R.E.M.’s Life’s Rich Pageant is a 2016 reissue of their 1986 alternative rock recording, capturing a more direct and expansive phase in their early catalogue. The album moves between jangling guitar-driven tracks and more layered, melodic arrangements, with a clearer, more forceful production throughout. Highlights include “Fall on Me” and “Cuyahoga,” showcasing the band’s evolving songwriting and political undercurrent.
