R.E.M. POX

Having an R.E.M. phase after playing "World Leader Pretend" by chance (It was on a CD-R in the car, on an old holiday compilation).

Bemused to discover there were at least three albums that I hadn't even noticed/that don't even seem familiar in a "I saw that but decided not to bother" sort of way and that "Up" (which I do own) is really good.

i've been having a 'world leader pretend' phase recently, too. i've always liked it but i didn't realize it would be in my r.e.m. POX until recently

Always been one of my faves.

My absolute favourite.

I've never loved World Leader but someone on the Green poll thread brought up a good point that the Tourfilm version serves it really well. It looks like I posted this list above 15 years ago. I still can't really get too into the Warner Bro years, (although I really like a lot of the songs Bittersweet Me, Imitation of Life) I would have to do a separate list for that. My changes in parentheses.

Shaking Through
Radio Free Europe
Perfect Circle (delete, put in Fall on Me)
Green Grow the Rushes Grow (weird. delete and put in Harborcoat)
So. Central Rain
I Believe
Pop Song 89/ or Get UP
Don't Go Back to Rockville (delete put in These Days)
Wolves Lower
...some song post Green.

Have bought the final three albums for a quid apiece (from Music Magpie).

Good luck trying to get through Around the Sun past the first couple of tracks (the only R.E.M. album I dislike)

life and how to live it
e-bow the letter
crush with eyeliner
country feedback
get up
harborcoat
pilgrimage
bittersweet me
exhuming mccarthy
monty got a raw deal

Sitting Still
Leave
Letter Never Sent
Circus Envy
The Flowers of Guatemala
This World Is Big
Me In Honey
Disturbance at the Heron House
I've Been High
Little America

Losing My Religion
Find the River
Nightswimming
Man on the Moon
Everybody Hurts
Driver 8
Rockville
Fall On Me
Perfect Circle
Harborcoat

Nightswimming
So. Central Rain
Harborcoat
Shaking Through
Country Feedback
Driver 8
Maps and Legends
Swan Swan H
E-Bow
Be Mine

Fuck, I don’t know about this.

Fall On Me
Try Not to Breathe
Cuyahoga
Near Wild Heaven
Laughing
Bittersweet Me
Disturbance at the Heron House
Man on the Moon
Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)
You Are the Everything

KING OF BIRDS
Belong
So. Central Rain
Nightswimming
Daysleeper
You Are the Everything
The One I Love
Losing my Religion
Swan Swan H
Find the River

I guess?

king of birds nearly made mine

So many great things not fitting. One tries to be reasonably broad in tone and era but... gah.

there should be a gen x dating app where you list your top ten rem songs to find a match.

Not in order, but this is what i've decided on today (and I feel fine about it).

Driver 8
Cuyahoga
Carnival of Sorts
I Believe
You Are The Everything
Country Feedback
Haborcoat
Don't Go Back to Rockville
Texarkana
Untitled (from Green)

sitting still
world leader pretend
cuyahoga
life and how to live it
e-bow the letter
gardening at night
swan swan h
me in honey
fall on me
drive

what's great is that i love all of the other lists...these are all good songs.

r.e.m. POXXV?

i feel like an old man in a nursing home, with the game rigged in my favor by a polite staff so that whatever choice i make is correct, in some way

Is "This World Is Big" what people are calling the untitled song on Green?

Yeah sorry that’s what I call it

so. central rain
the one i love
gardening at night
talk about the passion
finest work song
7 chinese brothers
near wild heaven
the sidewinder sleeps tonight (feel like this is not a partic popular choice, but as a kid - i was 8 when automatic was released - this was the first REM song i remember really liking a lot)
nightswimming
what's the frequency kenneth

the sidewinder sleeps tonite (i hear you jim in vancouver; this song is pure joy)
shaking through
cuyahoga
e-bow the letter
bang and blame
near wild heaven
wendell gee
world leader pretend
time after time (annelise)
it's the end of the world as we know it (and i feel fine)

i feel like a jerk for not putting losing my religion in there. it's not honest without that. losing my religion may be the song that i still like the most that i've listened to the most times, if you know what i mean

Gardening at Night
Sitting Still
Don't Go Back to Rockville
Driver 8
Fall On Me
Country Feedback
Nightswimming
Find the River
Strange Currencies
E-Bow the Letter

Since my picks are pretty basic, here's 10 deeper cuts I also love:

9-9
Catapult
Kohoutek
Swan Swan H
King of Birds
You Are the Everything
Hairshirt
Belong
New Test Leper
Airportman

this is pretty much the same list I would have had at age 19. sadboi REM will always be my favorite REM

The Wrong Child
Fireplace
I Remember California
Nightswimming
Near Wild Heaven
Hope
Gardening At Night
Radio Free Europe
Leave
Crush With Eyeliner

good list

Oh fiddlestix I need 7 chinese brothers on there. Gah.

Kohoutek
Gardening at Night
Harborcoat
Driver 8
World Leader Pretend
Country Feedback
I Believe
Laughing
Find the River
Daysleeper

Lots of overlap with evol j. I too probably would have chosen very similarly perhaps, um, two-thirds of a lifetime ago.

Try Not To Breathe
Sitting Still
E Bow The Letter
Harborcoat
I Believe
Nightswimming
Find The River
Electrolite
Sweetness Follows
Wolves Lower

^^^oooooh yeah

Wolves, Lower
Gardening At Night
Sitting Still
So. Central Rain
Driver 8
Fall On Me
I Believe
Near Wild Heaven
Nightswimming
Find The River

I should have found room for Electrolite.

Me too but I have no idea what I would dislodge to make room for it.

sitting still
the wrong child
belong
fall on me
shaking through
kohoutek
circus envy
wolves, lower
wendell gee
little america

there are too many positive feelings on this thread. so let me say it: i think electrolite (which i like!), is possibly the most overrated REM song.

damn son

to me it’s like nightswimming except it’s good

sorry for the ‘lops

I have a mental thing where I think up additional lyrics: I'm Steve McQueen, I'm Jimmy Dean, I'm Martin Sheen, I'm Aqua Teen, I'm Vaseline, I'm Paula Deen, I'm Mister Bean, I'm Billie Jean, I'm David Lean, I'm margarine, etc.

Nightswimming>>>>>Electrolyte

nuh uh

YMP, i do the same with "catapult": "can of pork!, cat afloat!, gallow's pole!" lyrical madlibs was one of the minor joys of early mumbly michael singalongs. "electrolite" is maybe a final callback to those early days, on their last great (bill involved) album

Ranking their openers.

I don’t love “Radio Song,” but I think it works well as an opener for that particular album.

aw c'mon "How the West was Won" is one of the all-time great openers, REM or other

Find The River
Time After Time (Annelise)
7 Chinese Brothers
Disturbance At The Heron House
Life & How To Live It
Sweetness Follows
I Believe
Perfect Circle
DaySleeper
Pilgrimage

Great choices, more ballad-y than mine would be I think.

wolves
carnival
pilgrimage
laughing
harborcoat
diminished
be mine
the one i love
losing my religion
sidewinder