Which R.E.M. album was the last to feature drummer Bill Berry?

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New Adventures in Hi-Fi was the last R.E.M. album to feature drummer Bill Berry.

Released in 1996, New Adventures in Hi-Fi was R.E.M.'s tenth studio album and the final one recorded with Berry as a member of the band. Berry left R.E.M. amicably the following year, in 1997, after suffering a brain aneurysm during the 1995 Monster tour.

The album has a distinctive road-tested sound because much of it was recorded during and after that tour. The band captured live performances with portable eight-track equipment, then completed additional work at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle. Patti Smith contributed vocals to "E-Bow the Letter."

Around the Sun, Reveal, and Up all came after Berry's departure and were made by R.E.M. as a three-piece, with session musicians sometimes supporting them. That is why New Adventures in Hi-Fi is often described as Berry's final R.E.M. album, even though he did not play on later releases.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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