New Adventures in Hi-Fi
| New Adventures in Hi-Fi | ||||
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Cover to the standard edition of the album
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| Studio album by R.E.M. | ||||
| Released | September 9, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1995–1996 at various locations in the United States | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 65:33 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Scott Litt and R.E.M. | |||
| R.E.M. chronology | ||||
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| Singles from New Adventures in Hi-Fi | ||||
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| Special Edition | ||||
Special edition of the album—a cardboard slipcase covers a 64-page hardback book
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− |
| Entertainment Weekly | A |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| NME | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork Media | 9.5/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Select | 4/5 |
| Spin | 6/10 |
New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia and the following day in the United States. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was the last album recorded with founding member Bill Berry (who left the band amicably the following year), original manager Jefferson Holt, and long-time producer Scott Litt. It is also their longest studio album, clocking in at an hour and 5 minutes.
The album was recorded during and after the tour in support of Monster in 1995. The material on the album mixed the acoustic, country rock feel of much of Out of Time and Automatic for the People with the rock sound of Monster and Lifes Rich Pageant. The band have cited Neil Young's 1973 album Time Fades Away as a source of inspiration.
Mike Mills said:
"We got into the studio feeling very happy and relieved that everyone was okay, especially Bill. It brought us all much closer and made us realise how important we are to each other. Once we'd been through a crisis like that (Berry's collapse on tour), making a record was a piece of cake. We discussed making an album of on-the-road stuff a year and a half before we went on the Monster tour. We wanted to get some of the looseness and spontaneity of a soundcheck, live show or dressing room. We used all the good songs. 'Revolution' – a song we did live – didn't make it onto this record, just like it didn't make it onto Monster (the song instead appeared on 1997's Batman & Robin) . . . . It usually takes a good few years for me to decide where an album stands in the pantheon of recorded work we've done. This one may be third behind Murmur and Automatic for the People."
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