circle: The Story of R.E.M. Omnibus. ISBN 978-1-78038-698-0.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. October 10, 1998. p. 29. Misprinted as September 12 on source.
  2. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. December 5, 1998. p. 23.
  3. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 8 March, 1999: Singles". Music Week. March 6, 1999. p. 25.
  4. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 28 June, 1999: Singles". Music Week. June 26, 1999. p. 25.
  5. ^ Stafford, James (11 July 2015). "Revisiting R.E.M.'s Cursed 'Monster' Tour". Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Power, Ed (28 July 2020). "When REM created a Monster: inside the tour that almost destroyed them". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ Philips, Chuck (25 August 1996). "R.E.M., Warner Records Sign $80-Million Deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  8. ^ Philips, Chuck (22 June 1996). "R.E.M. Manager Resigned After Harassment Complaint". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  9. ^ Peacock, Tim (10 September 2023). "'New Adventures In Hi-Fi': How R.E.M. Expanded In All Directions". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference billboard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "R.E.M. Songs and Albums". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Cite error: The named reference black18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference buckley10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference fletcher21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Buckley 2002, chap. 11
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Fletcher 2013, chap. 22
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference buckley12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Background[edit]

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