I Believe...In R.E.M.

In 1986, with a fan base growing beyond the college radio boundaries, R.E.M. created a masterpiece. The band, working with producer Don Gehman for the first time, went from obscure and dense sounds from their earlier releases to a more accessible, rock album that still sounds as relevant today as it did back in the day. Released on this day 36 years ago, Lifes Rich Pageant remains my favorite R.E.M. album of all-time.

The confidence you hear on Pageant is evident from the minute Peter Buck’s guitar kicks off “Begin The Begin”. Michael Stipe’s voice is bigger, the driving rhythm section of Mike Mills on bass and Bill Berry on drums brings an urgent call to listeners.

Up next is the fiery track (and maybe my favorite from the album), “These Days”. An up-tempo jangly-pop song with fantastic lyrics from Stipe - “We are young despite the years - We are concern - We are hope despite the times.” Relevant in 2022? You bet!

Probably the most well-known track is next - “Fall On Me” a song that has been said is about the environment, specifically acid rain. It contains a fantastic feature that R.E.M. used frequently, a duet between Stipe and Mills. The two trade vocals prominently during the bridge and chorus.

The more I listen to Pageant the more I hear the musical influence from producer Gehman and especially his work on John Mellencamp’s album Scarecrow, released a year earlier, especially the songs “Lonely Ol’ Night” and “Minutes to Memories”.

Another favorite comes later on in the album (on the “Supper side” - there is also a “Dinner side”) with the track “I Believe”. An idealistic anthem that brings energy and urgency (starting with a sweet banjo intro). The video of the song is from Tour Film '89 and contains a snippet of the fantastic song "Future 40s (String of Pearls)" by Syd Straw.

“Just a Touch” is about the hardest the band ever rocked (to this point in their career). A punky song that is driven by the energetic drumming of Bill Berry. “Superman” (a fantastic cover song originally done by the Texas band The Clique) has Mills take the lead on singing.

There are moments where Stipe’s vocals are at their prettiest. Both “The Flowers of Guatemala” and “Swan Swan H” showcase a stripped down band with lovely vocals from Stipe. He’s clearly discovering his voice even more than on previous releases and setting the tone for things to come.

In Rolling Stone’s original review, they proclaimed that “the underground is over”. R.E.M. was out there and Lifes Rich Pageant was their most pivotal release, setting them up for larger audiences, larger sounds and stardom.