jakobnicholas Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Been listening a lot to R.E.M. lately....partly to try to figure out what exactly it is that's missing from the OK but disappointing Accelerate. It's no revelation, but Bill Berry's skill and music/hook sense was very strong. And Stipe's subtle yet universal lyrics are all but gone. I go back and forth with my favorite R.E.M. album.....Chronic Town, Murmur, Life's Rich Pageant always jump to the top when I think of early R.E.M. And Green and Adventures in Hi-Fi are up there for new-ish R.E.M. But, for me, Automatic and Out of Time are the 2 that duke it out for best album. And right now, I'm leaning towards Out of Time. While maybe not as artistic and lyrically great as Automatic, I love it's mixture of seriousness and fun pop...it's a truly fun record to listen to, while at the same time tugging at your emotions. I miss the Stipe that wrote the lyrics of Near Wild Heaven or Belong or Texarkana....lyrics I don't quite understand but can make me think and feel things that make me think I understand them. Actually, such lyrics are on about every song....."the world is collapsing around our ears, I turned up the radio but I can't hear it". That doesn't make sense, but it makes perfect sense....especially in today's world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Life's Rich Pageant, followed closely by Document. I still get excited popping on Document. It's good from opening to closing notes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Automatic for the PeopleDocumentNew Adventures in Hi-Fi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 DocumentNew Adventures In Hi-FiLife's Rich PageantMurmur Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I think I said this the last time - Fables of the Reconstruction and/or Reckoning (for me, anyhow). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Life's Rich Pageant, followed closely by Document. I still get excited popping on Document. It's good from opening to closing notes. Document...like most R.E.M. albums...is a great listen. I think it's a little weak towards the end. While R.E.M. has written many great political tunes, I prefer them when they deal with the heart and thoughts of living and dying. To me, Life's Rich Pageant is a better political record. Flowers of Guatemala and Fall On Me are my 2 favorite political R.E.M. songs. In fact Life's Rich Pageant will always be in my top 3 R.E.M. releases. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rusty Shackleford Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 AutomaticReckoningFables It's one of those, but I'm not sure which. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I can't speak for the best REM album but the one that I come back to the most frequently is definitely Life's Rich Pageant. This is followed closely by New Adventures and Out of Time. Country Feedback would still be one of my favorite tracks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 MurmurReckoningFables Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 MurmurReckoningFablesYou and me both ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clouds of Fluff Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Life's Rich Pageant and Automatic...Green still holds a close place in my heart, probably because it was the first/last time I've ever seen them live and it was a pretty powerful experience as a teenager. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Garp Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Life's Rich Pageant (Murmur) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 "Lifes Rich Pagent"......to me, is the hippie album of the indie rock era. I find the feel of the album to be utopian and aware with a positive vibe. I love this album. Had a chance to see this tour and passed. I'm still kicking myself. "Murmur" is a close second. Man.......what happened to them? They were THE intelligent rock gods for awhile there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lizish Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 ReckoningLife's Rich PagentMurmurGreen Don't think Document is all that good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Document...like most R.E.M. albums...is a great listen. I think it's a little weak towards the end. While R.E.M. has written many great political tunes, I prefer them when they deal with the heart and thoughts of living and dying. To me, Life's Rich Pageant is a better political record. Flowers of Guatemala and Fall On Me are my 2 favorite political R.E.M. songs. In fact Life's Rich Pageant will always be in my top 3 R.E.M. releases.Gah! I meant to say LRP is the one without a glitch from beginning to end, not Document. Document is patchy, but very good though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 ReckoningMurmurLife's Rich Pageant Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tangara Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Reckoning or Murmur. Of the later stuff, I actually really like Out of Time and Automatic for the People, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clouds of Fluff Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Begin the Begin & Cuyahoga Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigshoulders Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 No doubt about it, for me it's: Life's Rich Pageant Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Cousin Tupelo Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I think it's Automatic going away. A great balance of musical styles, musical composition, benefits from repeated listenings, an obvious labor of love among the bandmates. The last three songs on that album -- Man on the Moon, Nightswimming, Find the River -- fit together so neatly to me, that is the band's finest moment. I was thinking lately there's some parallels to SBS. My thinking at the time was, REM set out to make the ultimate pop album with Out of Time. It's almost like they targetd musical genres and plucked them off one at a time. It is my wife's favorite album. But to me, it doesn't stand to repeated listenings, the sound a bit too clean. For this band, if the pop approach was their goal, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. While it's an EP, Chronic Town could be considered just because it was a left turn from much of what was out there, Murmur brought it into a full album form. Reckoning proved their legitmacy. Document rocked. But Automatic is my automatic choice. Hands down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Cousin Tupelo Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I think I said this the last time - Fables of the Reconstruction and/or Reckoning (for me, anyhow). As you note, this discussion comes up frequently; but I've known a lot of people who point to Fables as decisively as anyone could, many that do are quite militant about it. I never felt that way, but I always loved that about REM and those fans -- and I guess the same can be said for Wilco. The music resonates in such a way that can't be described or translated, yet it's unmistakable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Well, shit. This R.E.M. album ranking thing is just too damn hard. It's like listing my favorite-tasting pizzas. I must admit that, listening to Fables a couple times, well hells bells.....it IS a freakin' great record. OK, for fu**ing right now, I'll say: 1. Out of Time2. Life's Rich Pageant3. Fables of The Reconstruction4. Automatic5. Green Quote Link to post Share on other sites
deepseacatfish Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Murmur and Document stand out as my favorites. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheMaker Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 My top five consists entirely of Reckoning somehow. I don't get it! Seriously, though, that album is remarkable in its perfection. Automatic is a not-quite-close, but still beloved second-place finisher for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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