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R.E.M. confirm Monster box set for 2019

By Paul Sinclair

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127

R.E.M. have confirmed that their 1994 album Monster will be reissued towards the end of this year for its 25th anniversary.

A post on the band’s official Facebook page today simply states “#Monster25 coming soon” followed by “October 1994: released. October 2019: planning starting now…”

#Monster25 coming soon. October 1994: released. October 2019: planning starting now. It’s a real trove of treasures.

Posted by R.E.M. on Monday, 21 January 2019

 

The news doesn’t come as a great surprise, since similar treatment was given to 1991’s Out Of Time and 1992’s Automatic For The People in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Monster wasn’t as well received as the two that preceded it and was a return to a more ‘rockier’ vibe.

The album spawned a number of singles including ‘What’s The Frequency Kenneth?’, ‘Bang and Blame’ and ‘Strange Currencies’.

What would you like to see on a Monster super deluxe edition? Leave a comment and let us know!

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127 Comments

127 thoughts on “R.E.M. confirm Monster box set for 2019”

  1. I don’t like to read people pulling down vinyl as I think there’s room for all formats. For me vinyl is something a bit different you get the nice big cover art and lowering the needle down and watching the record spin is really fun and then you have all the coloured ones now and marble effects and they look amazing and sound just as good in my opinion. I still download and I’ve been buying cd’s too. I’d love to have Monster on vinyl.

  2. Road movie on Blu-Ray would be cool. Including 3 song performance on SNL as well as appearances on Late Show and Tonight Show would be as well. Coming out on a limited 180 gram Dbl LP with 2nd record filled with B-sides

  3. I’d love to see/hear the second show from NYC/MSG on that tour. Near Wild Heaven, You and a mighty raucous take on MOTM. Make this so…

  5. WITCHITA LINEMAN!!!! PLEASE PLEASE include this song that was performed on the Monster tour on the Box Set maybe as an Extra Lp of Bonus Live,B-sides,Demos,etc and since Glenn Campbell passed away just a few years ago it would be a nice little tribute to him. It was afterall included as an official single B-Side to the Bittersweet Me song so you should be able to track down the master or a copy of it…..JUST REMEMBER GUYS…..WITCHITA LINEMAN!!!!

    1. “witcheta lineman” will be on the expnded “New Adventures In Hi-Fi” in 2021. though they performed it on the Monster tour it belongs to the next records reissue as it was recorded during the NAIHF sessions during their soundchecks and used as the b-side to “bittersweet me”

  6. I’d like to see a bookset à la Tull:

    Disc 1: a Japanese-mastered, hybrid-multi SACD with the original 2.0 mix (also remastered) on the cd-layer and a 2.0 and (THE Elliot Scheiner) 5.1 on the DSD SACD-layer.

    Disc 2: (ONE) 24/96 4K-Blu ATMOS disc to include:
    – hirez 2.0
    – (Original) advanced rez (lpcm) 24/96 5.1
    – a NEW ATMOS mix done by someone
    extraordinary and COMPETENT.
    – all MTV vids reformatted to 16X9 with hirez 2.0, 5.1
    and ATMOS options ported over

    AND

    – an ATMOS download-card for “Monster”

    Lastly, as as a bonus, ALL purchasers will be sent a “corrected” ATMOS disc of “AFTP.” I’ve been banging this drum since I received and noticed bass lines missing from the protest song “Ignoreland” in ATMOS (only!). I can’t be the only one who noticed these crucial missing notes with NO explanation. How in God’s name the original mixers (Litt & Norrell) left out (these consequential) bass lines off their ATMOS mix with NO EXPLANATION is mind-boggling. It stands out, and it’s UNACCEPTABLE!

    Fix it!

    As a fan of R.E.M. to (at least) “Monster,” it’s my hope this gets a proper surround-sound remix for ~the price of the Tull booksets — and on that note, I’d (almost) like to see a different SDE format to continue the “non-conformity” theme from RE to RE during THIS round of REM “surround-sound” SDEs

    …OR conform and copy the “OoT” 5.1-Blu book presentation. Please, however, abandon any notions toward MORE, bloated boxsets that sit in drawers, after “the wallets” w/appropriate cd & surround discs are retrieved.

  7. Include all the versions, demos, cassette-only instrumentals, live…etc.
    All the singles included live tracks, not sure these were all from the same concert. If so, release the full concert, at least in audio. Blu-Ray/DVD would be nice to include, but not a ‘must’.

    It would be annoying to exclude a few tracks, which happens too many times regarding SDE’s.

    1. All the live tracks from the singles were released on the Automatic for the People 25th anniversary edition – they were all from a concert at the 40 Watt Club in ’92.

  8. Pure “Marmite” album……. personally I love it ; certainly in their top 5 albums. With regards SDE content; it’s a simple equation;

    Previously unreleased+ Alternate versions ( not demos which are practically the same as the released version i.e all Manics SDE’s) + smattering of b-sides + good quality dvd / blue ray i.e Depeche Mode SDE’s) = immediate purchase!

    Best examples of above equation; A-Ha,TFF & Wet Wet Wet debut’s SDE …. simply stunning more like this please

  9. I would like to see the various wonderful sugestions being released on pure audio Blu-ray. Which the CSNY 1974 box set collection as issued by Rhino / Warner’s music label was, however not everyone has the equipment to listen with headphones on and appreciate the difference. I recommend techmoan channel on you tube, to appreciate the differing audio formats & the music industries various attempts to sell music to the public.

    1. I agree that the IRS years were amazing, but for me “Green” was a bitter disappointment. I found it aimless and dull with the exception of a couple of songs. But even their worst albums always had a couple of great tunes. (“Electron Blue” anyone?)

      1. It’s interesting that there’s never been much consensus as to what REM’s best albums are – I’ve heard some say ‘Green’ is their favourite, while ‘Monster’ seems to be rated and hated in equal measure. Perhaps this is the mark of a great band, as opposed to a band that made a couple of great albums.

        ps. ‘Electron Blue’ – agreed.

  13. Wow! This album really divides opinions. I loved it when it was released and I love it even more now. I remember going into my local Our Price before college on the day it was released and I couldn’t wait to get home that evening to play it. I already own the 5.1 DVD, which I think is very good, but I wouldn’t mind an atmos version if they get it right. Loads of demos, live recordings and hopefully some unreleased gems from that period would be great. Can’t wait!

      1. hail hail

        new adventures in hifi n up are far better albums than some of their 80s records imho. then this is the decline in your opinion and your pithy opinion is certainly not a relevant way to discuss…

  14. Actually, i am quite looking forward to this. I really do have a soft spot for this album, great videos, great tunes, more of a rock approach, yet still artistic and arty. Considering it was by an American band, i always felt it fitted in quite nicely with the great ‘Brit Pop’ renaissance of inventive guitar and Indie bands. I know it was by chance, but i sort of measure that whole period with this album in the early days and Gay Dad Leisure noise as the full stop in 1999. Just a personal view, i don’t want any flack. So i am really looking forward to this release and as mentioned before, the Milton Keynes show would be a welcome part of this release too.

  15. This is one of my favourite R.E.M albums I liked it when they ‘Rockier’ and its why i like them as a band is that they liked to be experimental and let their creativity take them wherever it wanted that is what made them unique rather than sticking to a formula. Looking forward to the SDE.

  16. If you can pick an adjective somewhere between “Not any bit as good as Document or Life’s Rich Pageant” (which I absolutely love), and “shite”, it would describe my feelings towards Monster. A big disappointment to see them for the first time on that tour. Next time they came to Perth was a much better concert

  17. I am guessing nobody will be 100% happy with whatever they do. It was an era of CD singles with multiple unreleased or live or demo tracks. Whether they put all on it is to be determined.
    [Take for example the peter Gabriel’s So box set – a large chunk of tracks were left off.]
    That said, if the label thinks they can make money off a box set – no matter how bad it may be – they’ll release it.

    1. “That said, if the label thinks they can make money off a box set – no matter how bad it may be – they’ll release it.”

      Brief reply to this…

      R.E.M. gained the rights to their Warner Bros. catalogue some years ago and ALL current releases are their decisions alone, and have nothing to do with the company releasing them – Craft Recordings, a division of Concord Record Group.

      So don’t go blaming the label.

  18. R.E.M. found fame and fortune with Out Of Time and Automatic For The People etc. but it is their fantastic earlier albums – the first five – that are their most exciting to me, musicwise. Document will always be their finest hour.

  19. The Slane concert in Ireland from 1995, audio and, hopefully, video.

    They played nine songs from Monster, which is their most underrated album.
    Setlist
    What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
    Crush With Eyeliner
    Drive
    Try Not to Breathe
    Bang and Blame
    Undertow
    I Took Your Name
    I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
    Strange Currencies
    Revolution
    Tongue
    Man on the Moon
    Country Feedback
    Losing My Religion
    Pop Song 89
    Finest Worksong
    Get Up
    Star 69

    Encore:
    Let Me In
    Everybody Hurts
    So. Central Rain
    Departure
    It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

  20. My guess –

    B-Sides from the Monster period, which were on the whole that Athens 40 Watt show, right?
    perhaps The Tongue cassette you could tape them all on?

    Road movie DVD on Blu Ray.
    Demos galore.

    Massively underrated album, a poundland classic if ever there was one.
    Songs are incredibly strong and well sequenced.

    Could really do with a remix, which might open some ears 25 years after the event.

  21. What do I want on the 25th anniversary Monster set? Remove all Monster-era content and replace with whatever will be on the New Adventures In Hi-Fi 25th.

    And God only knows what these deluxe sets will be like if the program continues into the post Bill Berry years (Around The Sun super deluxe? Pffffffffft).

  22. Can’t wait.
    I hope there will be a live show (probably one recorded at the omni in atlanta, those are available in bootleg form). But this is tricky as the tour rehearsals were used to record songs that will end up on the New adventures album, we won’t get those songs now. Anyway, whatever they will release is fine by me, can’t get enough of REM…. and I like this album, of course it’s not their finest but what can you expect after automatic for the people, can’t make another masterpiece that easily.

    1. Whether it’s “deserved” is neither here nor there – we’re talking about a product, not a knighthood. Like it or not, the only question is whether people will buy it (which seems a fairly safe bet in this case).

      Who would get to decide what SDEs are “deserved” anyway? Fans? Critics? You?

  24. Hopefully, though I have it on promo 12″ they’ll include the 808 state remix of King Of Comedy. I thought it was a great album. I have the surround sound DVD audio version of this album as I bought a double disc version of it that has the album on CD and DVD audio also and it’s great. Hopefully plenty of demos/unreleased tracks as well as live stuff.

    1. The 808 State remix of ‘King Of Comedy’ has been released as bonus track on a cd-maxi..
      The flipside of the 12″ promo however, the instrumental version, hasn’t been released commercially as far as I know…

    1. There’s a very good reason for this.

      The previous two albums, “Out Of Time” and “Automatic For The People” especially brought a whole new audience to them.

      Here in the States people that had previously hardly ever listened to them suddenly liked the really ‘poppy’ stuff like “Stand”, “Shiny Happy People”, and “Man On The Moon”.
      Add to that the ‘quiet’ songs like “Everybody Hurts”, “Nightswimming”, and “Find The River”.

      As a result, loads of people didn’t know about how hard they could rock.
      THAT is why so many copies of “Monster” got returned.
      These people who would just as likely listen to gooey pop treacle just couldn’t handle it.

      For me, outside of the non-Bill Berry albums, “AFTP” is my least-liked R.E.M. album precisely cause it’s so overly quiet.

      There’s the simple reason.

  27. A better mix of the vocals. Example “Let Me In”, I think the live version on Road Movie is a lot better than the studio version because I can hear the vocals.

    Blu-Ray with 5.1 Surround Sound always good.

    Live disc.

    I can probably do without the demos. I generally only listen to them once.

  29. my all time fave REM album… i still listen to this one monthly or so!

    i’ll buy regardless… but really want a dolby atmos remixed 5.1 surround blu ray… demos, live tracks from the era…

    i have the original dvd audio of AFTP and the reissue box set from last year with the blu ray atmos mix and there is definitely large difference in the mix and the surround quality… can’t wait to hear MONSTER in atmos!

  31. I may bite if in the sale but I peaked with the previous album. Just found REM loosing their stride and coolness and start slipping downhill into dad music and Bollocksville.

    1. You call “Monster” ‘dad music’. That’s crazy.
      If any album approached ‘dad music’, if would be “Automatic For The People”.

      I actually don’t agree either is, but I’ll bet more dads are out there listening to “Everybody Hurts” instead of “Bang And Blame” or “I Took Your Name”

  32. Love this album, surprised at the negative reaction. Maybe after “Automatic For the People” which I can’t listen to any longer as it was so dominant and so “important”. And can’t stomach “Out of Time” at all, too poppy for me. This had the right balance.

  33. I’d love to see the photos used for a free calendar that came with one of the 7″ Singles, an expert will be able to elaborate but i recall them looking as if they were 70’s teenager photos…they had that overcoloured 70’s look to them as well.

  34. If rumors of a complete B-sides box are true, I feel greatly relieved, because my hopes for these box sets were that I’d be able to ditch the CD singles that I’d emassed when they were officially released. Having said that, I was hoping that the trend on these deluxe editions or super deluxe editions would change and we’d start getting B-sides in the mix. I’m not one for the instrumental takes, but I always like a timely live show or two.

  35. I tend to agree about live shows, there are probably enough R.E.M. live shows available but for the Monster tour, it was really special. No pun intended but they were really monster rock shows built for stadiums and festivals. Wether it’s small venues, big arenas or stadiums, I’ve seen R.E.M. live several times from the mid-80s to 2001 and if you take into account their Warner era (and especially after Out of Time when they started to play big arenas and stadiums), they delivered their best stadium live shows during the Monster tour.

    1. I saw R.E.M. from nearly the beginning – in small clubs and college cafeterias, all the way up to the Monster tour, and I agree that of the “arena era”, the Monster tour was the best.

      I saw about 6 shows of the tour, and ironically, of the live tracks that appeared on “New Adventures…” and “Road Movie”, I was a shows on either the day before or day after of some of them! Oh, well…

  36. What about the Brixton Academy show. That would be ace. I still have the set list and some typed lyrics that Stipey threw into the audience at the end. One of my best gigs.

  37. I had to laugh about the “charity shop staple” comments as that is totally true. I think Monster is not that bad. Much better than ppl make it out to be. I stopped buying REM after Up.

    Anyway, they will probably follow the same format as Out Of Time and Automatic FTP so album, demos, a live show and a blu Ray 5.1 surround of the album. No surround disc is no sale for me. The surround is a safe bet I think as they made a surround mix of the album in 2005. There was also a surround mix of AFTP done in 2003 so they just took that off the shelve.

    I would rather have the B-sides than an upteenth R.E.M. live show but it won’t happen. Makes no sense other than to wait and then release a box set of B-sides which doesn’t have my preference. It’s better to have the B-sides with the album singles they belong to so it is more coherent. Each album has their own sound which includes the B-sides.
    And how many live shows do you want? We have 8 live albums from Bowie in the 70’s (including Bowie at the BBC), at some point, no matter how much you like the artist, enough is enough. With all the R.E.M. reissues I bought I have 8 live shows. That is enough for me. So pls give us the B-sides.

    1. Actaully the surround mix of AFTP was not just taken off the shelf, but it was an entirely new surround mix from the original tapes, in a different format (Dolby Atmos, True-HD 7.1-compatible vs Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1).

      I like Monster, too – its hits weren’t as good, but it’s album tracks were pretty strong overall.

    2. Nearly all the B-sides were released on the AFTP box in 2017 as they came from the greenpeace concert at the 40 watt club in ‘92. Only 3 b-sides remain – all live tracks. We might get them?

  38. Hmm… well, for some people – it might be nice to have the full set of concerts from the Omni, Atlanta, GA, as that was the source for “Road Movie” – or just the audio from “Road Movie” but incorporate all of the unique tracks. I’ve had them for some time now, but have no idea how common the bootlegs are.

    But for me – it’d be nice if it included all of the instrumental mixes, the stuff from the Fan Club singles, and some demo’s & outtakes

  40. Have loved REM since ‘Life’s Rich Pageant’ back in the late 80’s which is still my favourite.
    ‘Monster’ is probably my least favourite as I felt it was a bit throwaway and sounds hastily recorded.
    I recall it was meant to be played live but it lacked the majesty of ‘Automatic’ and the fine arrangements/ musicianship of ‘New Adventures’. It has has a more raucous feel and very guitar laden but a bit samey.

    I return to it, to try and get to like it but I think ‘What’s The Frequency’ is one of their worst tracks with no hooks or melody.
    I do enjoy ‘Let Me In’ and ‘Bang and Blame’ but ‘King Of Comedy’ is poor.

    Each to their own though.

  41. I’m not keen on this album. It would take a much lower price, and a different surround mix to pull me in. Demos tend to be of very limited interest to me. Early/alternate mixes are much more interesting to me, but I don’t think there’s much chance of content appeal and price combining to make it an easy and exiting purchase. I’m interested in the new Automatic mix but it’s priced way out of my league. It’s opposite to the Big Chair box where I was interested in the extra material and the 5.1 inclusion was a bonus – and it was much more keenly priced.

    1. @Mike the Fish:

      AFTP both DE and SDE are still available via paulsmith.com, SDE asking price GBP 38 or EUR 43.

      When you enter the site for the first time you’ll be asked which Country you’re in and the price will be shown in your local currency after choosing.

      It can be either send to you for reasonable p&p (for me in Germany it was EUR 5) or if you have a shop of them around you can choose “Click and Collect” and they deliver it to the shop you’ve chosen at no additional cost.

      For that price i finally bagged it too (after finding it waaay to expensive before) and the packaging was absolutely brilliant, no comparison to the Amazon packing lottery.

      The DE on the other hand is still priced a bit steep with GBP 13 / EUR 15, but that was cheap enough on several sites before x-mas, i bought mine for EUR 6 as part of a 3-for-18-offer on saturn.de.

      1. @Klaus, how on earth did you find that? Paulsmith.com? That seems a clothing store/website but somehow they sell this. I did a search on their website for R.E.M. thinking it would give me an error msg but the AFTP SDE showed up for $45. That’s insanely cheap.

        1. @Kauwgompie

          I’m not the one to take credit for that. IIRC someone commented it beneath a “This Weeks Deals”-post right before christmas. I myself ordered it on Christmas Eve.
          I’ve never heard before of Paul Smith but it seems like they offered an R.E.M. clozhing line in 2017 and thought it a good idea to stock these to go along with that.
          Obviously not everyone hear read that comment, so i’m happy to help.

  42. After Green, Monster is my secpnd favorite R.E.M. album. I want a quality standalone vinyl edition. I would also like a blu-ray with a concert and music videos. Beyond that, a live cd would be nice. I never listen to most demos so that is irrelevant to me. I just hope the remastering is quality.

  43. 1) Hopefully it won’t be brickwalled 2) Original packaging + outtake art work 3) They will include live work hope they pick a complete good show. 4) They are holding back b sides for a box set

  44. Hmmm. Well, I’ll likely get the 2 disc version of whatever the super deluxe entails. My preference for the second disc would be a well recorded live show, but it’ll probably be demos. I would have to second the inclusion of Rough Cut in the SDE, but it’s doubtful that would pull me to shell out for it. It really is their first “Okay” album after an arguably peerless run beginning in 1982. I just think they spun their approach too hard towards the sound they wanted to achieve as opposed to writing the strongest possible material, irrespective of stylistic concerns. There’s a reason so many used ones showed up in the shops.

  45. Would love to see a dual box set of Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi as that record was recorded during the Monster tour sound checks. This would afford the inclusion of era videos and the significant number of Hi-Fi Outtakes and B-sides. They included covers of songs such as Sponge, Wall of Death, Love is All Around, and Wichita Lineman as well as rumored additional Patti Smith collaborations.

  46. 25 years already? Blimey…

    Assuming it’ll be a 3CD+Blu-Ray set and hardback book…

    Disc 1 – Album Remastered
    Disc 2 – Demos
    Disc 3 – Live (but try to use live versions of Monster-only stuff – or Green, as that hasn’t had an SDE yet)
    Disc 4 – Blu-Ray; so album in 5.1, videos, EPK – but how about from-the-era TV interviews? Slideshows of interviews in RS, MM, NME, etc? And maybe a gig from some where on the Monster tour, or loads of pics, etc.

    Blu-Ray has a massive capacity, and I’ve seen few discs that seem to use it to the full.

    Looking forward to £89.99 in autumn…

  47. Monster was all about R.E.M.’s return to the stage, so how about the Road Movie DVD plus two bonus CDs of a previously-unreleased live tracks (same show or best of several shows, whatever sounds the best)? Even better than Road Movie would be new footage of live performances not previously released on DVD or Blu-Ray.

  48. Have a lot of love for this album…

    I was originally annoyed at the fact that all boxed sets were of varying sizes but even that’s a minor quibble!

    Have picked up most of the previous for decent prices, sure this will be no exception.

    Paul… keep up the stellar work on SDE. One of my ‘go to’ sites for a long time now.

  49. The beginning of the end for R.E.M this would be their Tonight followed by Never let me down or new adventures in hi fi as they titled it . It as somebody else commented a 99p charity shop staple as is the follow up if you could find one. New adventures was practically given away from day one. I confidently expect the box set to be residing in the same charity bin before too long.
    pS Iam no R.E.M. hater .Ipurchased Murmur on its day of release but they should have taken a break after Bills collapse and reformed after some years in my opinion.

      1. Equating “NAIH-F” with “NLMD” is borderline madness. If they’d left “New Adventures” until early ’97 and given it a less throwaway title, it would have done vastly better. I mean, it’s got “New Test Leper” on it! And “Bittersweet Me”!

        Anyway, “Monster”? It’s OK – rehearsal, demo and outtake material please rather than live stuff – we already have plenty of live stuff.

        1. Borderline madness is a bit harsh? The comparison was the way you go from massive success (lets dance) to (nlmd) in a short period rather than a comment on the actual music produced.

    3. Monster was their biggest triumph and star turn. New Adventures was a great record but more of an indie spirit. They share nothing at all with mid 80s Bowie. Around the Sun is the bad one.

  50. I’m not quite sure what they can put on this. I would be pretty disappointed if we get a CD or DVD of ‘Road Movie’. They could put the ‘Rough Cut’ documentary on a DVD, however, this is widely available on youtube etc. Maybe there are some interesting rehearsal tapes or demos. If we get some live stuff i hope it is a show in the vaults that we haven’t heard before.

  52. Still one of my favorite REM albums. Will buy it no matter what. Worth it just for Star 69 alone.

    Hope they don’t crap it up too much with the brick wall.

    Ideally it will be the same clamshell box format as the other deluxe editions.

  54. I saw R.E.M. play at the Huddersfield Alfred McAlpine stadium in july 1995. It was a fantastic show, Michael Stipe was on fire that night. He dedicated the song “Let me in” to Kurt Cobain without mentioning his name (he only said “this song’s for my dead friend”). At one point, the crowd was yelling Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire with the typical north yorkshire accent and Stipe thought they were saying Georgia! He thought they were making fun of his native state and got angry…It was funny and weird….
    A few days later, they were playing Milton Keynes and it was broadcasted live on BBC 1, I remember taping that show, I needed two C90 tapes because the show lasted more than 2 hours ! And I still have the tapes ! I also kept the merch I bought at the show (tour program and t-shirt).

    As previous 25th anniversary editions included demos and live shows, I hope they selected the Milton Keynes show that was broadcast on BBC1 at the time. Not much to say, I’d be happy with a Dolby Atmos blu-ray, the full Milton Keynes show and demos. As someone mentioned, Sonic Youth supported R.E.M. during their north american tour in 1995 and they used to play a couple of songs together so it would be nice to have that too.

      1. Yep. I bought that box set but the show is available in two CDs (part 1 and 2) and stereo only. I meant a blu-ray 5.1 surround sound version of that show. In the R.E.M. at the BBC box set, they indicated the show was mixed by Scott Litt so it’s not exactly the show as it was broadcast live in 1995. If Scott Litt had all the tapes to mix the show, I guess it could be technically possible to get 5.1 surround sound.

  55. As I recall, the band wrote and recorded a load of songs, only a few of which made the album. Revolution was one, which ended up on a film soundtrack. So those would be good to be included. A live show, perhaps from later in the tour when they were introducing songs that made New Adventures. But Monster is the business and I’m looking forward to this already, esepecially the inevitable vinyl.

  56. Peter Buck stated that they had nearly 50 songs for consideration for the album, so there should be at least 2 CDs worth out of that one would imagine. he also said that they had, at demo stage, an album of acoustic material, before they decided to go all whammy-bar. The Kurt Cobain shadow is somewhat overstated, ‘Let Me In’ apart. Courtney claimed that ‘Crush With Eyeliner’ is about her, but lyrically, if you’ve seen ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’ you’ll notice a high number of references to lines from that classic film starring the highly-eyelinered Audrey Hepburn. For my £75 or circa, it’s a nice album and one box set I’m much looking forward to. Also, even if don’t like the original release, you can’t [always] judge an album’s outtakes by the album – see ‘Shot Of Love’ right off the bat.

  57. I wonder how long until used copies start turning up in record stores and thrift shops.

    (For the record, I love this album. “Strange Currencies” in particular kills me.)

  59. CD Single B-Sides are already part of the Automatic… Box

    1. Monster in 5.1. surround would be nice
    2. a full 1994 or 1995 gig on CD & DVD
    3. The five instrumental Versions that were released as 7″ Vinyl B-Sides in the UK
    & whatever there is in the vaults…

  61. All the b-sides of the cd singles from Monster were live tracks – most were from the 40 watt club 1992 show that was included on the AFTP super deluxe so surely they won’t be used again. The only b-sides left are a couple of live tracks Saturday night live, a live version of Tongue and the instrumental tracks that came with the 7” and cassette singles. So not much there. Also, the recent BBC box set had the Milton Keynes bowl live show from the tour so surely that won’t be used.
    Hopefully we will see demos (like OOT and AFTP boxes) and an unreleased live set along with 5.1 and the music videos. But please not with an £80 price tag

  62. I’d quite like the audio from the 95 Milto Keynes show without the Steve Lamacq voiceover that we got on the recent BBC boxset. I bet you now they’ll be the audio from Road Movie on it. Oh, and please erase King of Comedy. The worst song they ever recorded.

  63. Can anyone confirm if any of the 25th anniversary remasters since Murmur back in 2008 have good normal CD sound without all the levels in the red?

    I bought the Murmur one and couldn’t listen to it, the loudness war levels were the worst offense of any disc I ever owned. (Even worse than Memory Almost Full.)

    Have any of the ones since sounded any better?

    1. I have all of the I.R.S. records 25th anniversary reissues. Unfortunately, all of them are too loud. Murmur seems to be the worst, but they get better slightly album by album, until Document doesn’t seem quite as bad. My impressions of each album could also be affected by how loud (or quiet) each album was on the original CD release. Murmur has the lowest volume levels of the original CDs, so the difference between then and now is the greatest.

      Very disappointed that the band didn’t take greater care in the remastering process. If I recall, each album was remastered by a different engineer, so we might as well blame the band for these problems.

      Having said all that… I still have ripped MP3 versions of the reissues because the loudness helps block out background noise on public transportation. But on the home stereo, it’s vinyl or original CD every time.

  64. Most b-sides were live tracks from the Greenpeace benefit, now included in the Automatic SDE, which leaves us with 3 instrumental versions of album tracks.

    No outtakes, so I guess demos and live tracks. Possibly a CD- or DVD-version (no bluray) of Road Movie.

  65. Can we have a box that is a completely different shape and size to OOT and AFTP to maintain the strict non-conformance to any kind of matching set of 25th anniversary reissue schedule. Oh, and none of that blu-ray rubbish either, DVD only please.

      1. Well, whatever you do, don’t put in a dvd’s for goodness sakes. It’s 2019. people should have already upgraded to blu-ray. In fact a 4K UHD would be even nicer. thanks.

  66. I’d love to see some demos, like they did for OOT and Automatic. Plus a great sounding show on 2 CDs from that tour. Perhaps a DVD/BD of footage from that tour (interviews, live performances, studio footage). One can dream!

    P.S. – Happy New Year Paul! Thanks again for all that you do. Best site EVER!!!!!!

  67. That’s easy (but won’t happen).

    Disc 1 Remastered album
    Disc 2 All b sides
    Disc 3 Demos
    Disc 4 Live album from period
    Disc 5 Album in 5.1

    All for under £30!

  68. This album was partly a reaction to Kurt Cobain’s suicide.
    Courtney Love gave Stipe one of Kurt’s guitars which appears on this album.
    A sad, yet great album.

  70. Go ask any used cd store-Monster has been traded in so many times the
    Stores stopped taking them years ago.Yet Warner is pushing this album for a box set? What’s wrong with this picture? Will be selling for pennies on the dollar in a month or two of
    Release. No wonder the labels are in trouble.

    1. Nothing is wrong with this picture at all. Trade-ins notwithstanding, I think it’s fair to say this is a lot less niche than some releases that have had the deluxe reissue treatment recently. I certainly can’t see why it would be any less popular with REM fans than the BBC or MTV boxsets, which I assume sold in decent enough quantities.

      Personally, I’ve always thought ‘Monster’ was quite underrated (insofar as a multi-million selling album can be) and am looking forward to seeing what extras will be included. I remember reading a Peter Buck interview in which he mentioned some of the “weirder, noisier stuff” that was left off so presumably, that will all be somewhere in the vault.

      On the other hand, if it’s just the rather pointless instrumental versions they used for b-sides and the ‘Roadmovie’ DVD, I may have to pass…

    2. Just because a lot of casual observers traded in old copies does not mean fans don’t want deluxe content. Iregularly see many copies of any popular album in ised bins… Yet U2 and Pink Floyd still sell deluxe reissues. Go figure.

    3. Warner’s no long have the license to issue REM recordings. They are currently licenced to Concord. R.E.M. own the copyright in their sound recordings, but it’s the band own choice to put this stuff out.

      And I would agree that Monster is an album that will always divide opinion, that is as it should be… and that doesn’t make it any less deserving of the full love of SDE box for those that appreciate it.

      Personally I want to see Rough Cut included, and a brand new live recording from 95 tour (Berlin 1/8/95 is a cracker for example), as well as works in progress/demos from the live sessions that led to the final albums.

    4. Monster shipped gold to second hand stores because fans who had jumped on at Out Of Time expected more mandolin driven wistful ennui and got a post grunge rock n roll record. They milked the hell out of it for singles but that just underlined the strength of the material

      I’m looking forward to this as apart from the already released 40 Watt Club tracks used as B sides bonus bits from this period are thin on the ground.

    5. What’s wrong with this picture? NOTHING.

      As I pointed up above, people (at least in the States) that only got on board because of poppy of quiet songs, didn’t really know R.E.M. at all and couldn’t deal with a band that rocks.

      But your last paragraph about being concerned with the labels is hilarious cause R.E.M. got their masters back from Warner ages ago. WB has nothing to do with his – it’s all R.E.M.’s decision and nobody else’s.

  72. I don’t know what’s available, but if they don’t include all the available singles, b-sides, and outtakes like they did for other reissues, I’m going to pass again.

  73. A live show: seem to recall this bring the first tour for a couple of albums and all single b-sides were live versions of mostly non-Monster songs.

    There’s also the instrumental versions from cassette singles, although other than nice to have not sure about replay value there.

    1. Putting vinyl and cd in the same package of anything is a stupid idea.For me the vinyl is an overpriced place mat.
      There will be no b sides or singles.I think we will eventually get a b sides/rarities box set but who knows when.Hope the live show sounds better than Milton Keynes in the BBC box.As a whole the sound quality of everything in that box is very disappointing-my biggest reissue let down of 2018.

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