R.E.M. CELEBRATES “A VERY RADICVAL DEPARTURE”

Twenty-five years ago, an R.E.M. album arrived that didn’t sound like a typical R.E.M. album.

“Up,” the band’s 11th album which dropped in the fall of 1998, was a curious and challenging collection that split fans and critics alike but reveals more interesting things with each listen. A newly remastered reissue out Friday offers a chance to reevaluate.

“A lot of people may not have liked it because it didn’t sound like ‘R.E.M.,’ whatever that is. But that was not the point. We were not trying to sound like R.E.M. We were trying to sound like the three guys that we were at the time,” Mike Mills, bassist and band co-founder, tells The Associated Press.

“Up” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified gold, while single “Daysleeper” was a Top 20 alternative radio hit. Another single, “Lotus,” peaked at No. 31 on both the alternative and mainstream rock charts.

The band accepts the Video Vanguard award during the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Source: https://apnews.com/article/rem-up-anniversary-25-982cfd11691916f9ac75f2264e7ff8a6