Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Chicago Tribune
Entertainment Weekly	B+
Los Angeles Times
NME	7/10
Q
Rolling Stone
Select	3/5
The Village Voice	A−

Monster is the ninth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in September 1994 on Warner Bros. Records. Co-produced by the band and Scott Litt and recorded in four different recording studios, Monster was an intentional stylistic shift from the group's preceding albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), consisting of loud, distorted guitar tones and simple song arrangements. Singer Michael Stipe's lyrics on the album dealt with the nature of celebrity, which he sang while assuming various characters.

Led by the successful single "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?", Monster debuted at number one in the United States and at least seven other countries. Four further singles were released from the album in 1995, including UK Top 20 hits "Bang and Blame", "Strange Currencies" and "Tongue". The album received generally positive reviews from critics. In 1995, the band promoted the record with its first concert tour since 1989. Although the tour was commercially successful, it was marked by several personal health problems. The album's follow-up, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, was mostly recorded during the tour.

Early in 1993, the members of R.E.M. convened a four-day meeting in Acapulco, Mexico, to devise a plan for the next two years. The group settled on a plan for 1994 through the end of 1996, which included recording a new album and touring behind it. Drummer Bill Berry was particularly eager to tour (which the band had not done since 1989), and was insistent that the album "rock". The band agreed that after Out of Time and Automatic for the People they did not want to make another slow-paced album.

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Wikipedia