Murmuring Beast 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Automatic is my personal favourite followed by Murmur and New Adventures In Hi-Fi - all classics. Automatic For The People: ***** Murmur: ***** New Adventures In Hi-Fi: ***** Fables Of The Reconstruction: **** Docment: **** Green: **** Life's Rich Pageant: ***1/2 Reckoning: ***1/2 Out Of Time: *** Reveal: *** Monster: *** Up: *1/2 I like all of their albums (except Up), but I've grouped Up, Reveal and Reckoning together because I feel those albums to be their least significant. Reckoning is a good album, but it didn't break any new ground like Murmur or Fables; Up is just awful; and Reveal leaves me cold. Great band; great albums. Vote away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Insane Bump Machine 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Automatic For The People. It was the first REM album I heard and I've been hooked since. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry Spencer 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Automatic For The People, barely over Murmur. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giuseppe Zangara 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Murmur, barely over Automatic for the People. And I'm one of those people that prefer the I.R.S. years of the band. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 My answer can change on this daily, right now my order is Murmur Reckoning Automatic For The People I've been a huge REM fan since I was a kid, I love all the albums in one way or another except Reveal, and that's only cause I've just listened to it a few times. And for a B-Sides album Dead Letter Office is very good. And if you can get it with the 5 song Chronic Town EP extended to it then it's even better...4 of those songs are great. It took me a few listens to get into Automatic...they keep doing 180s on albums and I wasn't use to the mellow sound. But right now my pick is Murmur. Catipult, Shaking Throght, Perfect Circle...good stuff. Although when it comes to REM I hate people who go. "I was into since back in the day, so I'm better then other REM fans." People seem to do that with this band. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C Dubya 04 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Reckoning was my favorite REM album. I used to be a huge fan, haven't listened that much lately. Maybe I'll throw some on again tonight. Green & Document are probably the next two for me, along with Murmer. Then Automatic & Hi-Fi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BifEverchad 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Out of Time, by default because it has my favorite REM song, "Losing My Religion'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SamoaRowe 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 New Adventures in Hi-Fi because it was the first R.E.M. album I ever had. I still love it to death and I have a few others now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I got a little sick of Out Of Time...maybe just cause Losing my Religion got way overplayed. I'm glad Mike Mills got a couple of songs on that one, cause they're both very good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giuseppe Zangara 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Monster, by the way, is the most overrated album in their catalog. A few good songs aside (all of which were released as singles, incidentally), it's such a dull, dreary attempt at "rocking." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 With the exception of "King of Comedy" I like Monster...and it was their last album to sell in big numbers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giuseppe Zangara 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 ...and it was their last album to sell in big numbers. That's irrelevant, though not surprising. For better or worse, R.E.M.'s sound became so insular after the album, that commercial apathy was a given. EDIT: I don't care much for Out of Time, either, though I wouldn't say it's overrated. It had mass commcercial appeal, but the band's core fans usually agree it is one of their lesser albums. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murmuring Beast 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 I don't listen to Out Of Time much, mainly because they are so many poor and lethargic tracks on it (Endgame; Half A World Away; and Low) and it's generally slathered with strings and boring arrangements (Radio Song; Me In Honey) Losing My Religion is a classic as is Shiny Happy People and Near Wild Heaven is good too (nice lead from Mills). Texarkana is a decent rocker but it just sounds like an updated Driver 8. Monster is patchy. The end of the album is unlistenable. King Of Comedy is the best track on it. Generally though, they stick to the same chords (D, G, A) throughout and it's fun to play but dull to listen to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
godthedog 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 i'd hardly call 'monster' overrated, it gets crapped on by some REM fans quite a bit. "divisive" might be a better word. i personally think the big singles on that album ("what's the frequency...", "strange currencies") are the most boring tracks from it. come to think of it, the whole first half of that record is kinda ho-hum to me (though it does sound interesting), & doesn't really get kicking till "tongue." from that point on i think it's a terrific album, and "let me in" is one of my favorite songs ever. that said, i still think AftP is their best. but i don't really feel qualified to vote in this, as i've only heard 'murmur' and their post-'out of time' stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giuseppe Zangara 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2004 i'd hardly call 'monster' overrated, it gets crapped on by some REM fans quite a bit. "divisive" might be a better word. i personally think the big singles on that album ("what's the frequency...", "strange currencies") are the most boring tracks from it. come to think of it, the whole first half of that record is kinda ho-hum to me (though it does sound interesting), & doesn't really get kicking till "tongue." from that point on i think it's a terrific album, and "let me in" is one of my favorite songs ever. that said, i still think AftP is their best. but i don't really feel qualified to vote in this, as i've only heard 'murmur' and their post-'out of time' stuff. I'll ignore just how wrong the first paragraph of this post is and just say you really need to check out more of the Murmur-to-Document era R.E.M. Loads of fantastic stuff from that period. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2004 <---- It shouldn't be too hard to figure out what my favorite is. Man on the Moon basically got me hooked on Andy Kaufman. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mystery Eskimo 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2004 I never understood the hate for Up. Its got a really interesting sound and feel to it, and is probably one of my three favourite REM albums. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Youth N Asia 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2004 I don't hate Up...it has a few standout track, but a lot of it just feels like so-so filler. I know they feel they have to use a new direction on every album, but I was't feeling the electronic sound. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pochorenella 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2004 Eponymous? Just kidding. Automatic for the People, for me. I kinda got into REM a bit late, around Document time. "The One I Love" is one of my all-time favorites of the band. Green I really didn't like that much, but I liked Out of Time more than most people. Automatic I absolutely loved. "Everybody Hurts" and "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" are among my faves. And Monster was a pretty good album IMO, with "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" my favorite. After that I lost touch with REM's music so I cannot comment on latter releases. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anorak 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2004 Automatic is one of my favourite albums of all time so its an easy number 1 for me. Murmur is a perfect record in its own regard as well, it shares a similar timeless feel to it in terms of songs that were built to last. I'd probably give New Adventures the nod as third best, it contains a couple or three filler tracks IMO that you could argue make it flabbier than the post-Murmur IRS era stuff but many songs on there are among their best. I've never been overly fond of Document, its good but nowhere near the 5 star album its sometimes proclaimed to be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
godthedog 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2004 i'd hardly call 'monster' overrated, it gets crapped on by some REM fans quite a bit. "divisive" might be a better word. i personally think the big singles on that album ("what's the frequency...", "strange currencies") are the most boring tracks from it. come to think of it, the whole first half of that record is kinda ho-hum to me (though it does sound interesting), & doesn't really get kicking till "tongue." from that point on i think it's a terrific album, and "let me in" is one of my favorite songs ever. that said, i still think AftP is their best. but i don't really feel qualified to vote in this, as i've only heard 'murmur' and their post-'out of time' stuff. I'll ignore just how wrong the first paragraph of this post is and just say you really need to check out more of the Murmur-to-Document era R.E.M. Loads of fantastic stuff from that period. that might very well be my next fixation after coltrane. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted February 12, 2004 I vote for Out of Time, mainly because it was the first cassette of theirs that I listend to, and it has Losing My Religion, my favorite song of theirs. Damn bias me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
converge241 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2004 Hi-Fi is easily my fav followed by automatic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
