New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth R.E.M. studio album, released on September 9, 1996.
Singles and b-sides[]
New Adventures in Hi-Fi consisted of material written during some of the same sessions as Monster and its following promotional tour; consequently, there were few outtakes or left-over tracks for inclusion as b-sides. The first three tracks were international singles, with "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" being released only in Germany.
- "E-Bow the Letter"
- "Tricycle" – 1:59 Recorded during soundcheck at the Riverport Amphitheater, St. Louis, United States on September 22, 1995.
- "Departure" (Rome soundcheck version) – 3:35 Recorded during soundcheck at the Paleur, Rome, Italy on February 22, 1995.
- "Wall of Death" (Richard Thompson) – 3:07 Taken from the Richard Thompson tribute album, Beat the Retreat.
- "Bittersweet Me"
- "Undertow" (Live) – 5:05 Recorded at the Omni Theater, Atlanta, Georgia on November 18, 1995. Taken from the live performance video, Road Movie.
- "Wichita Lineman" (Jimmy Webb) – 3:18 Recorded at The Woodlands, Houston, United States on September 15, 1995.
- "New Test Leper" (Live acoustic) – 5:29 Recorded at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, United States on April 19, 1996.
- "Electrolite"
- "The Wake-Up Bomb" (Live) – 5:07 Recorded at the Omni Theater, Atlanta, Georgia on November 18, 1995. Taken from the live performance video, Road Movie.
- "Binky the Doormat" (Live) – 5:01 Recorded at the Omni Theater, Atlanta, Georgia on November 18, 1995. Taken from the live performance video, Road Movie.
- "King of Comedy" (808 State remix) – 5:36
- "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us"
- "Love Is All Around" (Reg Presley) – 3:04 Previously released on the 1996 soundtrack for I Shot Andy Warhol.
- "Sponge" (Vic Chesnutt) – 4:08 Previously released on the Chesnutt benefit album Sweet Relief II in 1996.
- "Be Mine" (Mike on the Bus Version) - 4:54
"Revolution" was also released from these sessions - initially on the Batman & Robin soundtrack and later on disc two of In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003.
- Other singles
"New Test Leper" and "The Wake-Up Bomb" were released as promotional singles for the album; the former had a music video directed by Lance Bangs and Dominic DeJoseph. All five videos from the album would later be collected on In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003.
The R.E.M. fan club releases a single every Christmastime, with two singles recorded during these sessions: 1996's "Only in America" (originally by Jay & The Americans)/"I Will Survive" (a Gloria Gaynor cover) and 1997's R.E.M. original "Live for Today" was backed with Pearl Jam's "Happy When I'm Crying".
Awards[]
New Adventures in Hi-Fi has since appeared on several lists compiling the best albums of the 1990s or all time.
- Magnet: Top 60 Albums 1993-2003 (#20)[1]
- Mojo: The 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 1993-2006 (#20)
It was also features on several year-end best-of lists for 1996:
- Eye Weekly (#11)
- The Face (#28)
- Magnet (#26)
- Mojo (#4)
- New Musical Express (#16)
- Q (unranked)
- Rock Sound (French edition) (#2)
- Rolling Stone (#4)
- Spin (#11)
- Village Voice (#11)
Track listing[]
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe:
- "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" – 4:31
- "The Wake-Up Bomb" – 5:08
- "New Test Leper" – 5:26
- "Undertow" – 5:09
- "E-Bow the Letter" – 5:23
- "Leave" – 7:18
- "Departure" – 3:28
- "Bittersweet Me" – 4:06
- "Be Mine" – 5:32
- "Binky the Doormat" – 5:01
- "Zither" – 2:33
- "So Fast, So Numb" – 4:12
- "Low Desert" – 3:30
- "Electrolite" – 4:05
Like most R.E.M. albums, the vinyl release has custom side names. Since this was released as a double album on the vinyl release, the whole records are called different names. Record 1 (tracks 1-6) is called the "Hi side" and Record 2 (tracks 7-14) the "Fi side."
Personnel[]
- "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us"
- Recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, United States
- Bill Berry – Drums, percussion, "ennio whistle"[2]
- Peter Buck – Guitar, bass guitar, bouzouki, mandolin
- Mike Mills - Backing vocals, piano, synthesizer
- Michael Stipe – Vocals, synthesizer
- "The Wake-Up Bomb"
- Recorded live at the North Charleston Coliseum, in Charleston, United States on November 16, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Guitar
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, backing vocals, organ
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "New Test Leper"
- Recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, United States
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, backing vocals, organ
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Undertow"
- Recorded live at the Fleet Center in Boston, United States on October 3, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Guitar
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, backing vocals
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "E-Bow the Letter"
- Recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, United States
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – E-Bow guitar, electric sitar
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, backing vocals, organ, Moog synthesizer, Mellotron
- Patti Smith – Vocals
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Leave"
- Recorded at a soundcheck at the Omni Theater in Atlanta, United States on November 18, 19, or 21, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion, acoustic guitar, synthesizer
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Guitar
- Scott McCaughey – ARP Odyssey
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, keyboards
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Departure"
- Recorded live at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, United States on June 6 or 7, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Guitar
- Mike Mills – Fuzz bass, backing vocals, Farfisa organ
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Bittersweet Me"
- Recorded at a soundcheck at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, United States on November 7, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Scott McCaughey – Piano
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, organ, Mellotron
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Be Mine"
- Recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, United States
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Bass guitar
- Mike Mills – Guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Binky the Doormat"
- Recorded live at the Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix, United States on November 4, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion, backing vocals
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Guitar
- Scott McCaughey – Farfisa organ
- Mike Mills – Fuzz bass, backing vocals, keyboards
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Zither"
- Recorded in the dressing room of The Spectrum in Philadelphia, United States on October 12, 13, or 14, 1995
- Bill Berry – Bass guitar
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Tambourine
- Scott McCaughey – Autoharp
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, organ
- Michael Stipe – Count in
- "So Fast, So Numb"
- Recorded at a soundcheck at the Orlando Arena in Orland, United States on November 15, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Scott McCaughey – Piano
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, backing vocals, organ
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Low Desert"
- Recorded at a soundcheck at the Omni Theater in Atlanta, United States on November 18, 19, or 21, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drums and percussion
- Peter Buck – Guitar
- Nathan December – Slide guitar
- Scott McCaughey – Piano
- Mike Mills – Bass guitar, organ
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- "Electrolite"
- Recorded at a soundcheck the Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix, United States on November 4, 1995
- Bill Berry – Drum kit, percussion
- Peter Buck – Banjo
- Andy Carlson – Violin
- Nathan December – Guiro
- Mike Mills – Piano
- Michael Stipe – Vocals
- Technical crew
- William Field – assistant engineer, Athens
- Sam Hofstedt – assistant engineer, Seattle
- Victor Janacua – assistant engineer, Los Angeles
- Adam Kasper – recording engineer, Seattle
- John Keane – recording and mixing engineer
- Scott Litt – mixing engineer
- Bob Ludwig/Gateway Mastering – mastering
- Pat McCarthy – recording engineer, Los Angeles
- Mark "Microwave" Mytrowitz – technical assistance
- Joe O'Herlihy – tour recording engineer
- Jo Ravitch – tour recording engineer
- Eric Stolz – digital editing
- Jeff Wooding – tour recording engineer
Sales chart performance[]
Although it reached #2 in the U.S.[3], spending 22 weeks on the charts,[4] and topped the UK Album Charts [5] (20 weeks on chart) as well as #1 on the Australian Charts, New Adventures in Hi-Fi began the band's sales decline in the United States. The first single "E-Bow the Letter" received only modest radio airplay in the U.S. and peaked at #49 on the U.S. charts.[6] In the UK, however, the single became the band's biggest hit at that point, reaching #4.[5] As of March 2007, New Adventures in Hi-Fi has sold 994,000 units in the U.S.[7]
- Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1996 | Billboard 200 | 2 |
1996 | UK Albums Chart | 1 |
1996 | ARIA Albums Chart | 1 |
- Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "E-Bow the Letter" | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
1996 | "E-Bow the Letter" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
1996 | "E-Bow the Letter" | Billboard Hot 100 | 49 |
1996 | "E-Bow the Letter" | ARIA Singles Chart | 23 |
1996 | "E-Bow the Letter" | UK Singles Chart | 4 |
1996 | "Bittersweet Me" | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 6 |
1996 | "Bittersweet Me" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 |
1996 | "Bittersweet Me" | Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 28 |
1996 | "Bittersweet Me" | Billboard Hot 100 | 46 |
1996 | "Bittersweet Me" | UK Singles Chart | 19 |
1996 | "Electrolite" | UK Singles Chart | 29 |
1997 | "Electrolite" | Billboard Hot 100 | 96 |
1997 | "The Wake-Up Bomb" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 30 |
Sales ertifications[]
Organization | Level | Date |
---|---|---|
RIAA – U.S. | Gold | November 18, 1996 |
RIAA – U.S. | Platinum | November 18, 1996 |
BPI – U.K. | Platinum | September 1, 1996 |
Release history[]
Like all R.E.M. albums since 1988's Green, New Adventures in Hi-Fi was released in a special edition packaging containing a 64-page hardcover book designed by Chris Bilheimer, featuring photos from the Monster tour. In 2005, Warner Brothers Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of the album which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing several new audio mixes of the album (5.1-channel surround sound, high resolution, AC3, Dolby Stereo, and DTS 5.1) done by Elliot Scheiner, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes. In addition, the DVD includes a video documentary, lyrics, and a photo gallery.
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | Template:Start date | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc, cassette tape, double LP | 46320 |
United States | Template:Start date | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc | 46321 |
Worldwide | Template:Startdate | Warner Bros. | Compact Disc and DVD-Audio | 73950 |
References[]
External links[]
Albums by R.E.M. |
---|
Murmur • Reckoning • Fables of the Reconstruction • Lifes Rich Pageant • Document • Green • Out of Time • Automatic for the People • Monster • New Adventures in Hi-Fi • Up • Reveal • Around the Sun • Accelerate • Collapse into Now |