R.E.M. Records Ranked (#15 to 11)
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2024
- R.E.M. were my favorite band, and probably still are, depending on the day. They changed the way I looked at rock and roll, but also the world. They turned me on to countless bands and new ways of thinking. Their catalog is vast and ever changing. So I decided to count down all 15 of their studio records, from least favorite to favorite. I suggest watching my intro video first, linked below, but this is where the actual countdown begins. Enjoy!
Intro video:
• Why R E M ?
#vc #vinylcommunity
Adam Scott and Scott Aukerman have a podcast called "You Talkin' REM re: Me?" (Started with "You Talkin' U2 to Me?" and every band they covered after that kept the same title structure). They go through the discography. It's pretty interesting/entertaining if you haven't heard it.
A very well-spoken breakdown of each record! R.E.M. is also a Top 5 band for me. I'm with you on Accelerate where I've had days where it is enjoyable and days where the heavy mix just gives me a headache. Reveal would be a bit higher on my list as I would take it over at least a few of the (still great) Bill Berry albums. I need to revisit Around the Sun but I'm imagining it would also be my 15. Collapse Into Now is interesting because I never see it in the used bins on CD (as opposed to Up, Accelerate, Monster, and Out of Time) and I think it is much better than people give it credit for--maybe my number 2 of these 5. I'm due for an Up revisit. I always found "Hope" to be a depressing song (despite the title) but there is some great stuff on that record including the cover art. Great to see the post-Billy Berry records getting some love as dismissing those 5 records has always been a mistake IMO as well.
Well done retrospective of late period R.E.M. They were my favorite band in the 80s, but I was one of those who started falling off the bandwagon during the Warner Brothers years. Stopped listening to them altogether around the time of Monster. Started listening to them again in 2008 and enjoyed their final two albums and fell in love with New Adventures in HiFi after the fact. Saw them in the Accelerate tour and loved the show. I’ve still never listened to Up, Reveal or Around the Sun. I’ll have to remedy that.
Nobody ever says they love up. I'm TOTALLY with you. I love it. Diminished, The Apologist, and Sad Professor I think are some of their best deep cuts. I would get rid of You're In The Air. The only skipper for me. I love the hidden song "I'm Not Over You" tacked on the end of Diminished. I was getting so sick, in the late 90's, of all the hidden tracks at the end of the CD that you had to either wait for or try to fast forward without skipping to listen to... but sticking it inbetween tracks was sort of cool. I had read - I forget where - that they had a more flushed out version of that song and I was hoping it would be released with the Up anniversary release this year. I've asked around on REM forums and nobody seems to know what I'm talking about. Have you ever heard that - about a longer, full band version of "I'm Not Over You?" I remember Stipe saying it was too sappy and whiny or something so they left it off and went with the simpler version. Another great track is Why Not Smile. The Oxford demo from Daysleeper single is great too.
I love "I'm Not Over You" as well. When I saw them in 1999 Stipe came out with an acoustic guitar and performed that song. I never heard about a longer version, but would be thrilled to hear one if it exists. Always a little weird to see him with a guitar. I saw an interview with him recently where he said his guitar skills were pretty limited and he still didn't know how to play an F or a B. Love the Oxford American demo of "Why Not Smile."
I agree that Reveal gets unfairly overlooked, it's my favourite late period R.E M. record.
Really sets a nice summery mood. It’s getting to be the time of year when it sounds the best.
Absolutely @@lostmixtapes
Really enjoyed finding your channel and your love for music and REM is very reassuring.You are totally right about them being here for a certain generation.Their standards are Excellent... and thank you !
I really liked Accelerate.Sing For The Submarine is sublime really.The DJ one is crud.
I was also at that St. Paul show. It was so amazing! I regret not seeing them again after that. Also, Around the Sun has become one of the records that I revisit the most now. I’m not entirely sure why, I should put down my thoughts on that some day. It was the only R.E.M. record that never did anything for me originally and I’m not sure what changed over the years, but now I might almost say it’s my current favorite by them. Go figure!
That's pretty similar to the order I would put them in. I might have "Up" a little further down. It does have good songs, but, it's just a really odd album for me. And maybe it is the sequencing, or length, as you mentioned. I remember getting that Oxford American Music Issue that had the CD with the demo version of 'Why Not Smile' that came out before "Up" was released. I thought that version sounded so good, and I think it got my brain and ears expecting that first album without Bill to be in that more stripped down direction. I still prefer the OA version to the one that wound up on "Up", but they're both good. They just have different vibes. 'Lotus' is definitely an outlier song on that record. Some folks really dislike it, but I think it is a cool song. Maybe it would have been better as a non-album single as you suggested. Beck is often good at doing that. Putting out stand alone singles that don't fit with the direction of his next album project. So, I guess I might have placed "Up" between "Collapse Into Now" and "Accelerate" on my list, but, other than that, my list mirrors the start of yours pretty closely. Great start to this series of vids!
Thanks! I loved that Oxford American version of “Why Not Smile” as well. I need to find my CD of that. I wish they would have done stand alone singles, but I’m sure the record company would think it was the kiss of death in relation to a new album. Kudos to Beck for that. His albums tend to flow quite nicely.
After Around the Sun, I stopped listening to anything new R.E.M. released...until Collapse into Now. I actually liked Collapse from the first listen. I'm not sure I'll ever enjoy Around the Sun, though. I need to explore some of their albums between Around the Sun and Collapse into Now. Reveal is probably in my top 3 R.E.M. albums. This was the soundtrack for me driving across the Midwest. Dreamlike.
Love your take on Reveal. Dreamlike, I could totally see it being a great road record.
Hey Todd. Finally getting around to watching this first installment. I would have all these from 15-11. My order would be slightly different. Really great job with these reviews. I'm going to give Up more of a chance now that it has been reissued.
Thanks. My order changes all the time. I already might have changed my number 11, as I’ll mention in the next video. Sign of a great band!
Very cool vid. I have been trying to collect all of the REM records for several years now. Saw ‘Up’ at Hex in Lake City 6 months ago and passed. Been regretting it ever since. Cheers 🍻
No regrets Kimbo ✌🏼
Thanks Kimbo! It’s out there again as a repress if that’s of interest to you. I ordered the CD and vinyl from the band when it originally came out and swore the vinyl sounded so much better. Almost like a different mix. At least to my ears back then.
My top 3 REM albums: Green, Automatic for the People, Lifes Rich Pagent. Also Accelerate is way better than where you have it.
I’m inclined to agree with you. Should have cranked it up in the car, rather than home stereo at moderate volume before rating it.
I hear you regarding not overlooking the last 5 records...but...how would their legacy be viewed differently if they had just ended on the high point of New Adventures in Hi-Fi? Kind of like The Police going out on top with Synchronicity.
Would have been better for their legacy I suppose. Maybe even after Up. But I’m glad we got all that we did. The 1999 show I saw was among the best and the Accelerate shows were great too.
i could care less about legacy. they wanted to continue and made great stuff until the end. you judged these records fairly even if i enjoy "i'm gonna DJ" six million times more than you. as far as never playing another show due to "legacy" if they're inspired to do a show, they should do it (IMHO).@@lostmixtapes
As a massive R.E.M fan I always feel slightly guilty that i've never really given Collapse or Around the Sun a fair go. Maybe I need to revisit them again. Definitely a big fan of Up & Reveal though. Very excited to see where you take this.
I think both of those records benefit from time and perspective. The recent represses sound really good too. Around The Sun sounds a lot warmer.
While I have all of these albums in the video, the only one I really know well is 'Accelerate.' I really like that one. Probably because it is more "rock" than the average R.E.M. music at this time in their career. I remember playing it a lot on my radio show when it was new.
I loved it at the time and it was definitely the reset they needed. Was hard to rank that one. They just have so many great records.
I would have loved it if you selected your favourite tracks on these albums so we can have a sneak peak
Are you thinking of a playlist type thing or links to videos? I would consider that. It’s hard feature music in the videos themselves without worrying about a copyright strike.
Agree with Around the sun as bottom of the pile -utterly lifeless as recording - at least they regrouped enough to not let that be their epitaph- Accelerate is far far better - for me - better than Collapse into now
❤
Depending on the day I might agree with you.
I love Up and Reveal. Think those two are up (sorry) there with their best. I would cut Diminished and The Apologist from Up though, to make a tighter, better album imo. Btw First Aid Kit released a great cover of Walk Unafraid. Reveal is perfect I think, except for a few of the songs being overlong. It was the CD era I guess!
I prefer Around The Sun to Accelerate and Collapse... I think the songwriting on Around... is the best of those 3, the songs are just let down by the somewhat sterile and limp production and arrangements. It could have been so much more i think!
Up is good.Collapse is good. Reveal is a treacly, overwrought mess.
@@davidbowman4259 I don't see how you could call Reveal a 'mess' - it's very well structured and produced imo. A few of the tracks are overlong, but I think it's a great mix of their earlier sound and styles/techniques they had been developing on Up. Q magazine gave it a 5 star review back in the day and its generally highly regarded amongst critics and fans.
@@suartgilmour4540 Perhaps I should revisit it. Perhaps it will "reveal" something I had missed before. Perhaps I'm simply unfairly comparing it to some of their other stellar discs. Thanks ...
I wana DJ slaps hella hard!!!
7:43 Stipe is waving goodbye on the cover. Still haven't been able to get into Collapse Into Now. It's hard for me to listen to it all the way through. kind of a chore... The cover looks like a silk screening accident, leaking ink etc...
Best album? Lifes (not apostrophe) Rich Pageant. Worst? Around the Sun, followed by Reveal. Every other disc is strong.
Reveal: it’s somehow the law that these bands eventually do a Pet Sounds inspired production.