Toronto's Sonic Boom Used 400 Copies of R.E.M.'s 'Monster' to Create One Hell of a Window Display

The record store says the piece was "15 years in the making"
Toronto's Sonic Boom Used 400 Copies of R.E.M.'s 'Monster' to Create One Hell of a Window Display
Photo: Sonic Boom Records
By Calum Slingerland
Published Oct 28, 2019
R.E.M. are set to reissue their ninth studio album Monster this week in celebration of its 25th anniversary, and ahead of the expanded package hitting shelves, Toronto's Sonic Boom Records have marked the occasion in monstrous fashion.

In the front window of their Spadina Avenue store, Sonic Boom staff have assembled a monument to Monster using 400 CD copies of R.E.M.'s 1994 effort.

As you can see, a blue bear costume is backed by the album's original artwork (with price stickers intact), while the blue CDs themselves are scattered about the floor.

"For the last 15 years you stopped by the shop, sold us your Monster CDs and now the time has come for your copies to come out of storage and shine as the back drop our latest window," the store wrote on Instagram. "We waited a long time for this moment and it finally paid off in the most spectacular way."

Physical media fans of a certain age will recall that CD copies of Monster were often an inescapable sight in used bins across the continent. We admire Sonic Boom's dedication to finding a home for at least 400 of them.

R.E.M.'s Monster reissue, with blue-coloured artwork, arrives November 1 through Craft Recordings.