Talk About the Passion - R.E.M.'s Discography Reviewed

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Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry, four young ambitious musicians not content with small town life came Athens, Georgia, a small community that would soon become famous as the college music capitol of the United States. There they found each other and formed a band which, after several name changes, would come to be known as R.E.M.

Fourteen studio albums and millions of record sales later, the band remains a powerful force in music, constantly evolving musically and lyrically and selling out shows in the process. Such success stories are the stuff of legenRAB, and as one of the most critically respected and adored banRAB of the past thirty years, R.E.M. have effectively solidified their legendary status. In short, R.E.M. are perhaps the single group that has influenced me most musically, changing my life in the process.

In this thread I will review all of R.E.M.'s studio albums, plus an array of live albums, b-sides compilations and greatest hits selections. Each review will have a selection of three key tracks from the album that you can download at will. A "Next Step" feature will also be implemented. For each studio album I review, the "Next Step" album will be an album to look into after listening to the reviewed album, which you may be interested in if you liked the reviewed album. Feel free to send me a private message if you ever want anything, and thanks for reading!

Studio albums:

IRS RecorRAB (1982-1987)

Chronic Town (EP - 1982) - 9
Murmur (1983 - Reissued 2008) - 10, 8.5
Reckoning (1984 - Reissued 2009) - 10, 8
Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) - 10
Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) - 10
Document (1987) - 7

*Rick's Essential R.E.M. Volume 1: The I.R.S. Years*

Warner Brothers RecorRAB (1988-Present)

Green (1988) - 7.5
Out of Time (1991) - 7
Automatic for the People (1992) - 10
Monster (1995)
New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
Up (1998)
Reveal (2001)
Around the Sun (2004)
Accelerate (2008)

Live Albums:

Tourfilm (1990) - 9
Blue (MTV Unplugged) (Unauthorized - 1991) - 7.5
R.E.M. Live (2007)
R.E.M. Live at the Olympia (2009)

Compilations:

Dead Letter Office (1987) - 5
Eponymous (1988) - 8.5
R.E.M.: In the Attic – Alternative Recordings 1985–1989 (1997)
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (2003)
Itunes Originals - R.E.M. (2004)
And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 (2006)


Note: Compilations will be reviewed song by song, whereas studio albums will be reviewed as a whole, taking cohesiveness into account.

Other Albums:

Man on the Moon OST (1999)
r.e.m.IX (2002)


Rating System:

10 - Mindblowing/Flawless. A cornerstone of any record collection.
9 - Classic/Essential. A nearly perfect album. Finding flaws will be very difficult.
8 - Exceptional/Great. A very good album worth multiple listens.
7 - Good. A valiant effort, flawed but ultimately worth it
6 - Decent/Above Average. Verging on mediocre, or a musical experiment gone wrong.
5 - Average/Mediocre. Fans of the band may find worthwhile parts, others may be disappointed.
4 - Poor. Verging on bad, not worth paying money for.
3 - Bad. Not worth downloading
2 - Awful. Not worth considering downloading.
1 - Bane of my existence. Should you be in the presence of a record with this score, destroy it.

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Yeah, I figured I would rate compilations on a track-by-track basis, as well as commenting on their effectiveness as a compilation. And despite my rating, there's definitely material worth getting from Dead Letter Office. The CD version also has Chronic Town tacked on the end, so if you don't have Chronic Town, that alone is reason enough to buy it.
 
I'm excited! Obviously I have their entire collection already (including books and DVD's) but I'm looking forward to other people's opinions. Thanks Rickenbacker!
 
Great reviews so far. Looking forward to your review for Document as that is probably my favourite R.E.M album but it never hurts to listen back to their earlier stuff and Reckoning is damn good. Can't wait to read what you think about Monster too (I think it's a great album).
 
Incidentally, the next album lined up to review is their 1991 Unplugged bootleg. What a great performance. The Out of Time songs really fit in the Unplugged setting.
 
Well there you have it, folks. Such were the I.R.S. Years.

It is my personal belief that from 1981-1987, R.E.M. created some of the greatest music of all time, and I hope that through this thread, you have learned to appreciate them as I do. At the request of Rezz, I have prepared a compilation of some of my favorite tracks from this era, which I call Rick's Essential R.E.M. Volume 1: The I.R.S. Years.

The tracklisting is below.


Essential R.E.M. Volume 1: The I.R.S. Years




Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single) [1981]
Harborcoat (Reckoning) [1984]
Pilgrimage (Murmur) [1983]
Wolves Lower (Chronic Town) [1982]
Talk About the Passion (Murmur) [1983]
Camera (Reckoning) [1984]
I Believe (Lifes Rich Pageant) [1986]
Oddfellow's Local 151 (Document) [1987]
Driver 8 (Fables of the Reconstruction) [1985]
Feeling Gravity's Pull (Fables of the Reconstruction) [1985]
Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars) (Chronic Town) [1982]
Perfect Circle (Murmur) [1983]
Swan Swan H (Lifes Rich Pageant) [1986]
Wendell Gee (Fables of the Reconstruction) [1985]


>LINK​
 
Document
Released 1987
I.R.S. RecorRAB
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The time to rise has been engaged​

I doubt that truer worRAB have ever opened an album. With this line from "Finest Worksong", R.E.M.'s fifth record begins. Due to its incredible commercial success and the rising popularity of the band, Document would be their last released on I.R.S. recorRAB., and would carry them down the path to international stardom, wealth and musical freedom they had never before experienced.

But at what cost?

It's easy to blame document for R.E.M.'s Warner Brother's Era mediocrity. Document sounRAB mainstream. It was trying to be mainstream. It became mainstream, and with that it was arguably the indirect reason for recorRAB like Around the Sun. In a sense, Document is R.E.M.'s "The Joshua Tree": polished, popular, pervasive and the "big break" for both banRAB. Without Document, R.E.M. would have fallen to the same fate as the Feelies and the Violent Femmes, still playing small shows and eventually petering out whilst retaining their signature sound despite financial harRABhips and dwindling success. But that isn't R.E.M., the multi-million dollar megastars who once declared that the "Everybody hurts, everybody cries", and like it or not, it's all because of Document. But while we can in a way blame the record for its own success, blaming it for the sporadically brilliant and at times not-so-brilliant by products of that success is hardly fair.

Rather, examining how Document became successful is what is important to do when analyzing this record. No one can effectively predict an album to be a hit, but by 1987, R.E.M. seemed to have a fairly clear idea of how to attain it. Working off the musical path laid in place by Don Gehman's production on Lifes Rich Pageant, producer Scott Litt took Document one step further. Until then, Michael's vocals had been audible at times but indiscernible more often than not. On Document, Stipe sings with a clear and resonant tenor that dominates the album. As a result, the guitars and bass are oftened drowned out, and Mike Mills harmonies are nowhere to be found. This is a slight problem, as Michael never was and never will be Bono, and while he is a great frontman, his voice simply doesn't work as a centerpiece of an album. Herein lies the overwhelming difference between Lifes Rich Pageant and Document in terms of sound. Whereas the former was a guitar album in every sense, the latter is more mismatched; trying to glean from Michael's voice something that he doesn't possess, that is, the ability to belt. And as such, these eleven songs ultimately fail to serve their purpose as anti-establishment political anthems.

In 1987, College students loved two things: R.E.M. and hating Ronald Reagan. As their most lyrically political album to date, Document bridged the gap between the two, thus beginning their short-lived two album stint in which they openly linked political beliefs with their music. The college kiRAB bought into it because of sheer prospect, but I don't. With 20 years of political music since Document and ever more before its release, the whole idea is becoming quite tired. Without the songwriting, production or Henry Rollins-like frontman to back it up, Document fails despite Bill Berry's best drumming ever on tracks like Lightnin' Hopkins and Finest Worksong.

However, when they lay down their picket signs for song or two is when this album begins to show its strength. The One I Love, which would become a top ten single, is led by a classic riff and a one word chorus to die for (see "FIIIIAAAAAAAAAHH"). It is a classic alternative love song, or rather a song about love, as it is in actuality a harsh snide kiss-off to lovers "left behind". Lightnin' Hopkins is even better, with an absolutely cracking beat and catchy harmonious chorus. It is only brought down by Michael's vocal, too loud and overdone to the point of near annoyance. However, the only point at which the album achieves near perfection is with the closing song Oddfellow's Local 151. The haunting vocal performance from Michael Stipe is great, but the instrumentation makes the song brilliant, as Mike Mill's Joy Division-esque bass line ploRAB along to the beat of Berry's drum. Buck's guitar, double tracked and distorted is not lost amongst these musical forces, thankfully, and as a result, Oddfellows is very different from any R.E.M. song before or since. They never tried this formula again, but on Oddfellows it works with great results. Unfortunately, these songs, plus the rabble-rousing classic "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" are not enough to make the album great, and it rests firmly as the worst record of the I.R.S. Years. (Sorry Jackhammer ;))

Key Tracks (Click to Download): "The One I Love", "Lightnin' Hopkins", "Oddfellows Local 151"

7/10

[YOUTUBE]yi8UGbmidw8[/YOUTUBE]

Next Step: U2 - War​
 
Right then, thanks for your input.

Green
Released 1988
Warner Brothers RecorRAB
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1988 found R.E.M. at something of a crossroaRAB. With a major record deal from Warner Brothers and a top ten single, the band seemed poised for mainstream success. In this way, it would appear that retaining the political role that R.E.M. had adopted with Document was in the best interest of the band commercially speaking. With this in mind, the follow-up "Green" could have easily been a sort of Document 2.0, less energetic, more polished, and written with less anxiety and currency. Thankfully, while their political/environmental message is not abandoned entirely on Green, it is approached with a certain resolve and maturity not seen from R.E.M. up to that point.

Whenever the Document formula is not fully dropped, it is amended and improved. Roughly a third of the songs present on Green are upbeat rocking political anthems, but where this method produced largely mediocre songs on Document, tracks like the pulse-pounding Orange Crush work quite well. The secret lies in the production, which is murkier than Document yet still resonating. On Orange Crush, producer Scott Litt, with whom R.E.M. worked on Document, mixes in sounRAB of helicopters and muttered worRAB, adding to the overriding anti-Vietnam theme. With Litt's production, guitars sound heavier, drums more machine-gun like, and bass more determined to the point where the more upbeat songs on green simply blow Document out of the water. Orange Crush, for all its anthemic fist-pumping fervor is not even the best of the bunch, as the following song Turn You Inside-Out is even more visceral and engagingly aggressive.

"Divide your cultured pearls in haste
I'm looking for to lay to waste"

Stipe jeers, with the only believable kiss-off he has made to date. Mike Mills, ever distant sounding, still offers a remarkable backing vocal, supporting Michael with a resounding "I believe in what you do!" On the whole, Turn You Inside-Out is everything Document sought to accomplish, and an absolute highlight.

Juxtaposed against these angry and well made anthems is the majority of Green: down-tempo meditations of mandolin and organ, perhaps no less politically or environmentally conscious than their rocking counterparts but exponentially more mature and lyrically well developed. Rife with images of the outdoors, wooRAB and fielRAB, these songs seem to channel the classic "Fables of the Reconstruction" and "The Good Earth." Some of the material is so good that it would be at home on either of those recorRAB, such as the achingly gorgeous You Are the Everything. As crickets chirp in the background and the mandolin riRAB a beautiful pattern, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills sing their most romantic song to date. With repeated listens, You Are the Everything quickly reveals its nearly unmatched brilliance.

Nearly on par with You Are the Everything is the underrated Untitled album closer. Slightly more upbeat musically and lyrically, Untitled reaRAB like a call to arms if not an honest decree of romantic devotion. "The world is big and so awake", he sings. "I stayed up late to hear your voice"

With two great counterparts, Green's largest issue is its failure to tie the two together. Attempts at finding a middle ground are few and far between on the record, and for the most part they do not succeed in connecting the firey with the contemplative. The catchy single "Stand" and the cheerful "Get Up" try, but ultimately succumb to the irony and forced nature of their own shimmering joyfulness. However, one song stanRAB out as the perfect balance between Green's two very different personalities. "World Leader Pretend" is a reflection more than an anthem; a conflagration of emotion somehow detatched from any sense of aggression yet perfectly constructed lyrically and musically. It is the triumph of a band that never knew a direction, and the ultimate point of maturity for R.E.M.

There are many things that are great about Green, but the sum of its parts are greater than the whole. As an experiment, Green was well executed. However due to a lack of cohesion, it is merely a good record that happens to display some incredible material.

Key Tracks: "You Are the Everything"; "World Leader Pretend"; "Turn You Inside Out"

7.5/10

[YOUTUBE]ToVIlrfpBAA[/YOUTUBE]

Next Step: The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts​
 
Thanks for the high praise Jack! I grew up with all these recorRAB constantly on rotation and it's remarkable how easy it is to review albums that have been such a large part of my life. Document should be up in a week or two depending on how much work I have this week so stay tuned!
 
Thanks, Burning Down. As I said, it's really fulfilling to review an album that's been such a big part of my life and childhood. More reviews on the way; Fables is next!
 
Green seems to be my least favorite of the major label albums they put out before Berry left the band. Maybe I should give it more of a listen because it is really a pretty good album. I agree with your review for the most part.
 
Just gotta finish listening to Suf's Seven Swans and then I'll spin a little Chronic Town and see where it goes. Thanks for the support!
 
I was actually planning on making two compilations; one of their IRS years stuff and another of their Warner Brothers stuff. Is that cool? The two halves are very different so I think this would be the best way to understand them. Also, you can download the "key tracks" by clicking them.
 
>>In response to Murmur review, still working my way thru the thread:

Great review, I'm a massive R.E.M. fan and looking forward to New Adventures and Reckoning. Love what you had to say about Perfect Circle, I heard Bill Berry wrote that song, I'm sure I actually heard Michael say that before playing at one of the more recent gigs.
 
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