The Big Mates discuss Godzilla, a car crash, The Lion King, and Lifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by finishing up their track-by-track analysis of the band's fourth studio album, released in 1986. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between. They bring the track-by-track to a close, exploring the meaning of the songs, the varying energies across the album, and talk about what does and does not constitute a "hidden track." They sum up their thoughts on the album, give scores, and discuss how it was received when it came. They also find time to discuss the band's 1986 Pageantry Tour, what that was like, and whether or not the album predicted grunge in some ways. How do we feel about the album? Does it sound like R.E.M.? What is a flam? Find out on this episode of What Is Music? Our next episode is out on Monday March 18th and will see us offering some audio commentary on a selection of clips from across R.E.M.'s career. Join the conversation on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: [email protected] Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including shows about Manic Street Preachers and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Check out the Skwiggo album here: https://skwiggo.bandcamp.com/album/skwiggo-i Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show