Best of the platinum R.E.M. albums

*workshopped-feel. Man my phone doesn’t agree with my style choices

up is way better than you would expect from 'the drummer left the band and they all got into synths & drum machines', especially given how unsuited on paper they seemed to that pivot. not everything works on it (there's definitely a tendency to plod) and i don't know if all the ideas on it really hold together overall but it's definitely a success. i wish "daysleeper" had a gorgeous overlapping backing vocal part from mills, that's what would elevate it to greatness.

"Hope" is by far the best song on the record for production/melody/singing/whatnot, IMO. It might be the only keeper for me.

"You're in the Air" is gorgeous, but, like "Diminished" it doesn't feel fully-formed. There's sort of a pre-Arcade Fire template to several of the songs on this album - all these mid-paced rock songs that start to accelerate and build as they go on... but I don't love Arcade Fire and REM don't really have the stupid swagger to pull it off.

There's a nice demo of "Why Not Smile" that I prefer to the finished version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgjCjyHZaeU

always on board for some up love. if we polled best rem album opener, "airportman" would get my vote.

That would be an interesting poll.

How the tracks were polled and where it got us

I think it’s the best possible opener for Up but there’s no way I’d vote for “Airportman” over RFE, Harborcoat, Finest Worksong, Pop Song 89, Drive, HTWWWAWIGU, or even The Lifting, I’m afraid!

It’d def beat out Radio Song tho

Lol @ fgti.

I ate the POLLtus

Oddly even tho I rate Harborcoat higher as an REM song overall, “best opening track” has to be Finest Worksong imo

Pop Song ‘89 for me (even tho I feel the same way about Harborcoat)

"Wolves, Lower" if it counts.

"The Lifting" is top five REM opener imo

I dig "Pop Song 89" as much as anyone here, but upon reflection I believe fgti's opinion may be the correct one.

Though I had to give serious thought to whether "Finest Worksong" might be tied with "Radio Free Europe."

gonna rank em

harborcoat
what’s the frequency kenneth
pop song 89
finest worksong
how the west was won and where it got us
radio free europe
begin the begin
drive
feeling gravitys pull
airportman
the lifting (demo version would be much higher)
living well is the best revenge
discoverer
radio song
leaving new york

that is some serious shade on "leaving ny" lol

One can never reexperience the joy of buying a new album and hearing its first track for the first time. REM and their producers appear to have understood this. And it's worth noting that they had so many openers that just give you that instant sense of heart-lifting excitement.

Generally, speaking: Uptempo, major key, a good combination of familiarity and surprise.

What I came up with a few years ago. The tl;dr:

Meh

Discoverer
Radio Song
Leaving New York

Sound, Solid

Airportman
Harborcoat
Pop Song ‘89
Feeling Gravity’s Pull
How the West Was Won and Where It Cost Us
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
Living Well is the Best Revenge

Good to Great

Begin the Begin
Radio Free Europe
Wolves, Lower
Finest Worksong
Drive
The Lifting

("Drive" being a major outlier from my general rule, of course. But normally one tries to grab the audience quickly and that takes a very specific kind of energy.)

I remember distinctly this band clicking for me for the first time when a girlfriend made me a mixtape and I heard "Wolves, Lower."

I'm less fond of "Drive" and more fond of "Discoverer" but I pretty much agree with that list.
"Pop Song '89" is OK but the sound and production of it announces "primary colours-era R.E.M.", as I think of it, where the sonic mystery evaporated for a few years.

Like that fuzz guitar lead is just cartoony to me.

...or bubblegum, which is fine in its place, but not what I wanted from them.

I'll be the guy who loves Radio Song again. But all of these are wonderful.

Drive
Finest Worksong
Radio Free Europe
Radio Song
What’s the Frequency Kenneth
Pop Song 89
Feeling Gravity's Pull
Harborcoat
Begin the Begin
Wolves Lower

>>> The rest

Fuck, how DO I rank these

Like this apparently

Drive
Radio Free Europe
Pop Song 89
Finest Worksong
How the West Was Won
Airportman
What's the Frequency Kenneth
Radio Song
Harborcoat
The Lifting
Begin the Begin
Feeling Gravitys Pull
Living Well
Leaving New York
Discoverer

Actually, if I'm hoooonest, The Lifting above Harborcoat

I don't want to put Wolves, Lower in there but it would be AHEM lower

Aaargh I even forgot about Kenneth (I always forget Monster exists). Name a band with a higher batting average for perfect album openers

“Leaving New York” is so bad, it’s almost like they didn’t want anyone listening to more of the album (and it was the single!)

Actually, if I'm hoooonest, The Lifting above Harborcoat

― you can see me from westbury white horse,

otm

You've said the air was singing
It's calling you you don't believe
These things you've never seen
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never
Never

that is some serious shade on "leaving ny" lol

― "another slice of death, please." (Austin), Friday, November 24, 2023 12:24 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

i like the song but “leaving was never my proud” is prob stipe’s worst nonsense

Finest Worksong
Pop Song 89
Radio Free Europe
Drive
The Lifting
Airportman
What's the Frequency, Kenneth
Radio Song
Discoverer
Begin the Begin
Feeling Gravity's Pull
Harborcoat
Leaving New York
Living Well is the Best Revenge
How the West was Won and Where it Got Us

I’ve never liked “RFE” that much (besides the bridge), which I guess is a somewhat unusual R.E.M. opinion. I even tend to skip it when I put Murmur on…

Yeah it’s just an amazing song on an album of other also amazing songs

The Murmur song I am inclined to skip is “We Walk” and it’s not even a bad song really

Relistening to Hi-Fi made me realize how much I’d teenage-internalized all the instrumental components of How The West and I’ve been cribbing from them a great deal without even consciously knowing

I have already said that I cannot and will not rank these songs (any more than I will rank my children)

but I will say that Chuck and fgti are bringing high-quality opinions here.

And everything Alfred wrote about "Radio Song" is 127% correct.

Yeah it’s just an amazing song on an album of other also amazing songs

The Murmur song I am inclined to skip is “We Walk” and it’s not even a bad song really

― meaner stinks meat bake it cone (flamboyant goon tie included), Friday, November 24, 2023 2:15 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

otm

I have such fond memories associated with "We Walk" that I am constitutionally incapable of skipping it.

I like “We Walk” a lot!

something like this tierwise.
Congratulate Me
radio free europe
begin the begin
feeling gravitys pull

hey, kids, rock and roll
harborcoat
drive

Throw Thoreau and rearrange
what’s the frequency kenneth
pop song 89
finest worksong
how the west was won and where it got us
discoverer
radio song

sad and lost apostles
airportman
living well is the best revenge
the lifting
leaving new york

I'm having a hard time picking up what this thread is ranking, and searched for eephus and found a lot of baseball posts.

Geez, do I have to post my low rating of AFTP 100 more times in order to move my primary REM challop up the search rankings?

The ominous crashes make We Walk

"we walk" is cute. not my pick from that album, but i've never not loved it.

When I think of New Adventures I wonder if it was one 'risky' lead single too far for the casual fans, even if it charted high

To be fair there are next to bugger all decent proper singles on that album anyway

xp Definitely was in the US. Probably in the UK too although their highest charting to date (but that's partly because it was the latter half of 1996 - suddenly first week debuts were everything)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Bow_the_Letter#Release_and_impact

Some interesting quotes here

Many a time I've seen people say 'they should have gone with Bittersweet Me'/'The Wake Up Bomb'. Come on

In the UK, hardcore fans buying the CD single definitely did not mean popularly was peaking