Lifes Rich Pageant
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| Lifes Rich Pageant | ||
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| Studio album by R.E.M. | ||
| Released | 28 July 1986 | |
| Recorded | April–May 1986, Belmont Mall Studios, Bloomington, Indiana | |
| Genre | College rock | |
| Length | 38:23 | |
| Label | I.R.S. Records | |
| Producer(s) | Don Gehman | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| R.E.M. chronology | ||
| Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) |
Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) |
Dead Letter Office (1987) |
Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth album by R.E.M. and was released in 1986. Intended as an upbeat reaction to the sobering and historical Fables of the Reconstruction, R.E.M. chose Don Gehman to produce the album at his Belmont Mall Studios in Belmont, Indiana.
Contents |
[edit] Details
The source for the title of the album is based on an English idiom. Its use is very old, but R.E.M.'s use, minus the apostrophe, is, according to Peter Buck, from the 1964 film A Shot in the Dark:
- Inspector Clouseau opens car door and falls into puddle.
- Maria: "You should get out of these clothes immediately. You'll catch your death of pneumonia, you will."
- Clouseau: "Yes, I probably will. But it's all part of life's rich pageant, you know."[1]
The missing apostrophe in the title is deliberate. The track "Feeling Gravitys Pull" from Fables of the Reconstruction similarly lacks an apostrophe.
The cover of the album depicts drummer Bill Berry on the upper part of the cover and a pair of bison, signifying an environmental theme, on the lower part.
With R.E.M.'s fanbase beginning to grow beyond its college rock boundaries, Lifes Rich Pageant – deliberately spelled without an apostrophe – proved to be their biggest U.S. album yet, peaking at #21 on the Billboard charts and scoring them their first gold record. In the UK, where the band's fame lagged slightly, the album managed a #43 peak.
The ecologically-conscious "Fall on Me" (a personal favorite of frontman Michael Stipe) and a cover of The Clique's "Superman", sung by bassist Mike Mills, were the only singles released from the album.
Another ecologically-minded song, "Cuyahoga," refers to the once heavily-polluted Cuyahoga River that flows into Lake Erie at Cleveland. The song includes the lyric we burned the river down, which refers to the several occasions (most famously in 1969) when the river actually caught fire.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, except where noted.
- "Begin the Begin" – 3:28
- "These Days" – 3:24
- "Fall on Me" – 2:50
- "Cuyahoga" – 4:19
- "Hyena" – 2:50
- "Underneath the Bunker" – 1:25
- "The Flowers of Guatemala" – 3:55
- "I Believe" – 3:49
- "What If We Give It Away?" – 3:33
- "Just a Touch" – 3:00
- "Swan Swan H." – 2:42
- "Superman" (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52
Note that the track listing on the back of the album is incorrect, most likely on purpose, and has never been corrected. It shows the order as 1-5-10-8-2-7-4-9-3-11, leaving out "Superman" and "Underneath the Bunker". The track listing is correct on the actual vinyl, cassette, and CD. Earlier pressings of the CD have the track number for "Cuyahoga" as "0R" instead of "04" printed on the CD itself.
[edit] The IRS Years reissue
On January 26, 1993, EMI (which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released Lifes Rich Pageant with six bonus tracks:
- "Tired of Singing Trouble" – 0:59
- "Rotary Ten" – 1:58
- "Toys in the Attic" (Steve Tyler, Joe Perry) – 2:26
- "Just a Touch" (Live in the Studio) – 2:38
- "Dream (All I Have to Do)" (Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:38
- "Swan Swan H" (Acoustic version) – 2:41
"Rotary Ten" and "Toys in the Attic" can be found on Dead Letter Office.
[edit] Personnel
- Bill Berry – drums, vocals
- Peter Buck – guitar
- Mike Mills – bass, vocals
- Michael Stipe – vocals
[edit] References
- ^ Rosen, Craig (1997). R.E.M. Inside Out: The Stories Behind Every Song. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1-56025-177-8.
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Billboard 200 | 21 (32 weeks on chart) |
| 1986 | UK Albums Chart | 43 (4 weeks on chart) |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Fall on Me" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
| 1986 | "Fall on Me" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 94 |
| 1986 | "Superman" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 17 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | January 23, 1987 |
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | September 30, 1987 |
| CRIA – Canada | Platinum | September 30, 1987 |
[edit] Literary references
Dark fantasy author Caitlín R. Kiernan mentions Lifes Rich Pageant in her first novel, Silk (1998), specifically the track "Fall on Me." Kiernan also makes several reference to "Fall on Me" in her sequel to Silk, 2004's Murder of Angels.
