12 replies to this topic

[Driver Eight]

After all these years, whatcha think? Collapse is gonna get a preliminary rating from me. The rest I'm pretty clear on. Here's my list, including Chronic Town:

The top few:
1. Automatic for the People - A+
2. Chronic Town - A+
3. Murmur - A
4. Lifes Rich Pageant - A

Just a Touch Back:
5. Fables of the Reconstruction - A-
6. Reveal (this one has moved up a lot since 9/21) - A-
7. Reckoning - A-
8. Document - A-

Middle of the pack:
9. Out of Time - B+
10. Monster - B+
11. New Adventures in Hi-Fi - B+
12. Collapse Into now - Incomplete/B+
13. Green - B
14. Up - B

Meh:
15. Accelerate - C+

Fuhgettaboutit? I Already Did.
16. Around the Sun - F

Discussion - I think Bono wasn't BS-ing when he said Reveal was an amazing album. It didn't have that killer app hot single which would move units, it came after the audience had somewhat moved on and after file-sharing cut so many artists' sales in half. Double its 4 million world-wide sales and it's in a league with the top three. And I think scoreboard rating for albums is overdone anyway. How many units did Murmur sell? And how amazing is it? I like Monster a lot better having laid off it for a few years - great, crunchy guitars.

Right now, Reveal, Chronic Town and Automatic are the albums I really want to listen to out of the catalog.

[Driver Nate]

There's a very similar, if not identical thread for this very topic here.

[jumping151]

worst to best:


15. Around The Sun

14. Reveal

13. Accelerate

12. Collapse Into Now

11. Up

10. New Adventures in Hi-Fi

9. Out of Time

8. Monster

7. Document

6. Reckoning

5. Murmur / Chronic Town

4. Green

3. Lifes Rich Pageant

2. Automatic for the People

1. Fables of the Reconstruction

[orlie21]

1. automatic   2. collapse into now 3. murmur 4. reveal 5. document    6. green, and the rest are kinda at the same level, which is still way better than the contemporaries

[mrocks7]

Christratton2007, on 13 October 2011 - 12:19 PM, said:

I think Bono wasn't BS-ing when he said Reveal was an amazing album. It didn't have that killer app hot single which would move units, it came after the audience had somewhat moved on and after file-sharing cut so many artists' sales in half. Double its 4 million world-wide sales and it's in a league with the top three. And I think scoreboard rating for albums is overdone anyway. How many units did Murmur sell? And how amazing is it? I like Monster a lot better having laid off it for a few years - great, crunchy guitars. Right now, Reveal, Chronic Town and Automatic are the albums I really want to listen to out of the catalog.

The two most typed words by me on Murmurs: REVEAL UNDERRATED

The critical albums that currently move me the most:
-REVEAL
-AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE
-COLLAPSE INTO NOW
-NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI

The second tier - top-notch, but, not my most personally cherished:
-OUT OF TIME
-GREEN
-DOCUMENT
-ACCELERATE

Albums that I love but only go to after having played those already listed:
-MURMUR
-RECKONING
-LIFES RICH PAGEANT

The basement - but, even the least of R.E.M. outshines the best by others:
-UP
-AROUND THE SUN

[space banjo]

From weakest first

Up
Accelarate
Around The Sun
Collapse into Now
Reckoning
Document
Fables
Reveal
Green
Murmur
Out Of Time
Chronic Town
Lifes Rich Pageant
Automatic
New Adventures

[Remixomatosys]

If I had to choose an album from each era (IRS, WARNERS with Berry, WARNERS without Berry)
I'd probably go with Reckoning, New adventures in Hi Fi and Up (Reveal and Accelerate come close).
But I consider the whole R.E.M. discography to be essential.
On the infamous desert island, I'd take 15 records with me

[sharathamm]

Best to Worst

1.AFTP

2.Murmur

3.NAHFI

4.Reveal

5.Monster

6.UP

7.Out Of time

8.Reckoning

9.Fables Of Reconstruction

10.Life's Rich Pageant

11.Document

12.Green

13.CIN

14.Accelerate

15.ATS

[barnsleyjohn]

Very difficult of course. I could just go on most played albums, but then I don't often play Automatic and Up all the way through, but it doesn't mean I don't think they're great discs. What I've done is had a look at which tracks I have on my Spotify playlist from each album, so see if that helps me establish some kind of order.

So, there is only one album which has survived without me removing any of the tracks, and that is Fables - but I would be hard pushed to say it's my favourite. Without a doubt my most played album in the car is New Adventures, but I only nine have made the cut on Spotify - possibly more due to the length of the album than anything else. My favourite parts of REM albums for blocks of sheer quality are the opening four tracks of Pageant and the opening seven of Accelerate, but I feel that both albums die a bit of a death towards the end with the exception of I Believe and Flowers of Guatemala. The great moments on Pageant are probably the finest things the band ever recorded (Begin the Begin, These Days) but the fillers are totally forgettable - Just A Touch and Hyena didn't make the cut for Reckoning, and What If We Give It Away is IMHO one of the weakest REM tracks. I would say that the album that has stood the test of time the least is probably Document, though it still has more incredible moments than most albums by any other band. When all is said and done, I love listening to them all, though some more than others - except ATS and Reveal. Reveal still has some magic moments, but if makes me very glad that we don't still use cassettes. ATS - well, I'm trying and trying with it, really I am, but I still just don't get it. Maybe in some time. Although I'm slowly reconciling myself with Monster, one of my least favourite albums on release - I think it's aged very well.

By the way, I still don't understand a lot of the harsh criticism of Accelerate, but I suppose that's the beauty of REM - the diversity of people's choices of favourites. I'm not sure if any other band could produce a back catalogue which polarises opinion so much, with some fans' bottom choices ranking as other people's favourites.

So, here goes, if we take the albums as a whole

1 - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
2 - Fables of the Reconstruction
3 - Murmur
4 - Reckoning
5 - Automatic
6 - Green
7 - Lifes Rich Pageant
8 - Accelerate
9 = Collapse Into Now / Out of Time
11 - Up
12 - Document
13 - Monster
14 - Reveal
15 - Around The Sun

If I was to list this on the basis of the albums which contain my personal favourite tracks then Pageant and Accerlerate would rank much higher. Just a pity that for me they also have a lot of weak spots (by REM's standard of course).

[Blackbirds Backwards]

Love how everyones list is different!

Best to worst.


Fables of The Reconstruction
Lifes Rich Pageant
Monster
Automatic For The People
UP
New Adventures In Hi Fi
Murmur
Green
Reckoning
Document
Collapse Into Now
Out of Time
Reveal
Accelerate
Around The Bum


Purely personal preference of course!

[alligator dreams]

The top three:

1. AFTP.
2. NAIHF
3. LRP

The next 9:

4. Up
5. Green
6. Out Of Time
7. Document
8. Collapse Into Now
9. Accelerate
10. Reckoning
11. Fables
12. Murmur

The bottom three:

13. Reveal
14. Monster
15. Around The Sun

Positions 4 - 12 change on a regular basis, Reveal and Monster occasionally move a little way up the list too, but 1-3 and 15 are set in stone...

[bluemookie]

I'm constantly surprised to see Accelerate in the bottom five since I've always considered it in my top five.  Opinions...how do they work?

[7 chineSe robs.]

TOP TIER
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Automatic for the People
Murmur

SECOND TIER
Lifes Rich Pageant
Monster
Reckoning
Out of Time
Collapse Into Now

THIRD TIER
Fables of the Reconstruction
Around the Sun
Green
Document

BOTTOM RUNG
Accelerate
Up
Reveal