R.E.M. Sigh.

StanleyAccrington

They're ok....ish! Nice jangly/arpeggio...ish guitar parts that are fairly easy enough to play (even I can bang a few out) but some of the song lyrics are just plain silly. Someone thought I liked them enough to get me an REM tab book one Crimbo!!!

Nunogilberto

They had some good moments down the years. I'm not a huge fan and the stuff they did that appeals to me most is the stuff that REM fans generally don't like (the more accessible stuff).

Near Wild Heaven is probably my favourite tune of theirs.

dindude

ICBM said:

I think there are great songs on every album - including Around The Sun, which I know I'm unusual in liking, but I really do (Leaving New York and The Outsiders are two of my favourites).

I could just just as easily have made my top five Fables Of The Reconstruction, Green, Automatic For The People, Monster and Accelerate.

I really like Around the Sun too, The Outsiders is a gem.

Basher

stickyfiddle said:

I've also missed Reveal, which isn't their best but I love Imitation of Life, and it was the first REM record I really got into.

Funnily enough, I've had that one in the car for the last couple of weeks and have really enjoyed it. It's Buck's parts that have jumped out at me: lots of simple, single-note connecting parts that really make the songs.

ICBM

I love All The Way To Reno as well. Buck's guitar sounds on both Reveal and Around The Sun are some of my favourites.

I've been listening to their entire catalogue in order for the last few days and if anything I'm even more sure that I like the very late albums at least as much as the early.

That makes me feel slightly guilty because I love Bill Berry's drumming .

Cirrus

The guitar solo sound on She Just Wants to Be is one of my favourites, I have a soft spot for that album too.

JookyChap

I saw them with U2 in 85 and they were dire (oddly Peter Buck said it was their worst performance ever later on), so I didn't take much notice for a couple of years, but then totally loved them.

No order, but

Life's Rich Pageant

Monster

Document

Automatic

Green  / Fables, can't decide 

Edit: p.s. Is this the place to say 'If you want to ask Mr Buck...' - nah, getting old now innit?

ICBM

I'm also really liking Collapse Into Now, the very last album - I admit haven't really listened to it properly (or more than once, possibly!) before.

In fact Accelerate is the album I like *least* of the post-Berry ones, to my surprise. It sounds a bit too much like they were "trying to recapture the early days" when really those had gone forever.

When I've finished I'll go back to the start and see if I do actually like the early days better...

DarnWeight

For an avowed earlier-REM fan like myself, I didn't even realise this was a thing...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-R-E-M/dp/B00AOG6NR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470213927&sr=8-1&keywords=rem+original+album+series

...CDs of all five studio albums from Up to Collapse Into Now in a single box for about a tenner.  Think I will get this rather than dipping into them piecemeal from various streaming services, and finally give them all a proper listen.

stickyfiddle

DarnWeight said:

For an avowed earlier-REM fan like myself, I didn't even realise this was a thing...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-R-E-M/dp/B00AOG6NR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470213927&sr=8-1&keywords=rem+original+album+series

...CDs of all five studio albums from Up to Collapse Into Now in a single box for about a tenner.  Think I will get this rather than dipping into them piecemeal from various streaming services, and finally give them all a proper listen.

There is definitely more than ten quid's worth of songs on those albums. Bargain!

RocknRollDave

I don't care much for R.E.M., but even I own New Adventures In Hi-fi. It is worth it for the song Leave alone...despite the car alarm noise all the way through it.

Gagaryn

I used to love REM, saw them for the first time at the end of 1984 at the Caley Palais in Edinburgh. I wasn't nearly as into any of their albums after Green though, not even sure why - actually not even all that keen on that one! I still think the first five albums are brilliant though.

Cirrus

RocknRollDave said:

I don't care much for R.E.M., but even I own New Adventures In Hi-fi. It is worth it for the song Leave alone...despite the car alarm noise all the way through it.

Leave is good, but the next track Departure has one of my favourite distorted guitar sounds ever. Raunchy as fuck.

d8m

One of the later songs but I do love this:

stickyfiddle

Bad Day is a fantastic song. If it wasn't a partial re-write of It's the End of the World... it would be among their very best.

 Memories of Glastonbury still large in my mind 13 years on. I wish I had that concert on video. There's a couple of youtubes but they're not great. 

DarnWeight

DarnWeight said:

For an avowed earlier-REM fan like myself, I didn't even realise this was a thing...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-R-E-M/dp/B00AOG6NR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470213927&sr=8-1&keywords=rem+original+album+series

...CDs of all five studio albums from Up to Collapse Into Now in a single box for about a tenner.  Think I will get this rather than dipping into them piecemeal from various streaming services, and finally give them all a proper listen.

I've been giving these some heavy rotation since they arrived, and while it doesn't change my list, a few observations...

• Up is far better than I remembered...it hangs together much better than New Adventures in my book, which I always thought was a bit of a dog's breakfast, saved by a couple of great tracks (E-bow, Electrolite)
• Reveal is OK.
• Around The Sun is pretty poor.
• Accelerate sounds forced...I was disappointed with it when it first came out, and a bit of time and perspective hasn't helped one jot.
• Collapse Into Now, like Up, much much better than I remembered.  A good way to sign off.

ewal

I saw REM at Nightmoves in Glasgow in 1984 - that and their appearance on The Tube round about the same time completely sold me. As such, I'm an IRS era fan:

5) Document
4) Fables of the Reconstruction/ Reconstruction of the Fables
3) Lifes Rich Pageant
2) Murmur
1) Reckoning

robwright

Brilliant band on record and live - massive influence on so much music that came after!

UnclePsychosis

Due to a (very generous) relative insisting I open a present early I am now working my way through this bad boy:

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/20465/reviews/4152091

Mmmmmmmm. 

camf

Nice!