Up (R.E.M. album)
Encyclopedia
Up is the 11th album by the American alternative rock
band R.E.M.
It was the band's first album without original drummer Bill Berry
, who left the group amicably in October 1997 to pursue his own interests. In his place, R.E.M. used session drummers or drum machines to fill the void.
-influenced territory after delivering the challenging New Adventures in Hi-Fi
in 1996, Up alienated critics, fans of the band's 1980s work and casual listeners used to the band's more-commercial early 1990s output. However, some saw it as one of the band's bravest and most sonically daring records to date, and the record was even cited by Radiohead
, who would release their own largely electronic and highly acclaimed effort Kid A
in 2000. Ending a 10-year relationship with co-producer Scott Litt
, R.E.M. engaged the production assistance of Pat McCarthy
, who was assisted on most tracks of Up by engineer Nigel Godrich
, Radiohead's producer.
With Berry's departure, the sessions for Up were indeed strained, with R.E.M. subsequently admitting that they came close to breaking up during its recording. Not surprisingly, the album is considered to have a labored and melancholic feel to it. In spite of the tension, "Daysleeper
", became a Top 10 UK hit, and subsequent singles included "Lotus
", The Beach Boys
-influenced "At My Most Beautiful
" and "Suspicion
."
Breaking with a tradition that stretched back to the band's 1983 debut Murmur
, Michael Stipe
elected to have his complete lyrics included in Ups CD booklet, a practice Stipe has maintained on all subsequent R.E.M. releases.
It was rumored at the time of the album's release that "Hope" was written for Thom Yorke
, "At My Most Beautiful" for Patti Smith
, and "Why Not Smile" for Bill Berry
. Michael Stipe denied all three in an interview for Britain's Q
magazine in 1999.
In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of Up 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.
In 2006, Q magazine "saved" this album from their "50 Worst Albums Ever" list, saying that it is "superior to Monster" and claiming it "a start of renaissance". It received 4/5 stars.
, Mike Mills
and Michael Stipe
unless otherwise stated.
Additional musicians
Technical staff
Singles
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
It was the band's first album without original drummer Bill Berry
Bill Berry
William "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
, who left the group amicably in October 1997 to pursue his own interests. In his place, R.E.M. used session drummers or drum machines to fill the void.
Details
Moving into electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
-influenced territory after delivering the challenging New Adventures in Hi-Fi
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia and the following day in the United States...
in 1996, Up alienated critics, fans of the band's 1980s work and casual listeners used to the band's more-commercial early 1990s output. However, some saw it as one of the band's bravest and most sonically daring records to date, and the record was even cited by Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, who would release their own largely electronic and highly acclaimed effort Kid A
Kid A
Kid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000 by the Parlophone label. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the United Kingdom. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A...
in 2000. Ending a 10-year relationship with co-producer Scott Litt
Scott Litt
Scott Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums.-Biography:...
, R.E.M. engaged the production assistance of Pat McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy (record producer)
Patrick McCarthy is a record producer from Dublin, Ireland who has worked for several rock and alternative rock artists, including The Waterboys, Counting Crows, R.E.M., and U2. In 1998, he replaced Scott Litt as R.E.M.'s in-house producer, co-producing three of their albums Up, Reveal and Around...
, who was assisted on most tracks of Up by engineer Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
, Radiohead's producer.
With Berry's departure, the sessions for Up were indeed strained, with R.E.M. subsequently admitting that they came close to breaking up during its recording. Not surprisingly, the album is considered to have a labored and melancholic feel to it. In spite of the tension, "Daysleeper
Daysleeper
"Daysleeper" is a song by R.E.M., released as their first single from their eleventh studio album Up, and the first single to be released by the band since the departure of drummer Bill Berry.Sleep and dreams have often played an important part in R.E.M...
", became a Top 10 UK hit, and subsequent singles included "Lotus
Lotus (song)
"Lotus" is a song by R.E.M., released as the second single from their eleventh studio album Up.The song's recurring line "I ate the lotus" appeared in an alternate form in a previous R.E.M...
", The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
-influenced "At My Most Beautiful
At My Most Beautiful
"At My Most Beautiful" is a song by R.E.M. and the third single from the album Up. With a heavy influence from the Beach Boys and the Beatles, lyricist Michael Stipe wanted it to be the most romantic song he'd ever written....
" and "Suspicion
Suspicion (song)
"Suspicion" is the fourth and final single released by R.E.M. from their album Up. Unlike previous singles from Up, "Suspicion" was the only single from the album not to chart....
."
Breaking with a tradition that stretched back to the band's 1983 debut Murmur
Murmur (album)
Murmur is the debut album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic...
, Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
elected to have his complete lyrics included in Ups CD booklet, a practice Stipe has maintained on all subsequent R.E.M. releases.
It was rumored at the time of the album's release that "Hope" was written for Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
, "At My Most Beautiful" for Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
, and "Why Not Smile" for Bill Berry
Bill Berry
William "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
. Michael Stipe denied all three in an interview for Britain's Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine in 1999.
Sales and critical reception
Up reached #3 in the U.S. (with 16 weeks on the Billboard 200) and #2 in the UK, but didn't have the staying power of the band's more-recent albums, and thus the band's lowest sales in years. Although R.E.M. initially intended not to tour for the album, after many successful promotional concerts upon the album's release, the band quickly arranged a four-month arena tour of Europe and America during the summer of 1999. As of March 2007, Up has sold 664,000 units in the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of Up which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Scheiner is a record producer and record engineer. Scheiner has received 23 Grammy Award nominations, 6 of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, one Emmy award for his work with the Eagles on their farewell tour broadcast, three TEC Awards nominations, a TEC Hall of...
, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes.
In 2006, Q magazine "saved" this album from their "50 Worst Albums Ever" list, saying that it is "superior to Monster" and claiming it "a start of renaissance". It received 4/5 stars.
Track listing
All songs by Peter BuckPeter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
, Mike Mills
Mike Mills
Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
and Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
unless otherwise stated.
- "Airportman" – 4:12
- "LotusLotus (song)"Lotus" is a song by R.E.M., released as the second single from their eleventh studio album Up.The song's recurring line "I ate the lotus" appeared in an alternate form in a previous R.E.M...
" – 4:30 - "SuspicionSuspicion (song)"Suspicion" is the fourth and final single released by R.E.M. from their album Up. Unlike previous singles from Up, "Suspicion" was the only single from the album not to chart....
" – 5:36 - "Hope" (Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, Buck, Mills, Stipe)1 – 5:02 - "At My Most BeautifulAt My Most Beautiful"At My Most Beautiful" is a song by R.E.M. and the third single from the album Up. With a heavy influence from the Beach Boys and the Beatles, lyricist Michael Stipe wanted it to be the most romantic song he'd ever written....
" – 3:35 - "The Apologist" – 4:30
- "Sad Professor" – 4:01
- "You're in the Air" – 5:22
- "Walk Unafraid" – 4:31
- "Why Not Smile" – 4:03
- "DaysleeperDaysleeper"Daysleeper" is a song by R.E.M., released as their first single from their eleventh studio album Up, and the first single to be released by the band since the departure of drummer Bill Berry.Sleep and dreams have often played an important part in R.E.M...
" – 3:40 - "Diminished" – 6:01
- Includes a brief piece entitled "I'm Not Over You" starting at 4:59, with Stipe soloing on acoustic guitar, after the song's conclusion.
- "Parakeet" – 4:09
- "Falls to Climb" – 5:06
Studio B-sides
Two non-album tracks from the Up sessions appeared as single-only releases, as well as four alternate versions of album tracks.- "Emphysema"
- "Surfing the Ganges" – 2:25
- "Why Not Smile" (Oxford-American version)
- "Sad Professor" (Live in the Studio)
- "SuspicionSuspicion (song)"Suspicion" is the fourth and final single released by R.E.M. from their album Up. Unlike previous singles from Up, "Suspicion" was the only single from the album not to chart....
" (live in the studio) – 5:39 - "Lotus"Lotus (song)"Lotus" is a song by R.E.M., released as the second single from their eleventh studio album Up.The song's recurring line "I ate the lotus" appeared in an alternate form in a previous R.E.M...
(Weird Mix)
Personnel
R.E.M.- Peter BuckPeter BuckPeter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Mike MillsMike MillsMichael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
– keyboards, guitar, bass, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Michael StipeMichael StipeJohn Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
– lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar
Additional musicians
- Barrett MartinBarrett MartinBarrett Martin , is an American drummer, upright bassist, composer, producer, writer, and Zen artist. He was the drummer for the Seattle, Washington groups Skin Yard and Screaming Trees, as well as the supergroups Mad Season and Tuatara...
– percussion - Scott McCaugheyScott McCaugheyAs a singer and songwriter, Scott McCaughey is the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5.He is also bassist for Robyn Hitchcock's most recent touring band, The Venus 3, along with Bill Rieflin and Peter Buck....
– keyboards, percussion - Joey WaronkerJoey WaronkerJoseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Technical staff
- Nigel GodrichNigel GodrichNigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
– engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Pat McCarthyPatrick McCarthy (record producer)Patrick McCarthy is a record producer from Dublin, Ireland who has worked for several rock and alternative rock artists, including The Waterboys, Counting Crows, R.E.M., and U2. In 1998, he replaced Scott Litt as R.E.M.'s in-house producer, co-producing three of their albums Up, Reveal and Around...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Sales chart performance
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
| 1998 | Canadian Album Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
2 |
| 1998 | U.K. Album Chart | 2Note: User must define "REM" as the search perimeter. |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Daysleeper Daysleeper "Daysleeper" is a song by R.E.M., released as their first single from their eleventh studio album Up, and the first single to be released by the band since the departure of drummer Bill Berry.Sleep and dreams have often played an important part in R.E.M... " |
Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
57 |
| 1998 | "Daysleeper" | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
6 |
| 1998 | "Lotus Lotus (song) "Lotus" is a song by R.E.M., released as the second single from their eleventh studio album Up.The song's recurring line "I ate the lotus" appeared in an alternate form in a previous R.E.M... " |
UK Singles Chart | 26 |
| 1999 | "At My Most Beautiful At My Most Beautiful "At My Most Beautiful" is a song by R.E.M. and the third single from the album Up. With a heavy influence from the Beach Boys and the Beatles, lyricist Michael Stipe wanted it to be the most romantic song he'd ever written.... " |
UK Singles Chart | 10 |