For some reason, R.E.M.’s 1994 release, Monster, is absolutely panned by almost every professional and not so professional music critic. I can’t figure out why. Seriously. What is so bad about Monster? Personally, I would blame the lack of recognition on the choice of Bang and Blame as a second single. But other than that, I don’t know what is so bad about this album.
Monster will always hold a special place for me. I listened to it almost every night of ‘94 and ‘95. I put Strange Currencies, You, I Don’t Sleep I Dream, and Let Me In on every mix tape I could manage.
So, why was Monster treated so badly? What say you?