Word: hi-fi
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...enters the next millennium. Some argue that R.E.M.'s power has continued to grow, leading to the group's apparent autonomy from the shifty nature of the music industry. Still, executives at Warner Bros. had to worry just a little after the low sales of New Adventures in Hi-Fi in 1996, especially after the band was re-signed to a lucrative contract a few years...
...would be misleading to say that R.E.M. has simply reverted to Automatic For The People. The band continues to have some of the eerieness found in Hi-Fi, with echoes and added effects sprinkled into the background and a low, raw bass at times. Up seems to take a lot of the positives from New Adventures in Hi-Fi and combines them with traditional R.E.M. The absence of Berry, who left as the result of a brain aneurysm during the Monster Tour, translates itself into an exotic mixture of spacey beats on several tracks. Screaming Trees drummer Barret Martin...
...becoming an affordable, mainstream entertainment option. According to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association, more than 15 million U.S. households enjoy the big pictures and booming Surround Sound that come with a wide-screen, 25-to-65-in. TV, an audio-video receiver, a front and rear set of speakers, hi-fi VCR and a LaserDisc or DVD player. Less than a decade ago, entertainment mavens had to shell out tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dollars for that kind of gear. Now newcomers can find complete, easy-to-install packages for $2,000 to $3,000--a price range that...
...band's tour in support of its last album, Monster, was problem-ridden: drummer Bill Berry suffered an aneurysm (he has since recovered), bassist Mike Mills underwent surgery for an intestinal problem, and Stipe developed a hernia. So far, no tour has been planned for New Adventures in Hi-Fi. The album is also R.E.M.'s last under its current deal with Warner Bros., setting the band free to renegotiate, N.B.A.-style, for a megacontract...
...despite such distractions, New Adventures in Hi-Fi doesn't sound like the work of a band in turmoil, performing with one eye on the charts because it is uncertain about its future. The secret to R.E.M.'s success over the years has always been its ability to remain focused on the music, regardless of outside pressures. Good bands hit and fade. Great bands, like R.E.M., endure...