after drummer bill berry quit in 1997, r.e.m. continued trio.
in april 1997, band convened @ buck s kauai vacation home record demos of material intended next album. band sought reinvent sound , intended incorporate drum loops , percussion experiments. sessions due begin in october, berry decided, after months of contemplation , discussions downs , mills, tell rest of band quitting. berry told bandmates not quit if break result, stipe, buck, , mills agreed carry on three-piece blessing. berry publicly announced departure 3 weeks later in october 1997. berry told press, m not enthusiastic have been in past doing anymore . . . have best job in world. m kind of ready sit , reflect , maybe not pop star anymore. stipe admitted band different without major contributor: me, mike, , peter, r.e.m., still r.e.m.? guess three-legged dog still dog. has learn run differently.
the band performing in 1999 on tour
the band cancelled scheduled recording sessions result of berry s departure. without bill different, confusing , mills later said. didn t know do. couldn t rehearse without drummer. remaining members of r.e.m. resumed work on album in february 1998 @ toast studios in san francisco. band ended decade-long collaboration scott litt , hired pat mccarthy produce record. nigel godrich taken on assistant producer, , drafted in screaming trees member barrett martin , beck s touring drummer joey waronker. recording process plagued tension, , group came close disbanding. bertis downs called emergency meeting band members sorted out problems , agreed continue group. led off single daysleeper , (1998) debuted in top ten in , uk. however, album relative failure, selling 900,000 copies in mid-1999 , selling on 2 million copies worldwide. while r.e.m. s american sales declining, group s commercial base shifting uk, more r.e.m. records sold per capita other country , band s singles regularly entered top 20.
a year after s release, r.e.m. wrote instrumental score andy kaufman biographical film man on moon, first group. film took title automatic people song of same name. song great beyond released single man on moon soundtrack album. great beyond reached number 57 on american pop charts, band s highest-charting single ever in uk, reaching number 3 in 2000.
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