Something Appropriate

R.E.M's Best Work, Part 1

In honor of one of the best bands of my lifetime, lets talk about R.E.M. If you know me, you know I've supported them since the early 90s, and continue to find joy in their music when no one else seems to. So, in the spirit of doing something instead sitting here bored, here is a listing of each R.E.M. album, in order of my preference. Included are the most famous songs of each album. The hidden Gem's are obviously some of the less-famous tracks that are still worth a listen. We aren't including greatest hits albums, but are including B-Side albums.

15. Reveal (notables - All the Way to Reno, Imitation of Life) Just couldn't get into it. To happy most of the time. Hidden Gem - "I've Been High" Easy enough, sincere

14. Dead Letter Office (notables - Toys in the Attic, Three Velvet Underground songs) It was a nice album of B-sides. "Femme Fatal" and "Pale Blue Eyes" were both sloppy covers, but interesting none-the-less. Hidden Gem - "King of the Road" Roger Miller's classic has never sounded more inebriated and sporadic.

13. Green (notables - Stand, Orange Crush) Not a bad album, I just always felt (like the Smashing Pumpkins) R.E.M. is best when not trying to be happy for the sake of being happy. Hidden Gem - "You are the Everything" Great mandolin part. Just a sweet little ditty.

12. In the Attic: Essential R.E.M. (notables - Dream, The One I Love live) A release owed to IRS records when R.E.M. switched to Warner Brothers. A collection of nice live and alternate takes. Surprisingly, it flows well and is fairly solid throughout. Hidden Gem - "Time After Time Etc." Goes from title track to Peter Gabrial's "Red Rain" to "So. Central Rain" seamlessly. One of the best showcases of Micheal Stipe's haunting tenor.

11. Around the Sun (notables - Leaving New York, The Outsiders, Boy in the Well) I loved this album actually. It was a great balance of trying new sounds and keeping some solid, melody-driven tracks in there to keep people involved. "The Outsiders" still gives me chills at the end. Hidden Gem - "The Ascent of Man" One of their best songs of the decade. Simply compelling and novel. Great progression.

10. Up (notables - Daysleeper, Walk Unafraid, Lotus, At My Most Beautiful) Up haters are losers. It was a great album and probably the best of the band's three-piece offerings. Hidden Gem - "Airportman" you can see shades of Kid-A in the opening track, and for good reason. R.E.M. and Radiohead were touring together and both began crafting their 'new sounds' at the same time. It's just a trippy song that would've been groundbreaking had someone else came out with it on their own.

9. Murmur (notables - Radio Free Europe, Perfect Circle, Talk About the Passion) I know, it's a great album that spent its fair share of time on my stereo, but I find myself more interested on their progression than their originals. Hidden Gem - "We Walk" A fun, bouncy song. Effects foreshadow future experimentation.

8. Life's Rich Pageant (notables - Begin the Begin, Fall on Me, Cuyahoga, I Am Superman) The individual tracks off this album were second to none, they all still hold up. But the album didn't flow quite right. Hidden Gem - "Underneath the Bunker" Has a nice surf-sound to it. Pretty trippy for the time.

The rest of the list wil be coming tommorow!