R.E.M. – Reveal – 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Description

R.E.M. – Reveal – 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Reveal finds R.E.M. building a richly colored pop album from guitars, keyboards and electronic textures, with Michael Stipe’s voice moving through an atmosphere that can feel bright and wistful at the same time. Released in 2001, it was the band’s twelfth studio album and their second made after drummer Bill Berry’s departure. Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills continued to explore the possibilities of the three-member group, retaining the melodic character that made their earlier records so distinctive while allowing more studio detail into the arrangements. The result is an album that rewards both an immediate listen for the songs and a closer listen to the sounds surrounding them.

Co-produced by R.E.M. and Patrick McCarthy, Reveal follows the experiments of Up with a warmer, more openly pop-oriented surface. Its songs often suggest summer, light and movement, though the emotional tone is more complicated than simple optimism. The arrangements can be full without feeling hurried, allowing a keyboard figure, a background voice or a guitar part to establish the setting around Stipe’s lead. That balance gives the record much of its personality. Listeners who value the band’s ability to make an ambiguous lyric feel emotionally direct will find familiar strengths here, even when the instrumental backdrop moves away from the leaner guitar sound associated with their early albums.

“The Lifting” opens the record and leads into “I’ve Been High,” establishing the contrast between forward motion and suspended atmosphere that runs through the first side. “All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star)” provides one of the album’s most recognizable melodies, with its story-like title offering a point of entry into Stipe’s world. “She Just Wants to Be,” “Disappear” and “Saturn Return” complete the side. Hearing those tracks together reveals how carefully the album moves between more direct songs and pieces whose appeal comes from their gradually unfolding texture. The sequence leaves room for both the familiar pleasure of a chorus and the less immediate pull of an unusual mood.

The second side brings “Beat a Drum” and “Imitation of Life,” the latter a particularly clear example of R.E.M.’s ability to make a layered recording feel like an effortless pop song. “Summer Turns to High” extends the record’s seasonal atmosphere, followed by “Chorus and the Ring,” “I’ll Take the Rain” and the closing “Beachball.” These songs make Reveal especially rewarding as an album rather than a collection of isolated singles. The brighter moments gain depth from the more reflective material around them, and the closing stretch allows the listener to settle into the record’s particular mixture of warmth, uncertainty and melodic abundance. Its quieter details become more apparent with repeated plays.

This Craft Recordings edition presents the complete twelve-track program on black 180 gram vinyl, preserving the original sequence across two sides. It offers a useful way to revisit a period when R.E.M. were actively reshaping their sound and a strong next listen for anyone drawn in by “Imitation of Life.” The album sits comfortably alongside the band’s more atmospheric work while maintaining a clear interest in accessible, carefully written songs. For a collection that already includes the early college-rock records or the major nineties releases, Reveal adds another perspective on the group: experienced musicians exploring a fuller studio palette, with their instinct for memorable melody still at the heart of the music.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing

Side A
The Lifting
I've Been High
All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)
She Just Wants to Be
Disappear
Saturn Return

Side B
Beat a Drum
Imitation of Life
Summer Turns to High
Chorus and the Ring
I'll Take the Rain
Beachball