R.E.M. Albums Ranked
Submitted by tdunnie on Wed, 04/21/2004 - 03:14
Tags:
- Fables of the Reconstruction
- Murmur
- Lifes Rich Pageant
- Document
- Reckoning
- Automatic For the People
- Green
- Chronic Town
- Dead Letter Office
- Out of Time
- Monster
- New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Author Comments:
R.E.M. is my one of my all-time favorite bands.
As you can see, I skew towards the IRS years.
Great list with unordinary choices. I have never once heard of an R.E.M. fan putting "Fables" at the top of the heap. 'Driver 8' is one of favorite songs by the band, and I would consider that the pinnacle of "Fables".
It's clear you prefer the slightly more polished, post-"Reckoning" sound the band adopted in '85, moving on from the ghostly days starting with "Chronic Town".
I grew up near Athens and have talked to alot of true fans. "Murmur" seems to always take the cake as finest record, but I'll perhaps hear "Reconstruction" in a new light now.
"Document" has never done much for me, maybe because "Green" was such a beautiful album. Anyhow, well-thought out list!
Thanks for the comments. I've never seen "Fables" at the top of anyone's list either and it always mystifies me. It's not just my favorite R.E.M. album - I think it's one of the best albums ever by anyone. For me, the songs on "Fables" are just incredibly evocative. Like you, I grew up in the south (central Alabama) so I've seen the places and met the people (including the freaks) on display in that album.
Having said all that, the first five in the list are virtually tied.
What do you think of "Around the Sun" and "Accelerate" - have you heard them yet?
New Adventures in HiFi is the latest REM album I have and it never clicked for me. I find I'm not interested in their latest stuff - or anybody's latest stuff, for that matter. These days I'm listening mostly to old Country (The Carter Family, Hank Williams, The Stanley Brothers) and Funk (James Brown, P-Funk, etc), spiced with Jamaican Rocksteady.