View source for Lifes Rich Pageant

{{short description|1986 album by R.E.M.}}{{Infobox album
| name         = Lifes Rich Pageant
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[R.E.M.]]
| cover        = R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = {{start date|1986|7|28}}
| recorded     = April and May 1986
| studio       = [[Belmont Mall Studio|Belmont Mall]] ([[Belmont, Indiana]])
| genre        = * [[Jangle pop]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=111043&page=1|title=R.E.M. Album Details|website=ABC News}}</ref>
* [[alternative rock]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f/P1/ | title=12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s | publisher=[[PopMatters]] | date=August 27, 2014 | access-date=October 27, 2015 | author=Ramirez, AJ}}</ref>
| length       = {{Duration|m=38|s=23}}
| label        = [[I.R.S. Records|I.R.S.]]
| producer     = [[Don Gehman]]
| prev_title   = [[Fables of the Reconstruction]]
| prev_year    = 1985
| next_title   = [[Dead Letter Office (album)|Dead Letter Office]]
| next_year    = 1987
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Lifes Rich Pageant
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Fall on Me (R.E.M. song)|Fall on Me]]
 | single1date = August 1986
 | single2     = [[Superman (The Clique song)|Superman]]
 | single2date = November 1986
}}
}}
'''''Lifes Rich Pageant''''' is the fourth studio album by the American [[alternative rock]] band [[R.E.M.]], released on July 28, 1986, by [[I.R.S. Records]]. R.E.M. chose [[Don Gehman]] to produce the album, which was recorded at [[John Mellencamp]]'s [[Belmont Mall Studio]] in [[Belmont, Indiana]]. This was the only album the band recorded with Gehman, who moved them from the more obscure and dense sound of their earlier albums to an accessible, [[hard rock]]-influenced quality. The album was well-received critically.
== Recording and production ==
During the first half of 1986, the band took a break from touring to recover energy.<ref name=":02">{{cite web|last=Peacock|first=Tim|date=2021-07-28|title='Lifes Rich Pageant': How R.E.M. Banked A Classic {{!}} uDiscover|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/behind-the-albums/r-e-m-lifes-rich-pageant/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=uDiscover Music|language=en-US}}</ref> They wanted to make a change from the sound of their previous album, with Mills saying "We wanted to get away from the sort of murky feelings and sounds that we got out of Joe [<nowiki/>[[Joe Boyd|Boyd]], producer on ''[[Fables of the Reconstruction]]''] in London".<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Zaleski|first=Annie|date=July 28, 2016|title=How R.E.M. Took a Big Step Forward With 'Lifes Rich Pageant'|url=https://diffuser.fm/r-e-m-lifes-rich-pageant/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Diffuser.fm|language=en}}</ref> They wanted a "really hard-driving record, but we also like to throw in a lot of things: pianos and organs and accordions and banjos and what-not" and considered working with Gehman as they liked the acoustic sound of his work with [[John Mellencamp]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Popson|first=Tom|date=October 17, 1986|title=ONWARD AND UPWARD AND PLEASE YOURSELF|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-10-17-8603180299-story.html|access-date=2021-08-12|website=chicagotribune.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> They initially met for a number of demo sessions at John Keane's Studio in [[Athens, Georgia]], in January & March 1986 (These recordings would later be released as the "Athens Demos" on the 25th anniversary re-release of the album).<ref name=":02" /> After being initially skeptical, they embraced the new recording process with Gehman later stating that:<blockquote>"I liked to spend time on the arrangement and layer in the overdubs and comp the vocals—all this process which, to me, was normal record-making, they had never been through before. When they saw that kind of record-making process didn't take anything away—that it actually added another level of artistic expression—they were very excited by it."<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>The album was recorded at Mellencamp's [[Belmont Mall Studio|Belmont Mall Recording Studio]] in [[Belmont, Indiana]], in April and May 1986.<ref name=":02" /> The recording studio was larger and had newer technology than they were used to, and they enjoyed the area, attending many concerts in nearby [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]] while there.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The band were also happy with the production of the record and the extra clarity of the vocals, bassist [[Mike Mills]] saying:<blockquote>"Don (Gehman, the album's producer) is good at layering things so there can be a lot of things going on but you can still hear everything. And as far as Michael's vocals go, it's a combination of things: Michael is getting better at what he's doing, and he's getting more confident at it. And I think that shows up in the projection of his voice. The overall sound of everything was so good, we didn't mind having the vocals mixed as loud as they were."<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>

==Music==
The ecologically minded "Cuyahoga" refers to the once heavily polluted [[Cuyahoga River]] that flows into [[Lake Erie]] at [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]. The song includes the lyric ''we burned the river down'', which refers to the several occasions (most famously in 1969) when the river actually [[Cuyahoga River#History|caught fire]].

At the end of "Just a Touch" frontman [[Michael Stipe]] can be heard screaming the line "I'm so young, I'm so goddamn young", quoting longtime influence [[Patti Smith]]'s live cover version of [[The Who]]'s "[[My Generation (The Who song)|My Generation]]"  released on the B-side of her 1976 single "[[Gloria (Them song)|Gloria]]",<ref>{{cite journal| journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |title=Atlanta, Who Murdered Your Children? |last=Keating |first=Robert |page=78 |date=October 1986 |volume=2 |issue=7 |issn=0886-3032}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Matthew|first1=Perpetua|title=Ask Michael Stipe|url=http://popsongs.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/ask-michael-stipe-4/|website=Pop Songs 07-08|date=20 September 2008|access-date=June 16, 2014}}</ref> which she also uses at the end of her cover version of "[[Privilege (Set Me Free)]]" from her 1978 album ''[[Easter (Patti Smith Group album)|Easter]]''.

== Packaging ==
The album title is based on an English [[idiom]]. Its use is very old, but R.E.M.'s use is, according to guitarist [[Peter Buck]], from the 1964 film ''[[A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)|A Shot in the Dark]]'', minus the apostrophe:
:''[[Inspector Clouseau]] opens a car door, falling into a fountain.''
:Maria: "You should get out of these clothes immediately. You'll catch your death of pneumonia, you will."
:Clouseau: "Yes, I probably will. But it's all part of life's rich pageant, you know?"<ref>Rosen, Craig (1997). ''R.E.M. Inside Out: The Stories Behind Every Song''. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. {{ISBN|1-56025-177-8}}.</ref>

The cover of the album is a photograph of drummer [[Bill Berry]], on the upper half, and a pair of [[American bison|bison]], signifying an environmental theme, on the lower half. It also alludes to [[Buffalo Bill]].<ref name="pfreview" />

== Release ==
With R.E.M.'s fan base beginning to grow beyond its [[college rock]] boundaries, ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' proved at the time to be the band's most commercially successful album in the United States, peaking at number 21<ref>{{cite web |title=R.E.M. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p116437|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=2009-08-12 |work=[[allmusic]]}}</ref> on the [[Billboard chart|''Billboard'' charts]] and heralding the band's first [[Music recording sales certification|gold record]].<ref name="riaagp" /> In the UK, the album managed a number 43 peak.<ref name="occ" />

The ecologically conscious "[[Fall on Me (R.E.M. song)|Fall on Me]]" (a personal favorite of Michael Stipe) and a cover of [[The Clique (Texas band)|the Clique]]'s "[[Superman (The Clique song)|Superman]]", sung by Mike Mills, were the only singles released from the album (the single version of the latter removed the sample from one of the [[Godzilla]] movies that began the album version).

==Reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lifes-rich-pageant-mw0000191412 |title=''Lifes Rich Pageant''&nbsp;– R.E.M. |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 31, 2015 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/03/24/traveling-through-the-years-with-rem/ |title=Traveling Through The Years With R.E.M. |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=March 24, 1991 |access-date=November 2, 2015 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev3score = B+<ref name="crgreview">{{cite book |chapter=R.E.M.: ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' |chapter-url=https://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2918 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=[[Pantheon Books]] |year=1990 |isbn=0-679-73015-X |page=343}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev4score = A<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/1991/03/22/rem-discography |title=An R.E.M. discography |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=March 22, 1991 |access-date=August 30, 2015 |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924005209/http://www.ew.com/article/1991/03/22/rem-discography |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="guardianreview">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/30/rem-lifes-rich-pageant-review |title=REM: ''Lifes Rich Pageant''&nbsp;– review |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=June 30, 2011 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 8.8/10<ref name="pfreview">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15625-lifes-rich-pageant-25th-anniversary-edition/ |title=R.E.M.: ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' (25th Anniversary Edition) |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |last=Deusner |first=Stephen M. |author-link=Stephen Deusner}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=R.E.M.: ''Life's Rich Pageant'' |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=301 |date=August 2011 |last=Kane |first=Peter |page=128}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="rs2003review">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lifes-rich-pageant-2-107380/ |title=''Life's Rich Pageant'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=926 |date=July 10, 2003 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |last=Edwards |first=Gavin |author-link=Gavin Edwards (writer) |page=73}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=R.E.M. |last=Nawrocki |first=Tom |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/685 685–687]}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="uncutreview">{{cite magazine |url=http://remhq.com/cms_files/pdf/r.e.m._uncut_lifes_rich_p.pdf |title=REM: ''Lifes Rich Pageant'': 25th Anniversary Edition |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=171 |date=August 2011 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |last=Mueller |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Mueller |page=102 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725055016/http://remhq.com/cms_files/pdf/r.e.m._uncut_lifes_rich_p.pdf |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

{{Metacritic album prose|Lifes Rich Pageant|positive|93|20}}<ref name="mc">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/lifes-rich-pageant/rem |title=Lifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M. Reviews and Tracks |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=February 15, 2019}}</ref> ''[[PopMatters]]'' included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ramirez|first=AJ |url=https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |title=Hope Despite the Times: 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122054617/https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=2018-01-22 }}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' listed the album at #52 on its list of "Best Albums of 1980s" saying "Lifes Rich Pageant stands as a nearly seamless transition between the band's formative period and their commercial dominance."<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-03-05 |title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s &#124; Feature |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314063414/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_5 |archive-date=2012-03-14 |access-date=2016-10-02 |publisher=Slant Magazine}}</ref> In 2000, it ranked at number 162 in the list of [[Virgin Books|Virgin]]'s All-Time Album Top 1000 List.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rocklist.net..Colin Larkin 1000 Albums - 2000 |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/virgin_1000_v3.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060811222706/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/virgin_1000_v3.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 11, 2006 |access-date=2016-10-02 |website=Rocklistmusic.co.uk}}</ref>

[[Anthony DeCurtis]], writing a contemporary review for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', called it "brilliant and groundbreaking, if modestly flawed", praising it as "the most outward looking record R.E.M. has made." He found that it "carries on...{{nbsp}} the dark Southern folk artistry of last year's ''Fables of the Reconstruction''" and "paints a swirling, impressionistic portrait of a country at the moral crossroads".<ref name="rs1986review">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lifes-rich-pageant-105127/ |title=''Lifes Rich Pageant'' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=August 28, 1986 |access-date=August 11, 2021 |last=DeCurtis |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony DeCurtis}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album B+ in a dismissive review that complained of a lack of progress from earlier albums.<ref name="crgreview" />

Retrospective reviews of the album in the context of the band's later work (beginning with the following original studio album, ''[[Document (album)|Document]]'') have been positive. [[Gavin Edwards (writer)|Gavin Edwards]], writing in 2003, gave it four stars, praising "Fall on Me" in particular as "the finest song in the R.E.M. canon. A lullaby of modern anxiety, it's flexible enough to serve as a potent metaphor for acid rain, nuclear warfare, satellite surveillance or any other modern phobia you choose".<ref name="rs2003review" /> [[Stephen Deusner]], writing for ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', calls it "invigorating", citing it as R.E.M.'s first transitional album, simultaneously their "most pop-oriented and accessible album up to that point" and "most overtly political collection, with songs addressing environmental crises and political malaise".<ref name="pfreview" /> [[Alexis Petridis]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' says it "may represent the band at their absolute zenith... imbued with a swaggering confidence absent from its murky predecessor". Petridis also singles out "Fall on Me" for its "beautiful opacity" and the "sumptuousness of its melody".<ref name="guardianreview" /> [[Andrew Mueller]] in ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' argues that it represents R.E.M. embracing the mainstream: "For the first time, it had occurred to REM that they had a constituency – and, indeed, that it might be possible and desirable to build on that" with an album where "Every note... fizzes and crackles with the urgency of people who’ve made their minds up".<ref name="uncutreview" />

Both DeCurtis and Deusner praise the production work of Don Gehman, comparing it favorably to their previous album ''[[Fables of the Reconstruction]]''. DeCurtis said Gehman "has done an outstanding job of hardening R.E.M.’s sonic jolt" while Deusner stated of Gehman that by "giving the melodic leads their own space, he emphasizes the muscle in Berry's beats and the intricate interaction between the rhythm section".<ref name="pfreview" /><ref name="rs1986review" />

==Track listing==
All songs written by [[Bill Berry]], [[Peter Buck]], [[Mike Mills]] and [[Michael Stipe]], except "Superman" by Mitchell Bottler and [[Gary Zekley]].

'''Original release:'''

'''Side one&nbsp;– "Dinner side"'''
#"[[Begin the Begin]]"&nbsp;– 3:28
#"These Days"&nbsp;– 3:24
#"[[Fall on Me (R.E.M. song)|Fall on Me]]"&nbsp;– 2:50
#"[[Cuyahoga (song)|Cuyahoga]]"&nbsp;– 4:19
#"Hyena"&nbsp;– 2:50
#"Underneath the Bunker" (unlisted track{{refn|group=note|The track listing on the CD packaging (back cover) is incorrect and has never been corrected. The order is given as 01-05-10-08-02-07-04-09-03-11, which excludes "Underneath the Bunker". The track listing is corrected on the vinyl, cassette, and some CD versions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/master/14705-REM-Lifes-Rich-Pageant?image=1529523.SW1hZ2U6MjIxOTE5NA%3D%3D&country=UK|title=R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant &#124; Releases &#124; Discogs|website=[[Discogs]] }}</ref>}})&nbsp;– 1:25

'''Side two&nbsp;– "Supper side"'''
#<li value="1">"The Flowers of Guatemala"&nbsp;– 3:55
#"I Believe"&nbsp;– 3:49
#"What If We Give It Away?"&nbsp;– 3:33
#"Just a Touch"&nbsp;– 3:00
#"Swan Swan H"&nbsp;– 2:42
#"[[Superman (The Clique song)|Superman]]" (unlisted track{{refn|group=note|"Superman", which is a [[cover song]] is an [[hidden track|unlisted track]] on back cover packaging (shown as "+_____________"), but listed on the disc and cassette media.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/master/14705-REM-Lifes-Rich-Pageant/image/SW1hZ2U6NjU5OTk1MQ==|title=R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant &#124; Releases &#124; Discogs|website=[[Discogs]] }}</ref><ref>https://www.discogs.com/master/14705-REM-Lifes-Rich-Pageant?image=395082.SW1hZ2U6NjU5OTk0Nw%3D%3D&format=LP&format=Vinyl&country=US {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> Some early UK compact disc copies list the track as "Superwoman".}})&nbsp;– 2:52

==Personnel==
{{more sources needed|date=April 2025}}
Personnel taken from ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' liner notes.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Lifes Rich Pageant |others=[[R.E.M.]] |date=1986 |type=Album liner notes}}</ref>

'''R.E.M.'''
*[[Bill Berry]]&nbsp;– [[drum kit|drums]], [[percussion]], [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]]
*[[Peter Buck]]&nbsp;– [[guitar]], [[banjo]] on "I Believe"
*[[Mike Mills]]&nbsp;– [[bass guitar]], backing vocals, [[piano]], [[organ (music)|organ]], [[accordion]], lead vocals on "Superman", co-lead vocals on "Fall on Me"
*[[Michael Stipe]]&nbsp;– [[lead vocals]], backing vocals on "Superman"

'''Production'''
*M. Bird&nbsp;– illustrations
*Jim Dineen – [[Audio engineering|engineering]]
*Gregg Edward – mixing at Can-Am Recorders, [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States]]
*Rick Fetig – engineering
*[[Don Gehman]]&nbsp;– [[Record producer|production]], [[audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]
*Ross Hogarth – engineering
*Stan Katayama – engineering
*[[Bob Ludwig]]&nbsp;– [[Audio mastering|mastering]], at Masterdisc, [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States
*Sandra Lee Phipps&nbsp;– photography
*[[Juanita Rogers]]&nbsp;– back cover painting
*R. O. Scarelli – packaging
*B. Slay&nbsp;– illustrations

==Chart performance==
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Year
!align="left"|Chart
!align="left"|Peak<br />position
|-
|align="left"|1986
|align="left"|[[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]
|align="left"|21 (32 weeks on chart)<ref name=amawards>{{cite web|title=Lifes Rich Pageant&nbsp;– R.E.M. Awards|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/lifes-rich-pageant-mw0000191412/awards|website=Allmusic|access-date=June 16, 2014|ref=amawards}}</ref>
|-
|align="left"|1986
|align="left"|[[UK Albums Chart]]
|align="left"|43 (4 weeks on chart)<ref name=occ>{{cite web|title=R.E.M. Artist Official Charts |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/r.e.m./ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=June 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313000058/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/r.e.m./ |archive-date=March 13, 2013 }}</ref>
|-
|align="left"|1986
|align="left"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])
|align="left"|73 (7 weeks on chart)<ref name=kent>{{cite book | title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]] | author=Kent, David | author-link=David Kent (historian) | publisher=Australian Chart Book | location=St Ives | year=1993 | page=244 | isbn=0-646-11917-6}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by [[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]] between 1983 and June 19, 1988.</ref>
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Year
!align="left"|Song
!align="left"|Chart
!align="left"|Position
|-
|align="left"|1986
|align="left"|"Fall on Me"
|align="left"|''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks
|align="left"|5<ref name=amawards/>
|-
|align="left"|1986
|align="left"|"Fall on Me"
|align="left"|The ''Billboard'' Hot 100
|align="left"|94<ref name=amawards/>
|-
|align="left"|1986
|align="left"|"Superman"
|align="left"|''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks
|align="left"|17<ref name=amawards/>
|}

==Certifications==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Organization
!align="left"|Level
!align="left"|Date
|-
|align="left"|RIAA&nbsp;– US
|align="left"|Gold
|align="left"|January 23, 1987<ref name=riaagp>{{cite web|title=RIAA&nbsp;– Gold & Platinum Searchable Database|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database|website=RIAA|access-date=June 16, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|align="left"|CRIA&nbsp;– Canada
|align="left"|Gold
|align="left"|September 30, 1987<ref name=criacert>{{cite web|title=CRIA Gold and Platinum Search |url=http://www.musiccanada.com/goldplatinum.aspx |website=CRIA |access-date=June 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115121201/http://www.musiccanada.com/GoldPlatinum.aspx |archive-date=November 15, 2011 }}</ref>
|-
|align="left"|CRIA&nbsp;– Canada
|align="left"|Platinum
|align="left"|September 30, 1987<ref name=criacert />
|}

==Release history==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Region
! Date
! Label
! Format
! Catalog
|-
|United Kingdom
|{{Dts|link=off|1986|7|28}}
|[[I.R.S. Records|I.R.S.]]
|[[Gramophone record|vinyl LP]]
|MIRG1014
|-
|rowspan="3"|United States
|rowspan="3"|{{Dts|link=off|1986|7|29}}
|rowspan="3"|I.R.S.
|LP
|IRS-5783
|-
|[[cassette tape]]
|IRSC-5783
|-
|[[Compact Disc]]
|72434-93478-2-3
|-
|Brazil
|{{Dts|link=off|1986}}
|[[Epic Records|Epic]]
|LP
|14495
|-
|Greece
|{{Dts|link=off|1986}}
|I.R.S.
|LP
|57064
|-
|The Netherlands
|{{Dts|link=off|1986}}
|[[Illegal Records|Illegal]]
|LP
|ILP 57064
|-
|New Zealand
|{{Dts|link=off|1986}}
|I.R.S.
|LP
|ELPS 4550
|-
|Spain
|{{Dts|link=off|1986}}
|Illegal
|LP
|57064
|-
|United States
|{{Dts|link=off|1990}}
|I.R.S.
|Compact Disc
|IRSD-5783
|-
|Worldwide
|{{Dts|link=off|1990}}
|[[MCA Records|MCA]]
|Compact Disc
|5783
|-
|United States
|{{Dts|link=off|1990}}
|I.R.S.
|cassette tape
|IRSC-5783
|-
|United States
|{{Dts|link=off|1992}}
|[[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
|Compact Disc
|19080
|-
|The Netherlands
|{{Dts|link=off|1993|1|26}}
|[[EMI]]
|Compact Disc
|7 13201 2 5†
|-
|Japan
|{{Dts|link=off|1993|2|24}}
|[[Toshiba]]/EMI
|Compact Disc
|TOCP-7269†
|-
|Worldwide
|{{Dts|link=off|1998}}
|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
|Compact Disc
|93478
|-
|Europe
|{{Dts|link=off|1998}}
|EMI
|Compact Disc
|13201†
|-
|Europe
|{{Dts|link=off|1999}}
|EMI
|Compact Disc
|7132012†
|-
|United States
|{{Dts|link=off|2011|7|12}}
|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]/EMI
|Compact Disc
|5099908244727††
|-
|United States
|{{Dts|link=off|2011|11|22}}
|Mobile Fidelity
|Vinyl LP
|N/A
|-
|United States
|{{Dts|link=off|2016|7|29}}
|I.R.S.
|Vinyl LP
|IRSLP85140
|}

'''Notes'''
*† I.R.S. Vintage Years edition, with bonus tracks
*†† 25th anniversary edition, with bonus disc

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120205195817/http://www.remhq.com/albums.php R.E.M.HQ on ''Lifes Rich Pageant'']
*{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r16420}}
*:{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r206833}} (I.R.S. Vintage Years edition)
*{{MusicBrainz release|mbid=4149088f-efdc-42b6-94cf-4bc6947b838d|name=Lifes Rich Pageant}}
*:{{MusicBrainz release|mbid=f6d63a52-29a7-4708-9f60-c4ef9e28663f|name=Lifes Rich Pageant}} (I.R.S. Vintage Years edition)
*[http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/talk-pageant-rem-bloomington-1986/ Talk About The Pageant: When R.E.M. Came To Bloomington In 1986]

{{R.E.M.}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1986 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Don Gehman]]
[[Category:I.R.S. Records albums]]
[[Category:R.E.M. albums]]