| Product: |
REM in general |
| Date: |
24/05/05 (172 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Consistently good., Mostly stuck to what they're good at.
Disadvantages: Not too many really.
REM are a band who've always had a recognisable sound, even when they've gone off on a tangent, and yet have managed to progress steadily through the years. Many people would argue that the early 90s was their peak, but what of the decade before and the decade after? Well let's find out! Here, and in technicolour, is the breakdown of all REM's studio albums.
1. Murmur (1983). 6/10.
I very much doubt if many people hearing Murmur in 1983 had the slightest inkling that these jingly jangly songs were the work of a band that would later achieve greatness. The production's a bit muffled to my taste, and there's a bit of filler here and there, but still, there are enough gems on here that this is still a good album, even 22 years later.
Standout tracks - Radio Free Europe, Perfect Circle, We Walk.
2. Reckoning (1984). 6/10.
Reckoning was slightly more professional sounding than Murmur, but the band had still to really find their feet. But, like Murmur, that's not to say that this isn't worth a listen. And also like Murmur, there are some true REM classics on here, although also a bit of filler.
Standout tracks - 7 Chinese Brothers, So. Central Rain, Pretty Persuasion.
3. Reconstruction Of The Fables (1985). 7/10.
This is probably the hardest REM album to get into, and accurately reflects the dark times the band were going through at the time they made it. Stipe's vocals are further down in the mix than ever before. On first hear, you might think 'yuk, not too keen on this'. But persevere with it, and I guarantee you'll find a place in your heart for it. It'll be a dark place, but a place nonetheless! But in amongst the darkness there are some of the usual bright and breezy songs as well, and I think the band struck a good balance between shoe-gazing and shiny happiness.
Standout tracks - Feeling Gravity's Pull, Can't Get There From Here, Green Grow The Rushes.
4. Life's Rich Pageant (1986). 8/10.
As the band continued to get better and better, all of a sudden the world was bright and breezy again! This was REM's most 'up' album to date. And it's a classic from start to end. Well nearly - closing track 'I Am Superman' is almost as bad as the title suggests.
Standout tracks - I Believe, Cuyahoga, Fall On Me.
5. Document (1987). 9/10.
Now we're talking! This is when the world started pricking up its ears. The band were still a few years away from true global stardom, but they'd started the climb from also rans to the big league. The oldest songs that many a more casual fan will be aware of are on Document, and it's a fine album from start to end.
Standout tracks - Finest Worksong, It's The End Of The World As We Know It, The One I Love.
5a. Dead Letter Office (1987). 3/10.
This was a collection of outtakes. It may be of interest to true fans, but the rest of the world had probably best avoid it. For the anoraks among us, there's a version of '7 Chinese Brothers' with different lyrics, and for the drunks among us, there's a rip-roaring version of 'King Of The Road' to slur along to. And for the Velvet Underground fan, there's no less than 3 covers of VU songs. But there's not really much else to recommend it.
Standout tracks - King Of The Road, Pale Blue Eyes.
6. Green (1988). 6/10.
Green was where REM started to trouble the charts. If Document took a couple of steps towards commercialism, Green took a giant leap. When it's good, it's great, but for me it doesn't stand the test of time as well as its predecessors or its successors, hence why I'm only giving it 6/10.
Standout tracks - Get Up, Stand, I Remember California.
7. Out Of Time (1991). 8/10.
All of a sudden, global domination beckons! For many people, myself included, Out Of Time was the first time REM were truly appreciated for the great band they are. This is one of those albums that I rarely took out of the cd player for the first year or so, but got a bit tired of it through over-exposure. After all these years, I can now revisit it with a clean set of ears, and once more see what a truly great album this is. It's got everything from shiny happy pop to the darkness of Low, with lots of jingly jangliness in between. And it's one of those albums where if you asked 10 people to name the best 3 tracks they'd each come up with a different set. But for what it's worth, here's mine -
Standout tracks - Losing My Religion, Low, Me In Honey.
8. Automatic For The People (1992). 10/10.
A lot of people rate this as not only REM's finest hour, but one of the great albums by anyone's standards. And you won't get any arguments from me on that score. This is where REM got everything just right. Not quite as shiny as Out Of Time, and all the stronger for it. Here the emphasis was on good songs. And unlike Out Of Time, I've never once been bored of this album. And it contains the career-high of Everybody Hurts. Amazing how a song that sounds so miserable at first can be so uplifting! No CD collection should be without it!
Standout tracks - Drive, Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming.
9. Monster (1994). 5/10.
No doubt scared by superstardom, this is where the band took a massive left turn, and came out with one of their more unloved albums. I'm not averse to a touch of loud guitar music, but unfortunately, it just isn't something that REM do very well. As with all REM albums, it has plenty worth listening to, but overall it's a big disappointment.
Standout tracks - What's The Frequency Kenneth, King Of Comedy, Star 69.
10. New Adventures In Hi-Fi (1996). 7/10.
Back on more familiar territory, this was not as strong as 'Automatic', but then the band were never to recapture that high. And possibly they never wanted to be that big again! But whatever, this is a good, strong album, with some great songs on it.
Standout tracks - Bittersweet Me, Leave, The Wake-Up Bomb.
11. Up (1998). 8/10.
This album has the most low-key opener of any REM album, namely Airportman. It's almost as if the band were announcing to the world that their shiny, happy days were well and truly over. And for the most part, the album is more 'down' than 'up'. Under-stated, and all the more beautiful for it, this is probably the best of their drummer-less albums. And the Beach-Boys-esque 'At My Most Beautiful' is worth the price of the CD all on its own!
Standout tracks - At My Most Beautiful, Daysleeper, Suspicion.
12. Reveal (2001). 7/10.
Reveal continued in the direction hinted at on 'At My Most Beautiful', with lots of lush Beach Boys sounds. It's REM's most sunny album, and a real feel-good album, particularly after the previous 2 which had both been rather melancholy.
Standout tracks - The Lifting, Imitation Of Life, Beachball.
13. Around The Sun (2004). 7/10.
This album was largely slated in the reviews when it came out, but unjustly so, as far as I'm concerned. For sure, it doesn't venture into any new territory, but it does deliver more of the lush, beautiful sounds that 'Reveal' started us on. It's no 'Automatic For The People', but for a band who've been recording together for over 2 decades, it all sounds pretty fresh to me.
Standout tracks - Leaving New York, The Worst Joke Ever, Around The Sun.
Overall, I can't think of any other bands who have managed to be consistently good for as long as REM have. The conventional wisdom appears to be that they've been on a downward slide for the last few albums, since Monster, in fact, but I say not a bit of it. Any band who made an album as great as 'Automatic' is always going to struggle to better it, but REM continue to put out fantastic album after fantastic album. And what counts as a low point for them would better most band's high spots!
I just hope there's still plenty more to come from the lads from Athens, Georgia!
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grown_up_girlie - 28/06/05 A lovely review to read. Well written, highly informative and nicely presented. Well done you. Vicx. x
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