R.E.M.'s Buck: Band in top form for new album

September 11, 1996
Web posted at: 6:00 a.m. EDT

DETROIT, Michigan (CNN) -- Call him immodest, but R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck believes the Athens, Georgia, band could be included in the ranks of legendary performers.

As the quartet prepares to launch its 10th album, "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," Buck says he is happy with R.E.M.'s progression.

The band reportedly got $80 million to re-sign with Warner Bros. for five more albums, and Buck predicts the group will continue improving.

"'New Adventures' is "if not our best, then equal to our best," Buck said. "Very few people have their 10th record (of original material) be their best record."

Lest he offer too much self-praise, Buck cautions that R.E.M. has not yet had the inevitable flop. "I accept the fact there's going to be something that doesn't work. And that'll be cool, too," he said.

According to the music business buzz, "New Adventures" is not that album. "New Adventures" was recorded mostly on the road during R.E.M.'s 1995 "Monster" world tour -- at soundchecks, during shows, even (one song, "Zither") in the shower stall of a Philadelphia locker room.

The idea for "New Adventures" originated in the minds of Buck and drummer Bill Berry. The two told journalists they thought an album recorded on the road would be fun.

The media asked singer Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills, who did not know of the idea, what the group had planned.

"Eventually they came over and said 'What is this about us doing a live record?"' Buck says with a laugh.

"New Adventures" contains 14 songs that blend all aspects of R.E.M's last decade, including the hard-rocking sensibility of "Monster," the brooding ambiance of "Automatic for the People" and the acoustic pop feel of "Out of Time."

While Buck says this is the group's best album, one song is clearly the band members' favorite. In "E-bow the Letter," 1970's punk rock hero Patti Smith sings opposite Stipe. She even appeared periodically throughout the tour to perform the song live.

Buck predicts R.E.M. will continue changing its musical style as it tours -- perhaps becoming a looser, more improvisational band.

"I feel like standing on-stage with an acoustic guitar," he said. "We went out and had our rock tour; it was great and we enjoyed it. Maybe next time we'll be four guys in suits doing quieter stuff, maybe with a cellist or vibes player."

As for rumors that the band is on the verge of breaking up, Buck denies a split is imminent.

"I'm flattered we're big enough that people have all these speculations about us ... I remember when I was a teen-ager, they did the same thing to Led Zeppelin and the Stones," Buck said. "I remember reading in Circus magazine that it was all over for the Stones."

For now, Buck is content with where R.E.M. is and where it is headed.

"We have roads to go down still," he said, "but we're doing what I would really like to do, which is create a strong body of work ... I feel comfortable where we are."

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• R.E.M. Home Page
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• The Ultimate Band List - R.E.M.

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