In September of 1996, R.E.M. followed their fuzzy, grungy, glammy album Monster with the relatively expansive and immersive LP New Adventures In Hi-Fi. The band worked on the album's tracks while on the road, following the example of their young friends in Radiohead, and they came up with a set of songs that worked as a transitional document for the band. New Adventures In Hi-Fi still went platinum and sold millions around the world, but it wasn't packed with hits, the way R.E.M.'s previous '90s albums had been. A year after its release, drummer Bill Berry left the band, and they began their final chapter as relatively low-key elder statesmen.