# Which R.E.M. album should I buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129 "2003-10-07T19:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/21 "2003-10-07T22:43:03Z")
Green is what introduced me to REM, and it has been my favorite album of theirs ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/22 "2003-10-07T22:45:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vibrotronica \* > \*\*Murmur, Reckoning, Fables, Life’s Rich Pagent, Document. \*\* Yes, all of those, in that order, plus Automatic for the People, Green, and Dead Letter Office (mainly for the Chronic Town songs and the Velvet Underground covers). But **Murmur** is the first stop. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/23 "2003-10-07T22:50:47Z")
**Monster** is also very good. ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/24 "2003-10-07T23:11:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > \*\ ***Monster** is also very good. \*\* Word to the wise: Don’t take musical advice from anyone holding this opinion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/25 "2003-10-07T23:25:38Z")
That’s what I love about opinions. We all have them. **Typhoon** just doesn’t know the frequency. ;j ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/26 "2003-10-08T00:27:32Z")
Green. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/27 "2003-10-08T00:32:46Z")
Document. ---
**Author:** ![Back\_Lot\_Brawl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Back\_Lot\_Brawl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Back_Lot_Brawl)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/28 "2003-10-08T00:56:04Z")
Monster is very underrated, in my opinion – not that any of our opinions matter, though, since SanibelMan already has it. I’ll go against the grain and recommend Reveal – I think it’s their best “soft” album since Automatic for the People. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/29 "2003-10-08T01:19:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spoke- \* > **Dead Letter Office (mainly for the Chronic Town songs and the Velvet Underground covers).** Me, I like DLO for the drunken version of ‘King of the Road’. But then I’m weird that way. Actually, I have all the albums and can’t pick just one. Get 'em all, in order, from **Murmur** on. [sub]What hasn’t been mentioned in this thread yet? **Up**. Get that one too.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/30 "2003-10-08T02:23:32Z")
I have to put in yet another vote for _Murmur_, which holds up quite nicely after all these years. After that, I’d say _Lifes Rich Pageant_, then maybe _Fables_ or _Document_, and then the others. Don’t forget, they have a new “Best Of” coming out this month. It’s titled _In Time_ and will have two new songs, “Bad Day” and “Animal,” both of which I think are worth the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/31 "2003-10-08T02:49:40Z")
Strangely enough, _Bad Day_ was written in 1986. So, it’s old/new. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/32 "2003-10-08T05:17:12Z")
If you’ve heard the original version of “Bad Day,” you know it’s been reworked to the point that it’s not quite the same song. So it’s new/old. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/33 "2003-10-08T06:31:26Z")
_Reckoning_ is my favorite after _AFTP_. After you’ve bought it, get _Murmur_. My opinion matters much more than everyone else in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/34 "2003-10-08T07:56:11Z")
_Up_ **SUCKS.** ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/35 "2003-10-08T08:09:45Z")
I found ‘Reveal’ to be quite good too. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_in\_the\_Snow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@Fox\_in\_the\_Snow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_in_the_Snow)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/36 "2003-10-08T12:04:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > \*\*_Up_ **SUCKS.** \*\* But it does have “At my most beautiful” on it which must count for something. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/37 "2003-10-08T12:40:37Z")
I’ve got an early demo of _Bad Day_ (back when it was called PSA (Bad Day)), and though the quality is really terrible, I like it much better than the new one. It had a lot more harmonica, and the chorus had a bit more of an anthemic quality to it. It sounds a lot like they decided they’d never release it and so used the chorus melody for ITEOTWAWKIAIFF. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/38 "2003-10-09T01:32:44Z")
DLO is wonderful for the cover of “Toys in the Attic.” ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/39 "2003-10-09T19:44:07Z")
Well, I bought _Document_ from the iTunes Music Store. So I guess **Fang** and **Angel of the Lord** win. I like it, especially “Exhuming McCarthy.” But if you feel I’ve made this purchasing decision in error, feel free to send me ten bucks and I’ll download the album of your choice. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129/40 "2003-10-09T20:14:25Z")
I agree with the “Anything before 1987” comment but would have to amend it to “Everything before 1987” Specifically: Document is one of my favourite albums of all time. But the rest are almost as good. Especially Out of Time. And Green. And Life’s Rich Pageant. And Murmer … If you did buy everything before 1987, you would be tempted to say that you wouldn’t _also_ need Eponymous, but you’d be wrong, because you wouldn’t have the funky remix of “Finest Worksong” with the horns. I never considered myself an REM fan until I woke up one day and found I had almost all of their albums (up to and including AFTP, they got bad after that). And this thread confirms my suspicions: you cannot own just one REM album. You have to get them all. While not the best band ever, I would not argue if someone called them the _consistently_ best band ever. the best band, that is, that Neil Young wasn’t in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-r-e-m-album-should-i-buy/206129.md?page=3)