New Adventures In Hi-Fi  by R.E.M.

In September 1996, R.E.M. returned to the discography with their tenth album titled New Adventures In Hi-Fi. Musically, the album moves in the alternative rock sound, mixing folk rock and jangle pop in a way that only R.E.M. could invent.

The songs of the album were not recorded in any specific studio, but in various locations; in fact, R.E.M. recorded wherever they could, as the Monster tour was still ongoing. The only consistent studio where they recorded was the Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, where they also recorded the song E-Bow The Letter. Patti Smith joined them there and participated in the song's vocals. The iconic cover photo is a picture of the Nevada desert taken by Michael Stipe.

New Adventures In Hi-Fi reached No. 2 in the United States, while it topped the charts in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Canada, and many other countries. The album's sales have exceeded 2,200,000 copies worldwide.