AS ALTERNATIVE ROCK became mainstream in the early to mid-1990s, (thanks to grunge acts like Nirvana), R.E.M. rode the wave with its more jangly, pop- leaning variation of the genre.
On the Billboard 200 dated Oct. 15, 1994, the Athens, Ga., band — singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, guitarist Peter Buck and drummer Bill Berry — notched its second No. 1, and only No. 1 debut, as its ninth album Monster soared to the summit. Befitting its title, the record sold 344,000 firstweek copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
This success continued a hot streak that began with 1991’s Out of Time, R.E.M.’s first No. 1 album, and its follow-up, 1992’s Automatic for the People, which reached No. 2.
Those three records have sold a total 10.9 million copies and…