"Monster" is the only R.E.M. album from the Bill Berry era that I never listen to. Not quite sure why, but I gave it the requisite three listens when it came ou

"Monster" is the only R.E.M. album from the Bill Berry era that I never listen to. Not quite sure why, but I gave it the requisite three listens when it came out and shelved it. Nearly wrote R.E.M. off at that point, but "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" brought me back. Was disappointed when Berry left and they didn't break up then as they had always said they would. (They'd said many times that if anybody left, it wouldn't be R.E.M. any more and they wouldn't carry on... but then they did anyway.) Got to see them live on the Green tour in 1989. Still one of my top-five concerts of all time, and I've been to more shows than I can count since.