\\\///\\\/// It's the ILX SUPER SUMMER R.E.M. POLL OF POLLS RESULTS THREAD \\\///\\\///

At long, long last, the results!

Thanks once again to everybody for participating. For the nom list and explanation of the convoluted and arguably ill-advised voting system, see: \///\/// It's the ongoing R.E.M. SUPER SUMMER POLL of POLLS \///\///

The short version is that nominations were pulled from album-by-album nuILX polls, although voters were also allowed one WILDCARD pick from outside the nom list. In hindsight I should have allowed more wildcards, because they are fun. A couple of them did make it into these results! Ballots were a ranked top fifteen.

I am counting down the top "thirty," but there are several tie results, and I treated these as single entries in the "thirty" - so in fact we will see more than thirty songs here.

Enjoy, and as always, I hope this is fun for everybody and also sparks some discussion. Doing the original poll threads was a great way to discover other people's relationships with this band and their music, which to me represents the great power of ILM in general...so here's to y'all!

http://wildcliff.org/heron_house_tile.jpg
#30: Disturbance at the Heron House
4 votes, 28 points
Highest position: #2 (Euler)
Position in Document poll: #1 (9 votes)

Document doesn't suck though. I'll big-up "Disturbance At The Heron House" for badassitude, lyrical silliness, a solo that burns bright and brief, great vocal overdubs [...]
- rogermexico

(Will be doing one or two entries per day I think - about as much as I can pull off in the allowed surfing time at work. Plus more time for discussion in between!)

Document doesn't suck though.

Document doesn't suck at all! It's just not that old Southern-Gothic rock feel that many fans had come to associate with R.E.M. (the last gasp of that sound was on Life's Rich Pagent, sadly).

But Document works as a killer -- albeit conventional -- rock record.

Awesome, looking forward to the rollout of the results!

The recording of this song on the 1992 Unplugged opened my eyes to the song's melodies, especially the interplay of Mills and Stipe (and maybe Berry?) in the final chorus. The Document version is fab too.

Man, if "King of Birds" is a conventional rock record, then that's a pretty broad understanding of conventional rock. But that's just to reply to Daniel.

King Of Birds may be my favorite song on Document, BTW. I guess it's not "conventional," per se, but it comes closer to standard rock records than much of what's on Murmur -- Fables, at least.

yuk @ my "opened my eyes to" something sonic. Way to mix metaphors, champ.

I decided long ago that Document sucked, so I haven't listened to it in forever. But listening to Heron House just now, its quite good. I wish the background vox were a little more prominent, and I'd be interested to hear that '92 unplugged version. It made me curious about the rest of the songs that I'd written off so I started bouncing through the tracks. I can't stand the opening one-two of "The Finest Worksong" and "Welcome to Occupation", and that has turned me off this album for years. The rest of the songs are like old friends I'd forgotten about (except for The One I Love, we're enemies). Thanks to this poll, Document is going back in the rotation.

Good start - never one of my absolute favourites but I like it a lot and I'm really glad it placed.

Hey Doctor Casino! Could you REVEAL how many ballots were submitted?

By my RECKONING there were twenty-five - which is maybe less than I'd dreamed of, but way more than I'd really expected.

Wish I had access to my LPs right now - I'd like to give "Heron House" a listen and brush up on it. I know I like it pretty well, but when I try to sing it in my head, it keeps warping into the "doot-doot" vocals from "Strange." I know I like the bit about "cops and grunts and hirelings," and I think I used a lot of bits of the lyrics in some silly homage in one of my teenage comic book doodlings. (The characters were trapped on a Documented Island [as opposed to an undocumented one - haw!!!!] and everything was references to the album...)

I just sat down and did all the number-crunching stat stuff for the whole countdown, so from now on I just have to gather the pull quotes and images, which is the fun part!

The curve of votes is about what you'd expect, but there are several things that totally got in on a groundswell of general good regard (ie, lots of low votes as opposed to a few people making it #1)... which makes me happy. I think with a different format the poll results would have been REALLY different, but it's a damn solid list of songs that I wouldn't make any cuts from, and again, should be good discussion fodder all around!

Here's the Unplugged performance mentioned upthread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWrY1q8wYZ8

http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/remitstheend.jpg

#29: It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
2 WILDCARD votes, 29 points
Highest position: #1 (abanana)
Position in Document poll: #4 (6 votes)

<One> of the few REM songs I've ever enjoyed at any point. (I liked it for the first time the one and only time I drank so much that I got sick to my stomach the following day. It took a lot of whiskey to get me to appreciate that song. I'm not sure what I'd think if I heard it right now.)
― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 13 March 2003 03:17 (6 years ago) Permalink

<Still> one of the half-dozen best songs they ever did, or at least one of the half-dozen that I liked. Doing a "Subterranean Homesick Blues" rewrite freed Stipe from even the pretense of writing lyrics that "meant" something (good) so you could enjoy 'em just for the SOUND. (And I'm still not sure whether Stipe sings "Turn 'em into turn 'em into turn 'em into flies!" OR "Tournament of tournament of tournament of lies!", as if it makes any difference.) Plus it was still cool to namecheck Lester Bangs in '87. <...>
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 21 February 2005 19:46 (4 years ago) Permalink

Document pulling up the rear...which is about how I expect this to go, with mostly songs from the IRS years ordered roughly from earlier to latest (with Pageant / Fables reversed). There'll be one from Automatic (prob. "Drive"), one from Monster (prob. "Kenneth"), and prob. one from Hi-Fi ("E-Bow"? I just don't get that album). I'm not sure if anything from Out of Time will place---I can see vote-splitting there.

If that had made the nominations list it might have won.

haha wow, I didn't notice that it placed based on two wildcard votes! I'd likely have voted for it, not particularly highly but it would have gotten a lot of not-super-high votes, enough to push it high on consensus.

Cracking version of Disturbance At The Heron House on the new REM live album. Sticks pretty close to the album version, but a bit more rough and ready and all the better for it. I didn't get round to voting in this poll. My bad. Will be interesting to see how it turns out and how many lesser known tracks make it. I'm hoping Pilgrimage makes an appearance...

I would have thrown "End of the World" a few points on my ballot if it'd been available as a non-wildcard...it's a good song that I used to LOVE but I think I'm kind of worn out on it. Particularly the opening - the drums suggest something really exciting is about to happen, and then when the actual song kicks in, it's a little, I dunno, less astounding than promised. They're happily loping along when the opening promises a breathless gallop. They gradually pick up steam and the song does end up pretty exciting though - I have no complaint whatsoever with the last verse. Totally classic Mike Mills vocals on this too.

This song would have totally made my ballot if it had been nominated. That opening drum riff! All those lyrics to be memorized and sung! That video with the weird broken house you always see off the highway and you're like, how does that ever happen? with the shirtless kid and skateboard because abandoned house+junk=shirtless kid with skateboard! The harmonies in the last minute of the song! Seeing them play it as the last song at my first REM concert in 1995 in Baton Rouge and everybody going crazy and rushing up to the stage! Not shouting "Leonard Bernstein" because your too cool to be like everybody else and of course there are better songs on Document everybody likes that one and I can find something unique and awesome in "Disturbance at the Heron House" I've been there since the beginning not like all these sellouts!

Its a fun song.

I can't be the only one who hates this goddamn novelty tune.

You're not.

Doing a "Subterranean Homesick Blues" rewrite

More like a We Didn't Start The Fire prequel.

btw I don't mean to take issue with anyone voting for it, it just drives me crazy that for a disturbingly large percentage of the population "people who have heard of R.E.M" this is the song they are known for

Yeah I can see why thats annoying, but I got into this band because of "Stand", so any gateway will do.

What bugs me is they used this song in the trailer for Chicken Little or some such animated movie. Which is lame, not because its some animated movie, but due to the fact that I always thought REM were against selling songs to commercials. I even remember them having to release a statement when some ad used "Superman" (different recording, maybe the original?) saying that commercials weren't a thing that they did. I guess the commercial nadir of Around the Sun changes things a bit?

Amazingly there are TWO threads at hand on this pressing issue:

"It's The End Of The World As We Know It" vs. "We Didn't Start The Fire": which is more annoying, and why?
TS: Billy Joel's "I Didn't Start the Fire" v REM's "It's the End of the World"

So is this song their "My Ding-A-Ling" for some? I have no fan's resentment against it, just a little tired of it as I said...none of the surprises are surprises anymore. But that's not really the band's fault.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y279/NrllAless/blog/news/geisha1.jpg

#28: Shaking Through
5 votes, 30 points
Highest position: #2 (contenderizer)
Position in Murmur poll: tie for #1 (10 votes)

I've always been a sucker for:
'What if this one small voice, doesn't count in the world...'
<...> can't understand a word he says after the first line tho. geisha girls?
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, December 5, 2005 8:56 AM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

don't really get the love for "Shaking Through" as it's kinda an embarrassing Stipe vocal but maybe that's the appeal?
― Euler, Tuesday, December 30, 2008 4:56 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I think "Shaking Through" has to be just about my favorite R.E.M. tune -- the interplay between the piano and guitar makes me feel like a little kid running through a wheat field.
― christoff (christoff), Friday, November 7, 2003 10:29 AM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Never tire of the Hail-Mary vocal Stipe delivers on this: "Shaaaaayyyeeeeeaaaayeeeekeeeiiin through...."

Yeah, it's *that* vocal that makes me cringe, but if it really is the hook, then I understand the love better.

Ha! I never really payed attention to song titles, and I always sang along "she given". Now looking at the lyrics, its somehow even more of a mystery than my nonsense syllables interpretation. This didn't make my ballot, but thats mostly because Murmur is such a consistent album that I just picked another song to represent it. Its probably the one REM album I play start to finish most often these days.

The consistency of Murmur actually kind of envelops this track for me - I like the song OK but it really loses something taken out of context. Listening to the whole album, I hear it as part of the weave and really enjoy it; looking at my ballot I passed right over it. Good song though - I like Stipe's singing, including the key change at the end!

Have you heard the deluxe re-issue of Murmur? The second disc -- which is a recording of an early live concert -- has some smokin' versions of the Murmur songs. It gives them a much edgier, harder-hitting vibe.

The consistency of Murmur actually kind of envelops this track for me

Yes, and that does make it more of an anonymous track, but I hear "Shaking Through" - with the concision of its verses and with its chorus - as the climax of the album, too.

(Meaning to say that this has always made it stand out for me a little bit, too.)

xx-post
Yeah that live disc is really great, with a bunch of Reckoning and Chronic Town stuff on it too. More muscular Stipe vocals than the albums. It makes me want to get a bunch of bootlegs from different REM-eras, but I think thats a rabbit hole I don't want to start going down. The re-master of Murmur itself seems kind of pointless though, it doesn't make enough of a difference to justify the expense. ALthough I'd probably still pick up the Reckoning one if I found it cheap in a shop.

This has always been my least favorite song on Murmur. Can't quite see what all the fuss is about.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ozl2y2OzUm4/Sblyy3946ZI/AAAAAAAAAZY/lk48LxG1VEU/s320/IOB.jpg

#27 (tie): Turn You Inside Out
4 votes, 33 points
Highest position: #2 (dad a)
Position in Green poll: #3 (7 votes)

Good groove, that one; but this sonic cousin of "Finest Worksong" is totally unconvincing: the only thing Stipe can turn inside out is his mattress in looking for his glasses.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, January 19, 2009 7:19 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I used to be fascinated by the structure of REM's "Turn You Inside-Out," which is sort of like Verse / Chorus 1 / Chorus 2 / Chorus 3 / Chorus 1 / Chorus 2 / Chorus 3. There's only one verse.
― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, May 3, 2005 1:31 PM Bookmark

Wouldn't you think of the "I believe in watching you" part of "Turn You Inside-Out" as being more of a pre-chorus/bridge leading up to the chorus?
― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, May 3, 2005 2:06 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

OK, so it's verse / bridge / chorus 1 / chorus 2 / bridge / chorus 1 / chorus 2. that's even better!
― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, May 3, 2005 2:17 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

http://media.us.macmillan.com/jackets/500H/9780312352233.jpg

#27 (tie): World Leader Pretend
4 votes, 33 points
Highest position: #2 (sonnypike, kuba a)
Position in Green poll: tie for #2 (12 votes)

I never undestood why Stipe felt the lyrics were strong enough to print. This song is no "I Believe" or "Begin the Begin."
― Alfred Soto (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 19:40 (2 years ago) Permalink

I propose this song as their biggest wtf moment.
― Tim Ellison is number one proponent of Beatle!!!Mania!!! on nu-ILX (tim ellison), Wednesday, 3 January 2007 19:45 (2 years ago) Permalink

"world leader pretend" is a great song.
― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Thursday, 4 January 2007 02:56 (2 years ago) Permalink

Our first tie - and it's a Green showdown! Neither of these songs means a lot to me personally, and the pull quotes would suggest ILX doesn't have much to say about them either - but they got votes and I would love to be converted....

the fuck is this thread and why does it exist?

"Turn You Inside Out" is one of the only R.E.M. songs that they really sold me on live; never cared for its insistent one-notiness on the record, but it turns out to be a great stadium track by a not-that-great stadium band.

Much better than "World Leader Pretend," which seems to be written in the voice of a faux-naive and stunted persona, like "The Wrong Child," the other bad song on this record.

re: this poll in general. I put all of the nominees on my iPod and listened to them several times over the last week, and wound up unable to choose and basically just listening to a lot of R.E.M., which was awesome. Wish I had voted though.

No love for the little instrumental coda at the end of "shaking through"?

I have never heard either of these two Green songs.

"Turn You Inside Out" was my favorite deep cut off Green. I love how Buck gets the guitar at the start to sound like a harmonica. The song is no blues but it flirts with being one. I don't love the drum sound on it. Mills is great on it!

Someone voted "World Leader Pretend" #2? I'd like to hear something from them about why.

I certainly didn't vote for "World Leader Pretend" but that steel guitar backed bridge into the piano backed chorus(verse?) is pretty powerful. On the other hand "Let me make it good" I find both annoying and extremely hook-y. Not a fun combo.

I like eephusl's idea of it being the same narrator as "The Wrong Child". Then later in "Orange Crush" he sees a commercial for soda pop and gets his mom to buy him some. Taking this new-found consumer confidence out into the world and rules the neighborhood playground with a can of Crush in his hand. His leadership ability makes him such a pimp that he doesn't just start turning his playmates out, he turns them "inside-out".

I forgot, one of the things I really like about "Shaking Through" is when Stipe holds the note longer on the first syllable of "shaking" in the first chorus. I also really like the bridge. Great song!

re: WLP, I always liked the odd, medieval-sounding discussion of practicing weapons, "I fitted them myself." Stipe the Armorer.

http://prettyfakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/rem-leave.jpg

#26 (tie): Leave
6 votes, 38 points
Highest position: #8 (Euler, Doctor Casino)
Position in New Adventures poll: #3 (8 votes)

<…>like REM produced by the Bomb Squad or something.

emo memory: my first kiss was to "Leave"
― the maximum value that ZS obtains given its constraint is 8 (Z S), Sunday, January 25, 2009 7:28 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I once had the idea that I wanted "Leave" played at my funeral.
― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Wednesday, January 28, 2009 11:34 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

http://www.svs.com/rem/gif/discog/sp-70416pa.jpg

#26 (tie): Ages of You
5 votes, 38 points
Highest position: #1 (contenderizer)
Position in Dead Letter Office poll: #2 (7 votes)

After "Crazy" I'd go for one of the VU covers or "Ages of You", which is kinda like "Sitting Still" but not as good.
― Euler, Saturday, February 7, 2009 10:39 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

http://991.com/newgallery/REM-Daysleeper-123325.jpg

#26 (tie): Daysleeper
6 votes, 38 points
Highest position: #4 (dad a, brontosaur)
Position in Up poll: #1 (9 votes)

<…> then their best single since "Drive".
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, November 29, 2008 7:25 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

<...> one of their best ever singles.
― Gavin in Leeds, Friday, November 14, 2008 6:17 AM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Stipe is fantastic, truly underrated, when his lyrics hint at a story and you're left to fill in a lot of blanks ("Daysleeper," "Sad Professor," "So Fast So Numb") <…>
― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, June 28, 2005 10:37 PM Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Sorry for the spam - we're in the midst of a big block of tie votes. These are three very very good songs though. Daysleeper is one of maybe five CD singles I ever bought. Fabulous song, I think, and I really wish Stipe had been able to maintain that level of lyrical quality across the last few albums. They're more directly sympathetic than IRS-years lyrics but they've re-acquired some of the odd-word-choice poetry that made him great as a lyricist ("I'll squeeze into Heaven and..Valentine!") Not crazy about the "bull and the bear" part, but I love this section:

I cried the other night; I can't even say why
Fluorescent, flat, caffeine light
It's furious balancing
I'm the screen, the blinding light
I'm the screen - I work at night!

I'm surprised that Leave made the list. I wouldn't put it in the top-half of NAIH-F.

ha, that's just lovely

Just heard "Superman" today. When I was in high school this was one of the very most canonical and beloved R.E.M. songs -- didn't even make it into this poll! I still love it to death. One of Stipe's very best wordless shouts behind the lead vocal on the last chorus.

Agreed about "Superman" - - absolutely beautiful recording.

You have to remember how Radio Free Europe sounded late at night on commercial radio stations between Men Without fucking Hats and Quarterflash to appreciate how it impacted on observant suburban kids.

― suzy (suzy), Saturday, February 10, 2007 6:47 AM Bookmark

How weird to read that, given that Men Without Hats have held up so much better than REM. Pop Goes The World album > entire REM catalog.

http://media.musictoday.com/store/bands/93/product_medium/MUDD2210.JPG

#2: Driver 8
17 votes, 139 points
Highest position: #1 (Pancakes Hackman)
Position in Fables of the Reconstruction poll: #1 (14 votes)

I got into a pretty major car wreck while R.E.M.'s "Driver 8" was playing on the radio. I suspect that it wasn't a coincidence, even though it was the other drivers' fault.

― Chris Barrus, Wednesday, May 23, 2001 8:00 PM Bookmark

I want to vote for "Driver 8," but it's like the mid-80s suburban "Layla" -- EVERY fucking high-school-age band was playing it.

― Sara Sara Sara, Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:57 AM Bookmark

"Driver 8" right now. Basically, everything about it: from that understated yet attention-snagging opening riff, through the propulsive jangle, via that gorgeous bridge ("Way to shield the hated heat /Way to put myself to sleep /Way to shield the hated heat /Way to put myself, my children to sleep") to the overall mood that rides a difficult line between a literal Southern train ride -- rich and imagistic -- and some other more figurative journey (toward death?). R.E.M. were almost always better when they were ambiguous.

― Lostandfound, Monday, July 23, 2007 6:36 PM Bookmark

and, without further ado, speculation, or delay:

http://www.variety.com/rbidata/photogallery/variety/11253.jpg

#1: Harborcoat
15 votes, 150 points
Highest position: #1 (kuba a)
Position in Reckoning poll: #2 (12 votes)

You people made me download Harbourcoat and I was so impressed I bought the first two albums (...)

― elwisty (elwisty), Saturday, April 30, 2005 5:58 PM Bookmark

did not expect such a strong showing by "Harborcoat", but I'm way happy about it!

― georgeous gorge (bernard snowy), Sunday, January 11, 2009 7:09 PM Bookmark

Harbourcoat just pips Pretty Persuasion for me. Both have some of Buck's best guitar work - Andy Gill angles and McGuinn jangles. Harbourcoat is such as stunning opener, and the way that gorgeous chorus flowers from the post-punky groove of the verse is masterful.

― Stew, Saturday, January 10, 2009 7:52 PM Bookmark

Great album. I am going to vote "Harborcoat" because then the whole album is covering after.

― Mark, Saturday, December 20, 2008 11:18 PM Bookmark

Thanks to everybody for participating, and for waiting out the, uh, slightly protracted results schedule. Hope y'all have gotten a kick out of all this, and more than anything I hope it's inspired people to pull out some REM!

Playlist is being made right now. Wish I had participated in the voting.

Great work, Doctor Casino.

Spotify playlist here: http://open.spotify.com/user/nathanwoolls/playlist/0eC7mZx2r9OaEK3C28rZfZ

This is awesome, thanks v. much!!

how I miss spotify. making it through old fashioned iTunes.

I have 0 recollection of "Harborcoat" even though I've definitely heard Reckoning

It sounds almost like a Smiths song

what came #1 in that Reckoning poll? So. Central Rain?

yeah, just scrolled up. nevermind.

The results:

#30: Disturbance at the Heron House
4 votes, 28 points
#29: It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
2 WILDCARD votes, 29 points
#28: Shaking Through
5 votes, 30 points
#27 (tie): Turn You Inside Out
4 votes, 33 points
#27 (tie): World Leader Pretend
4 votes, 33 points
#26 (tie): Leave
6 votes, 38 points
#26 (tie): Ages of You
5 votes, 38 points
#26 (tie): Daysleeper
6 votes, 38 points
#25 (tie): Finest Worksong
6 votes, 43 points
#25 (tie): Life And How To Live It
4 WILDCARD votes, 43 points
#24: Near Wild Heaven
10 votes, 52 points
#23: (don't go back TO) ROCKVILLE)
6 votes, 53 points
#22: Feeling Gravitys Pull
9 votes, 54 points
#21: Perfect Circle
7 votes, 59 points
#20: You Are The Everything
7 votes, 60 points
#19 (tie): E-Bow The Letter
9 votes, 65 points
#19 (tie): What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
9 votes, 65 points
#18: Pretty Persuasion
9 votes, 66 points
#17: Electrolite
9 votes, 72 points
#16: Cuyahoga
9 votes, 74 points
#15: Gardening At Night
9 votes, 78 points
#14 (tie): Moral Kiosk
10 votes, 92 points
#14 (tie): Drive
10 votes, 92 points
#13: Losing My Religion
12 votes, 93 points
#12: These Days
11 votes, 94 points
#11: Nightswimming
11 votes, 95 points
#10: Country Feedback
11 votes, 96 points
#9: Wolves, Lower
10 votes, 97 points
#8: Find the River
11 votes, 99 points
#7: Sitting Still
12 votes, 107 points
#6: Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)
12 votes, 112 points
#5: Fall On Me
15 votes, 113 points
#4: So. Central Rain
18 votes, 135 points
#3: Radio Free Europe
15 votes, 138 points
#2: Driver 8
17 votes, 139 points
#1: Harborcoat
15 votes, 150 points

It is kind of hilarious how many of these songs I actually LOVE considering I used to tell everyone I hated REM

Thanks for the summary, Gukbe!

Overall, if it's not exactly the mix CD I'd make to hook a friend on the band, it IS a pretty umimpeachable "best of" list if you're not concerned about getting all the singles and so on. Nice picks, everybody.

No "The One I Love," no credibility. ;)

In a shocking twist, it turns out to be one we don't love.

In hindsight, I do regret the "use the album polls to seed the main poll" approach - - - too many good songs thrown out of contention by the cruel logic of the ILX "one vote per poll" system. But overall, not bad results.

Good point. Maybe you should re-do the poll.

Alas, no showing for my wildcard, my #3 vote, "Letter Never Sent". That's a jam, & basically "essence" of the band, or at least early band: the riff, the moaning, the explosion of drums from verse into chorus. & it's the last of these that's crucial imo about getting the early band: they took choruses really seriously for an "art rock" band; even if they weren't sing-along-able, they resolve tension, let you cut some rug a little differently. You could certainly dance to "Letter Never Sent"; it's almost kicker-danceable! Oh, and the bridge too!

Good list! "Daysleeper" is the only latter-day track & that seems about right (I'd swap "Hope" for it but one is enough). Maybe the list is a little more downtempo than I like to think of the band, but then again my ballot ended up being pretty early-band-centered (I didn't set out that way!) & they were more a dance band then than they'd become circa Fables and onward (when I love them too, but for different reasons).

Best R.E.M. poll I've ever seen and I've seen lots (spent a lot of time browsing rec.music.rem back in the Usenet era.)

Delightful #1. I would never call "Harborcoat" R.E.M.'s BEST song, but pace Euler I think it's the one that best sums up what R.E.M. sounds like, at least between 1982 and 1985.

Yeah, I didn't mean to knock "Harborcoat"; it was my #5. I remember getting Reckoning after having Eponymous, Document and Murmur, and thinking within about 20 seconds that this was the real deal. It's still my favorite REM album.

Although apparently I called it the second-best song on this poll:

#1 (15 pts) Radio Free Europe
#2 (14 pts) Harborcoat
#3 (13 pts) You Are The Everything
#4 (12 pts) Cuyahoga
#5 (11 pts) These Days
#6 (10 pts) Driver 8
#7 (9 pts) Shaking Through
#8 (8 pts) Pretty Persuasion
#9 (7 pts) Moral Kiosk
#10 (6 pts) What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
#11 (5 pts) Finest Worksong
#12 (4 pts) Sitting Still
#13 (3 pts) Disturbance at the HEron House
#14 (2 pts) Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)
#15 (1 pts) Perfect Circle

If I were doing this today I'd put Cuyahoga and These Days above it, I think.

I too was reflexively disappointed not to see "The One I Love" on here, but there's only a handful of songs in the top 25 I don't rate higher. Nobody can make us play the hits!

For that matter, their very best big hits -- "Stand" and "Shiny Happy People" -- weren't even nominated.

You show yours, I'll show mine.

#1 Sitting Still

#2 Disturbance at the Heron House

#3 WILDCARD Letter Never Sent

#4 Near Wild Heaven
#5 Harborcoat


#6 Drive

#7 Gardening At Night

#8 Leave

#9 So. Central Rain
#10 Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)

#11 Nightswimming 

#12 Driver 8

#13 Turn You Inside Out

#14 What's The Frequency, Kenneth?

#15 Find the River

haha I totally belie myself by having a ballot full of ballads; having recently listened to the whole REM oeuvre in completo, including every single (!), I'd vote differently now.

Just noticed I still have the playlist I made featuring all the nominated songs. It was the only thing I listened to for several days as a racked my brain to come up with a ranked list. Never achieved it.

I had no idea what my ballot was, but I've just managed to find it:

1 So. Central Rain
2 Sitting Still
3 7 chinese brothers (wildcard)
4 Fall On Me
5 Turn You Inside Out
6 (Don't go back to) Rockville
7 Driver 8
8 Cuyahoga
9 The One I Love
10 You Are The Everything
11 Harborcoat
12 Feeling Gravitys Pull
13 Moral Kiosk
14 Orange Crush
15 Drive

I'm assuming 'We Walk' wasn't nominated, because I love that one too.

Harborcoat feels a bit slight for a #1 until that amazing transition into the chorus when the low chord kicks in. I would have found some room for a Monster track or two in my top 10 but that is quite a countdown.

I would have found some room for a Monster track or two in my top 10

^^^^^

Harborcoat! I had no idea it was so well liked. Even though I only voted it #2 I think it's the best #1 there could be.

My ballot is a little sleepy looking back on it:

#1 Nightswimming (15pts)
#2 Harborcoat(14 pts)
#3 Why Not Smile(13 pts) WILDCARD
#4 Daysleeper(12 pts)
#5 Electrolite(11 pts)
#6 These Days(10 pts)
#7 Gardening At Night(9 pts)
#8 Driver 8(8 pts)
#9 Leave(7 pts)
#10 Beat a Drum(6 pts)
#11 Country Feedback(5 pts)
#12 Radio Free Europe(4 pts)
#13 E-bow the Letter(3 pts)
#14 Losing My Religion(2 pts)
#15 Let Me In (1 pts)

btw, for the uninitiated (?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADFJGENj92E

Nice to see Life And How To Live It on the list. It was one of my favorites and it always irked me that a couple reviews at the time specifically called it out as a bad song.

my ballot:

#1 (15 pts) Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)
#2 (14 pts) Wolves, Lower
#3 (13 pts) Electrolite
#4 (12 pts) Radio Free Europe
#5 (11 pts) Country Feedback
#6 (10 pts) Sitting Still
#7 (9 pts) Find The River
#8 (8 pts) WILDCARD -- All The Right Friends
#9 (7 pts) Ages Of You
#10 (6 pts) Gardening At Night
#11 (5 pts) Moral Kiosk
#12 (4 pts) Crazy
#13 (3 pts) Near Wild Heaven
#14 (2 pts) Harborcoat
#15 (1 pts) World Leader Pretend

unsurprisingly, early tracks and oddball entries populate my list.

Thanks for doing this Doctor Casino. Is there anyway you could post a full list with everything below 30th place and their points? And how many people voted in this?

There were twenty-five ballots... as for the rest of the entries, I'd actually love to, but I actually can't find the Excel sheet that has all the data! I know it exists at one point, because I compiled the countdown list from it, but the only Excel sheet I can find is definitely incomplete in terms of ballots. So.... oops? Might have been on a flash drive that I lost a couple of moves ago. Sorry, everybody!

#1 (15 pts) Gardening At Night
#2 (14 pts) Sitting Still
#3 (13 pts) Drive
#4 (12 pts) Moral Kiosk
#5 (11 pts) Radio Free Europe
#6 (10 pts) Wolves, Lower
#7 (9 pts) Losing My Religion
#8 (8 pts) Feeling Gravitys Pull
#9 (7 pts) Hope
#10 (6 pts) Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)
#11 (5 pts) Country Feedback
#12 (4 pts) E-Bow The Letter
#13 (3 pts) So. Central Rain
#14 (2 pts) Cuyahoga
#15 (1 pts) Shaking Through

thanks for doing this, btw, dr. C! my apologies for complaining about the timing earlier, I was kinda drunk and was being a smartass, but putting all this together is a significant effort and I appreciate what you did. :)

I didn't remember to vote, but would have added another #1 to harborcoat

haha, no worries Z S! Thanks for all your contributions on all the related threads etc.

I didn't vote either but Harborcoat is my favorite REM song so well done guys!

looking back, i'm surprised I didn't have a song from maybe my favorite r.e.m. disc -- fables -- on my ballot.

I didn't remember to vote, but would have added another #1 to harborcoat

― iatee, Friday, September 3, 2010 3:44 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark

What he said.

Great to see Sitting Still high up as well. No serious arguments with this poll - good choices folks!

1 Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)
2 These Days
3 Strange Currencies
4 Cuyahoga
5 So. Central Rain
6 Try Not To Breath - WILDCARD
7 What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
8 Losing My Religion
9 Country Feedback
10 Perfect Circle
11 Radio Free Europe
12 Fall On Me
13 The One I Love
14 Gardening At Night
15 Near Wild Heaven

Near Wild Heaven made my ballot only bc i couldn't vote for Half A World Away...

i going to listen to these songs in order and see if i appreciate them a bit more.

Still regret not voting in this.

gardening at night
gardening at night
gardening at night
gardening at night