Release and Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Blender | |
| Robert Christgau | A− |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| The New York Times | No score |
| Rolling Stone | |
Upon its release, Monster debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. The album also debuted at the top of the British album charts. There were several hits from the album, particularly "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush with Eyeliner", "Strange Currencies," and "Bang and Blame". "Star 69" also charted, despite not being released as a single.
Rolling Stone gave Monster four and a half stars. Critic Robert Palmer noted that Stipe's lyrics dealt with issues of identity ("The concept of reality itself is being called into question: Is this my life or an incredible virtual simulation?") and that occasionally the singer "begins to sound not unlike the proverbial rock star, whining about all those fans who just won't let him alone." He added, "What's truly impressive about Monster is the way R.E.M. make an album with such potentially grave subject matter so much fun." NME gave the album a seven out of ten rating. Reviewer Keith Cameron wrote, "It’s fun, frequently, but we feel distanced, engaged only on a secondhand level. Moreover, the loudly trumpeted fox factor has been conspicuous by its absence." Cameron concluded, "At best stunning, at worst merely diverting, 'Monster' sounds like the album they 'had' to make, to clear out their system, a simple prop to occupy our time..." Allmusic rated the album two and a half stars out of five; Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "Monster doesn't have the conceptual unity or consistently brilliant songwriting of Automatic for the People, but it does offer a wide range of sonic textures that have never been heard on an R.E.M. album before."
In 2005, Warner Bros. issued an expanded two-disc edition of Monster 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 November 2011, Monster was ranked number nine on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1994, between Rancid's Let's Go and Tesla's Bust a Nut.
Read more about this topic: Monster (R.E.M. album)
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