One of the first alternative rock bands, R. In the early s, other alternative rock acts such as Nirvana , Pixies and Pavement viewed R. After Berry left in , the remaining members continued with mixed critical and commercial success. The band broke up amicably in , having sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and becoming one of the world's best-selling music acts.
The band released their first single, " Radio Free Europe ", in on the independent record label Hib-Tone. Over the course of the decade, R. During their most successful period, they worked with the producer Scott Litt.
With constant touring, and the support of college radio following years of underground success, R. They signed to Warner Bros. Records in , and began to espouse political and environmental concerns while playing arenas worldwide. Monster continued its run of success. The band began its first tour in six years to support the album; the tour was marred by medical emergencies suffered by three of the band members. In , R. The tour was productive and the band recorded the following album mostly during soundchecks.
The resulting record, New Adventures in Hi-Fi , is hailed as the band's last great album and the members' favorite, growing in cult status over the years. Berry left the band the following year, and Stipe, Buck and Mills continued as a musical trio, supplemented by studio and live musicians, such as the multi-instrumentalists Scott McCaughey and Ken Stringfellow and the drummers Joey Waronker and Bill Rieflin.
They also parted ways with their longtime manager Jefferson Holt , at which point the band's attorney Bertis Downs assumed managerial duties. Seeking to also renovate their sound, the band stopped working with Litt, and hired as co-producer Pat McCarthy , who had worked as mixer and engineer on the band's previous two albums.
