Life's Rich Pageant (1986), which was released after the dark and artistic , was REM's first tentative step into the mainstream of rock 'n roll. The production of Don Gehman sounded shockingly clear and commercial for that moment, but in retrospect it was only a foretaste for the final commercial peak , and . The beautiful Fall On Me (an ecological contemplation with a spectacular two-voice choir
… sung by Michael Stipe and Mike Mills) has remained the album's most famous track. However, they are four more rocking tracks - Begin The Begin, Cuyahoga, Just A Touch and a cover of The Clique's obscure Superman, sung by Mills - that already show some of the Georgia band's musical future. Life's Rich Pageant was largely overshadowed by its more commercially successful successors, but it remains one of REM's strongest albums.more
