Monster is the ninth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released on September 27, 1994 by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by the band and Scott Litt and recorded at four studios, the album was an intentional stylistic shift from R.E.M.'s previous two albums Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), with loud, distorted guitar tones and simple arrangements. Michael Stipe's lyrics, dealing with the nature of celebrity, are sung by him in several characters.
Led by the successful single "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?", Monster debuted at number one in the United States and at least seven other countries, and received generally positive reviews. Four more singles were released from the album, including the UK top-20 hits "Bang and Blame", "Strange Currencies", and "Tongue". That year, the band promoted the album with their first concert tour since 1989; although the tour was commercially successful, band members suffered several health problems. The album's follow-up New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996) was primarily recorded during the tour.