Advice for getting into REM
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The OOTS
Refugee
I'd start with Murmur, Life's Rich Pageant, and Document.
I never really dug 'Auto for the People', and I know I'm in the minority. For me, their early stuff is so much better than anything they've done recently. Although, New Adventures in Hi-Fi is excellent.
I never really dug 'Auto for the People', and I know I'm in the minority. For me, their early stuff is so much better than anything they've done recently. Although, New Adventures in Hi-Fi is excellent.
Sleep Over Jack
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I think as far as albums go, REM are the best band of the last 2 decades..ok, the last three have been way below par, but check out their early"IRS years" stuff.. Murmurs, Lifes Rich Pageant, Reckoning, Fables Of The Reconstruction; those 4 are brilliant, energetic and catchy with murky strange lyrics. Of latter-day REM, I think Automatic For The People and New Adventures In Hi-Fi are brilliant, showing different sides to the band, but some of the appealing mystery of the band is gone by this time. So, those 6 in particular are my favourites.
joyfulgirl
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I think the Best Of overlooks their best of, actually. I guess I'd start with Life's Rich Pageant.
smooshcat
Acrobat
Try the "Best of R.E.M.- The IRS years" Which takes you a bit further back and introduced me to their earlier work.
Automatic For The People and Document are my favourites, although Out of Time has some excellent songs too.
Automatic For The People and Document are my favourites, although Out of Time has some excellent songs too.
djerdap
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REM was a great band in the 80's. And a solid band in the 90's.
Murmur, Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction and especially Life's Rich Pageant are GREAT albums. These are definitely must-haves.
Then Document started showing their commercial side. It was a very good album, but it somehow missed the magic of the first four(although it did have It's the End of the World and The One I Love - two of their best songs from that era).
Green and Out of Time, in my opinion, are their weakest efforts. There are really some embarassments in there(Stand, RADIO SONG).
Definitely the best REM album from Automatic to now is New Adventures in Hi-Fi. A classic.
Murmur, Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction and especially Life's Rich Pageant are GREAT albums. These are definitely must-haves.
Then Document started showing their commercial side. It was a very good album, but it somehow missed the magic of the first four(although it did have It's the End of the World and The One I Love - two of their best songs from that era).
Green and Out of Time, in my opinion, are their weakest efforts. There are really some embarassments in there(Stand, RADIO SONG).
Definitely the best REM album from Automatic to now is New Adventures in Hi-Fi. A classic.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
buy Automatic For the People. It's by far their best album. If you love this, you love REM, then you may investigate furthur. DO IT! j/k 
I started with Automatic and Green, both of which worked really well for me. However, I think Lifes Rich Pageant is a lot better album to start off with than Green, so I'll join what seems to be the general consensus and advise both Automatic for the People and Lifes Rich Pageant.
typhoon
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START WITH AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE.
IWasBored
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joyfulgirl said:
what she said
Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
It's funny, maybe because I discovered it a decade after the fact, but Green is an album I rather enjoy. It's kind got this bubblegum vibe going on but you can't really get upset because it's so knowing and tongue in cheek. And plus it's got Hairshirt, one of my favourite REM songs.
Out of Time has some excellent moments too.
UP is underrated but I wouldnt suggest that someone new to the band buy it. Get Automatic for the People and a bunch of greatest hits compilations, then stew on it all for a while.
Out of Time has some excellent moments too.
UP is underrated but I wouldnt suggest that someone new to the band buy it. Get Automatic for the People and a bunch of greatest hits compilations, then stew on it all for a while.
joyfulgirl
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Kieran McConville said:
tennispunk
Acrobat
Automatic For the People definitely has the highest percentage of famous REM songs-- including Nightswimming, Man on the Moon, Everybody Hurts, Find the River.....
Document is also great, is from 1987 and has "It's the End of the World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine)" which is one of their most famous songs as well.....and it blew the fucking roof off the United Center the last time I saw them.
Out of Time has "Losing My Religion".....
So much great stuff, REM are incredible. Three cheers for Michael Stipe.
Document is also great, is from 1987 and has "It's the End of the World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine)" which is one of their most famous songs as well.....and it blew the fucking roof off the United Center the last time I saw them.
Out of Time has "Losing My Religion".....
So much great stuff, REM are incredible. Three cheers for Michael Stipe.
U2DMfan
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
REM is great.
You should probably go with Out of Time first. It's the most digestable album they've made, I think.
Someone else recommended The best Of the IRS years, which is a great place to start for older songs, or even Eponymous, which is also a compilation of older material up until the Document era.
It's sort of hard to recommend one album, I only say Out of Time because I think it has some magnificent songs and some very mainstream songs. Country Feedback Belong
Also I fucking love Monster, although it doesn't get much love around here.
You should probably go with Out of Time first. It's the most digestable album they've made, I think.
Someone else recommended The best Of the IRS years, which is a great place to start for older songs, or even Eponymous, which is also a compilation of older material up until the Document era.
It's sort of hard to recommend one album, I only say Out of Time because I think it has some magnificent songs and some very mainstream songs. Country Feedback
Belong Also I fucking love Monster, although it doesn't get much love around here.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Out of Time would be their best album if you just skip Shiny Happy People...
That song ruined it for me as an album, but it has some of my fave tunes...Me In Honey, Country Feedback(one of the best REM tunes of all time), Belong, and Low!
That song ruined it for me as an album, but it has some of my fave tunes...Me In Honey, Country Feedback(one of the best REM tunes of all time), Belong, and Low!
IWasBored
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BonoVoxSupastar said:
this is an understatement.
words cannot describe my hatred of that song.
fah
Blue Crack Addict
The 4 that I would find tough to live without:
Automatic For The People (Drive, Everybody Hurts & Man on the Moon)
Out of Time (Radio Song, Losing My Religion & Country Feedback)
Green (Stand and Inside Out)
Eponymous (Every song - it's a compilation)
Automatic For The People (Drive, Everybody Hurts & Man on the Moon)
Out of Time (Radio Song, Losing My Religion & Country Feedback)
Green (Stand and Inside Out)
Eponymous (Every song - it's a compilation)
djerdap
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Best REM song is Country Feedback. The live version. One of my favorites by any artist ever. Just beautiful.
IWasBored
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fah said:
but murmer has pilgramige, radio free europe, catapult, and moral kiosk
yes, for some reason i feel the need to argue that those clearly inferior songs are better than nightswiming, and others...
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Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
I don't know enough about their 80s albums to have an opinion, but it must be said that 'Fall on Me' is the greatest REM song ever. All two minutes of it. That song singlehandedly inspired Radiohead to exist.
(I'm not being snarky, it actually did).
(I'm not being snarky, it actually did).
Kieran McConville said:
I have to agree that Fall on Me is one of the greatest songs of the 80's. Another reason to go with Life's Rich Pagaent. It is also their most varied of their early albums, as it has their early jangle-pop, staight folk, and the heavier rock that they turn to completely on their next album (Document).
Plus the poppy Superman is great fun.
fah
Blue Crack Addict
IWasBored said:
Agreed but....
Eponymous track listing:
radio free europe
gardening at night
talk about passion
so central rain
rockville
can't get there from here
driver
romance
fall on me
the one i love
finest worksong
its the end of the world as we know it
IWasBored
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fah said:
finest worksong!!!
believer75
War Child
Was listening to 'Automatic for the People' tonight.....was essential for me while I was in college in Athens....still stands as one of my all-time favorite albums. 'Monster' was enjoyable during that time period as well and has some strong REM songs on it. "Bang and Blame", "Strange Currencies", etc.
