Document

This might be my least favorite R.E.M. album, or at least my least favorite of their more acclaimed albums. They do have some good material, some of the songs are catchy like “The One I Love” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”, and I do like “Finest Worksong”’s funk-infused aesthetic, but the rest of the album just doesn’t appeal to me. I’m not a fan of Michael Stipe’s voice, despite his admittedly solid songwriting, and I think he registers at far too much of a whine pretty much throughout all of Document.

That voice has always killed me.

I don’t like his voice, but I do like some of their songs. Unfortunately, this album is more miss than hit for me. I find it pretty samey outside End of the World and the use of saxophone on Fireplace.

Don't get the hype and also find stipes voice very annoying.

Found this very underwhelming

Just a little bit average guitar rock. Starting to feel like limiting to one album per artist would have been a good idea. That said there's a couple of bangers in the middle.

I really struggle to hear past Stipe's voice.

Weird rock. It’s fine, bit folky 2/3***

Yep that’s an rem album

2.5

I'm not a fan of REM. This album is in line with my level of interest. Other than the singles "It's the End of the World as we Know it..." and "The One I Love," I find it very boring. I know there's a drummer in there, but the "feel" is very drum machine.

End of the World is genuinely great, although all the rest of... kinda meh. Didn't previously understand this was from 1987--it sounds way ahead of its time.

This is maybe one of the most booooring and annoying album i've ever listened to in my life. i hate rem

2/5 If I didn't have a slight inclination to re-listen to this album in hopes to find SOMETHING interesting, I'd rate it 1/5. I found this album to lack substance. Considering this album served to "document" the political/economical state of affairs of its time, I'd deem this a great failure. This album also tends to dry up very quickly in-terms of instrumental intrigue. The musicianship is average and the only risk-taking I heard was the sparse inclusion of a saxophone.

A little bit of REM here and there is great but listening to a full album of a monotonous voice is a little bit much

Just not my thing

About passable but kind of annoying if too loud.

Something about it doesn't hit with me. Not sure what you call this genre but it's in some weird middle ground I don't really like. Will I listen to again: 0%

Cannot stand their vocals

Not really my thing, but “Its the End Of the World As We Know It” is a classic and my favorite. We listened driving on the turnpike and maybe it wasn't the right setting for it. I was sleepy.

The songs I recognized were good, but overall it was pretty mid. Listening immediately after Cowboy Carter did not help its case. 4.8/10

Auch langweilig.

Not for me

Outside of the two everyone knows, this is dead boring

Nobody needs to hear FOUR R.E.M. albums before they die. NOBODY. Stop it

few bangers, rest rubbish

Я любил эту группу когда-то [давно]. И этого альбома в моем их исследовании не значилось. На самом деле очевидно почему: по большей части этот звучит как бездушный филлер вокруг двух с половиной отличных песен. Как бы грустно это не звучало. Лучшая песня - It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).

Aside from a couple finer moments to pull out of this mixed bag of tracks, this REM album ends up falling in the same vein as the group’s other safe and often boring “dad rock“ albums.

They're ok

I always thought I liked R.E.M., but now I am questioning that. Maybe only in small doses. I struggled immensely with the singer's voice in this album. 2/5

Cool

Half of the songs sounded like the intro to the Big Bang theory, their style sounded very dated to me.

REM was one of the last bands that developed organically and not as some sort of Frankenstein assembled in a label’s office. They have some excellent work to their credit and some of it is on this album; but they couldn’t just entertain they had to preach and they’re such a bunch of hypocritical whiners listening to them becomes intolerable. Good riddance.

Not my type of music but giving it a try

I hate REM

Pretty mid older rock.

Hits are hits, but otherwise it's like pretty boring

Da ga meg lite

Zeikerig

Geen Losing my religion? Nu al bagger! Nee dit album ken ik natuurlijk niet, en buiten de grootste R.E.M. hits zijn ze voor mij ook onbekend. Het album is voor mij dan ook grotendeels generieke rock. Ik word er niet warm of koud van. It's the end of the world as we know it(And I feel fine) doet niet alleen een poging om de langste titel ooit te zijn, maar doorbreekt het album met iets meer fun. Daarna kom ik er achter dat The One I love ook een grote hit was! Nice! Helaas is voor mij de rest echt best wel saai. FAVO: It;s the end of the world as we know it, The one I love

There's something about REMs vocals that sound cheesy to me. A couple of songs I recognized, but pretty boring honestly. The last song was a pretty lame song to end the whole thing on. Seemed like this album had some doom & gloom themes to it that I didn't really jive with. Was disappointed in this one.

Pois nin tan mal, houbo algunha canción que me gustou pero nada destacable a verdade. Lévase un 5.5/10.0

Meh

I like his voice. Some songs I recognize. Overall not very memorable

I listened. I fast forwarded. I remember. I am not a huge fan.

I only really liked three songs on the album. And those were always overplayed on the radio (Finest Worksong…). Not my favorite REM album.

Tandy Scale Rating: 2.75 Best Songs: It’s The End Of The World As We Know It, The One I Love Foot Notes: I’d say this one has hits and misses some really good hits and then a lot of filler songs Would I Listen Again: Some songs yes

Document: R.E.M #5 review It's the end of the world as we know it but this album will never end. 1: Finest Worksong: This song has some great guitar riffs, and some amazing sounding drums. This song has a great 90s rock sound. 6/10 2: Welcome to the Occupation: This song continues from the last song, and still has a great 90s rock sound. I have read that it is about American intervention in Central America. The only complaint I have with this song, is that it's a little to short. 5/10 3: Exhuming McCarthy: This song has a different sound than the previous two songs, it feels like it has a bit of a twang to it, but I could be wrong. There are some very interesting instruments in this one. This song is from the title and lyrics, clearly about McCarthyism. I don't have much more to say, another solid 6/10. 4: Disturbance At The Heron House: I have no idea what more I can say about this album, it's 90s alt rock, the lyrics don't have a ton for me to go into like I did in my Kid A review, and the songs are pretty similar, this song nets a 6/10. 5: Strange: Despite what the title says, this song is another 90s alt rock song from a 90s alt rock band. They say there's something going on that wasn't here before, but this song feels like we're hearing stuff we've already seen in this album. 5/10 6: It's The End Of The World As We Know It: I really like this one, the lyrics have a stream of consciousness feeling, which if you can't tell, is very similar to what I'm going for with these reviews. This song has the singer rambling about things, and it overall just sounds really good to my ears. 7/10 7: The One I Love: This one seems like a love song from the outset, but that's not what it is at all. This song feels like it's from the perspective of a person who views their partner as something to occupy their time. 5/10 8: Fireplace: This song definitely exists. I have nothing to say about this one. I do not particularly like this one, but I don't hate it. 5/10, perfectly avera 9: Lightnin' Hopkins: This song feels like a shock ;) since this song feels much flashier than the rest of the songs on the album, with the almost choir sounding background vocals, and the quick and snappy pace of the song. 6/10 10: King Of Birds: This song feels like something that would be played in a marching band, with the rolling drums. Other than the rolling drums though, this song feels the same, this album is starting to drag on imo. 4/10 11: Oddfellows Local 151: There's nothing here for me to talk about here. I am tired of 90s alt rock. This album is starting to annoy me, every song feels the same. I was beginning to get tired of this sound at track 5. I'm so glad this album is over now. Time for the overall part. 4/10 Overall: This album is exhausting. This album is only 36 minutes, but it feels like its so much longer. This album has a few good songs, but I cannot earnestly reccomend it as most of the album sounds the same. The reason the base scores for the album slowly got lower throughout the review is that this album was starting to grate on me, with every song feeling the same except for 2 songs that are actually good. 4/10, just listen to the highlights, this one feels so long. Highlights: It's The End Of The World As We Know It. Lightin' Hopkins. Lowlights: Fireplace, King Of Birds, Oddfellows Local 151.

I don't like R.E.M. me thinks

Still probably my least favorite of the IRS era, so much of it feels underwritten, or like a one-note predecessor to Monster. "Welcome to the Occupation", "Exhuming McCarthy", and "Oddfellow Local 151" still rule though.

2.0 The hits are the hits, and the rest stinks

somehow more repetitive and boring than murmur. no point in this album being here if murmur exists Significant 30/82 Liked 14/82 Added 4/82

Bit too boring apart from 2 songs

Not the most entertaining album, it kinda trudges along until we get to İts the end of the world. Then it just trudges along again. The lyricisms are clever and insightful but the music itself isn't very engaging.

Not really a fan of his voice

ya know just wasnt for me

Ми, не

Still not a fan of REM.

Have never been a fan of REMs sound, have tried several times with murmur and automatic and sadly document was the same. Just don’t respond well to their jangle pop and cadence choices. Also I find Michael stipes voice annoying. The hits of this one are stand outs, everything else blended together. Just not for me.

Almost 4

2/5 I don't think this really added anything to my life tbh. Chicken little song (End of the world) isn't as good as 8-year-old me remembers. It wasn't terrible per se. And i added two songs to the playlist, i reckon they will get skipped semi frequently.

Highlights: It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine), Exhuming McCarthy. I only know of R.E.M.'s hits, so it was a fresh listen for me. It wasn't a boring listening experience, but it wasn't pleasant one either. The sax solo was an odd choice in Fireplace. Michael's voice was screeching while holding some notes (eg in Strange "riiieeeeeeghht"). Many of the songs sound similar to me. I might change my mind when I listen to Automatic For The People or Murmur. At least one R.E.M needs to be on this list. Document isn't it IMHO. Overall: 4/10

Every song sounded the same, and the sound isn’t particularly good. I recognized the 2 big hits on there. Nothing bad but definitely not a band I’d delve into their discography for.

Ebbs and flows from pop to heavy good balance quality tracks. 7/10

I know I enjoyed it, I remember listening, but I dont remember engaging. Its interesting but uncompelling background noise. Disappointed in my reaction to a group so many others like. I Guess they are not really for me. 2 stars.

1 good song

I feel like R.E.M. is one of the most known bands that no one ever listens to. Like no one ever says REM is their favorite band and other than a small handful of their popular songs they are never mentioned. So far the album is very basic rock with predictable chord progression and leading. The singer has a very distinct voice and the band has a distinct sound as well; the moment one of their songs comes on, you instantly know it's REM, which is kinda rare to have that kind of consistency, but that can also be a bad thing. Giving the score I pretty much expected to give before even pressing play.

I feel like this was very progressive at the time, but it’s hard for me not to hear the singles in each song.

This album was so boring! I was bored from minute 1, I was briefly lulled from sleep for "It's The End of The World As We Know It," and I soon drifted back to sleep. I listened two full times and barely noticed a thing! The offensively vague, against-the-system lyrics insult your intelligence after more than a few seconds of critical listening. The entire sound is super flat and boring. I really don't like the vocalist's delivery. Listening all the way through an R.E.M. album is exactly the kind of thing I knew I would be signing up for by doing the 1001 Albums Generator. So it has come and gone. There's always tomorrow. 2/5

Know R.E.M. is popular but I'm not actually sure how familiar I am with their music. Standard rock sound. Strongly dislike the "harmonization" or whatever you'd call it at the beginning of Welcome to the Occupation. It's the End...is a great song and a classic for a reason. Same with The One I Love. Also don't care for Oddfellows Local 151. I enjoyed King of Birds. Overall a really mixed experience for me. Some songs I liked, some fine, some I really didn't like.

Da ga meg lite

Meh 2.5

You're sharpening stones walking on coals To improve your business acumen Sharpening stones walking on coals To improve your business acumen. Something about the R.E.M sound can be repetitive, but they have made many stand out singles over the years and "It's the End of the World as We Know It" and "The One I Love" are right up there. I feel like I should be keeping a saxophone count across the 1001 albums.

Great instrumentals, but the singer's voice has always sounded grating to me.

I place R.E.M. with college music, presenting new ideas that are often old ideas, or ideas that need further threshing out, offered to intelligent young people as new thinking, often implying the foolishness of old thinking, with an underlying air of superior intellect. This album's lyrics may be real poetry---like poetry night at the coffee house poetry---the kind that seems to me pretentious, non-congruent thought, presented in the most ostentatious sequence and cadence possible. That said, it's possible that my opinion lacks depth, and my distaste is really an undeveloped palate. The music seems average and fully carried by Stipe's vocals.

I affirmatively dislike REM as a general principle, and Stipe's voice specifically. And yet it is clearly part of my subconscious because I am surprised that an album I could not name is part of my musical background. More moving/relevant/resonant than I would have otherwise expected.

Not sure why this REM album is on the list. Although it is a good album, I can name 5 REM album better than Document.

2 stars cause end of the world as we know it is a great song. Couldn’t finish the rest of this album

Not my cup of tea. Good length.

It was there

41/100

Who listens to creed anymore

Still early days and only listened one time through. Found it a bit whiney

Det beste med det er at det ligner på pearl jam

in general, i don't care much for r.e.m.! i think they're overplayed on the radio (which they don't dictate), but more than that, the lead singer's voice is drone-y and uninteresting (i don't know why he held the note at the end of "king of birds"; alas, one of life's great mysteries). despite this, listening to r.e.m.'s document taught me more of their alternative rock presence. their two big hits off this album are more rock than alternative to my ears, but the rest of the album has that alternative feel. this album is definitely something for emo teenagers--i mean, one of their biggest hits from this album is "it's the end of the world as we know it," and nothing screams more emo teenagers than that. for what it's worth, the instrumentation was very solid and allowed the album to be cohesive.

It's the End of the World As We Know It is the only song I knew/recognized. Sounds out of place...maybe because I know it and don't know any other song. Overall the rest of the album isn't really my taste but I like It's the End...

I didn’t like it, I’m usually into the genre but this album just didn’t wow me. I don’t even remember anything while listening to it.

Not for me. Noisy and aimless without doing anything valuable. Whenever it comes together to do something interesting it says "fuck that" and goes off on something else.

Rem

Album was okay, two good songs rest isn't my vibe

I dont like rem

I don't quite like this as much as I remember liking it; it's actually kind of boring. End of the World is overplayed. The sax in it Fireplace is a decent change of pace. Lightnin' Hopkins is pretty bad, especially Stipes' vocals.

people don't talk about r.e.m. too much nowadays, even though they were "really big." i posit that this is because they are a deeply mediocre band and their music was never that good in the first place. two.

Surprised I didn't enjoy this. It seems like it's trying too hard to be interesting/funky, and none of the tracks (outside the hit single) really spoke to me.

nay nay not for me

I usually regard R.E.M highly but this was a very weak album from them. It's The End Of The World As We Know It is a popular song that you're guaranteed to have a heard before, but apart from that it's not very exciting.

Way back in 2008 I managed to get access to the beta version of Spotify. I actually went back to confirm that the second song I ever added to a playlist was was "It's the end of the world as we know it" (the first being "Are we friends electric). Needless to say this song was nostalgic for me although from a time long after its first release. A time where I suddenly could listen to basically anything i wanted, the song title felt very fitting. Other than that song I didn't feel this album that much. Maybe not in the mood or something but nothing interested my in particular except the hits. Overall an ok album but not that memorable to me.

the song that i liked the most was “lightnin’ hopkins”. it has heavy guitar. fast. almost sounds punk. in other words, it sounds nothing like REM. i literally didn’t really like any other song. this tells you everything you need to know about my opinion of this band. all the songs on this album (with that notable exception) sound the same. and michael stipe has a whiny voice. annoyingly so. as with the last REM album i listened to for this project, not a fan.

A few decent songs, and a couple that are immediately recognizable. Overall fine

0 funk, 0 stars

Never really liked them, especially in their heyday when they were hard to avoid. They just sound bland to me. Like eating toast with nothing on it.

A couple classics on here, but laughing at the shortest wiki entry I've ever seen. Nothing about this album tells me it should be on this list, even if I enjoy End of the World and One I Love. Not sure what qualified this one to be on here, but probably the same criteria as the others that shouldn't be on here.

The One I Love is a pretty good track but the rest is seriously meh. Musically fine but the vocalist is not for me.

This album is perfect for doing laps in the swimming pool, mostly because you would only hear short bits at a time. I actually had high expectations for this one. Document my feelings as “disappointed”. I didn’t find a ton of variety on the record, which was partly due to Michael Stipe’s vocals, which the more the listen to them the more they become just strange. This band is better in radio doses…one (finest work)song at a time. The only reason they get two stars if for This is the End of …. Which now that I think about it isn’t even that great of a song. Chalk this one up as one that I do NOT love. FFIIIIIRRRRREEEE!

"It's the end of the world as we know it" and "strange" are pretty good.

Mir ist aufgefallen das Rock nicht so mein Ding ist. Also ich finde es nicht schlecht aber keine Ahnung.

Meh. I like this band but this album only has two good songs. Jammed right in the middle of some pretty boring stuff.

Interesting mix of 80s and 90s style. Personally I was not a fan. Didn’t enjoy the voice of the singer. I did enjoy the oddfellows song though.

Best songs: it’s the end of the world One I love Good songs: disturbance at heron house Overall: great instrumentals, repetitive at times, terrible singing voice. Lyrics kinda suck 4.5/10

It was ok has like two songs on it. That I think are a few of the more popular R.E.M tracks

Buuuuuuuu

Meh. Whiny nerd rock.

80’er rock, noget af det er okay, men ikke lige min kop te generelt

I like REM, a lot, but I didn't recognize many songs on this album. It sounded good, but nothing stuck with me. I'm hoping for more from them in the future.

Dimery has his moments, four REM albums in the list but not Reckoning/Fables of the ReconstructionRecontruction of the Fable/Life's Rich Pageant? Document is treading water, so much of this could have appeared in the earlier stuff, you can tell they are bored. Oddfellows and Welcome to the Occupation are wonderful, REM at their best, but the rest is paint by numbers stuff. And no I don't like the biggies, The One I Love and The End of the World, in fact the latter gives me the shits. This is not their finest hour.

Bruh I keep bamboozling myself because all these albums start out alright but fall off so hard and then I'm second guessing myself. This is can't be put on the same pedestal with some of the other 3s I've been giving. I like R.E.M. a lot though. Give them a year or two, they’ll come around.

Just not that good. REM is also not my music. Had potential but really didn’t do much for me.

The whole album is held up by “It’s the end of the world as we know it”

Eh found it kinda blah

mid

I like REM but I have to say, this record is just not getting me there. Aside from End of The World, none of the songs are very interesting compositionally or even lyrically. The track about "business acumen" was just so flat and dumb. I'm only halfway through, hopefully there's an uptick on the back half... So the back half was better instrumentally. The songs felt more varied, even though the lyrics were still pretty blah (looking at Fireplace specifically). The closer was good: moody, simmering, dark. Overall not my favorite REM by a huge stretch.

TIL just because it's called "college rock" doesn't mean it's suitable to listen to while doing lab exercises.

:|

2/5. An interesting rock album with some standouts but probably not going to visit much later.

Worth listening to, lyrically thought provoking and great song writing. Tho personally I do not enjoy most of micheal stipes voice, I find it testing and distracting, personally. Songs like “the one I love” is great but overplayed and the vocals stand out to much in a way I can’t enjoy repeated listening. “End of the world” stands out as different from the rest of the album. Could be perfect to other ears. Also the guitar tone sounds so similar to what they do for the next ten years it sounds like this album could have come out in 1995

Eeh, pass. Good production, don’t like the lead singers voice

niet zo heel interessant uiteindelijk

Not particularly fond of his voice. Some songs feel like they have similar melody. Did enjoy several songs.

Couple of good songs. Not great overall.

Album does nothing for me, just overall meh

Was not really into it

C’est correct, sans plus. C’est plutôt générique comme album

Je n'accroche pas tant à R.E.M. On dirait que c'est le genre de band qu'il fallait être là à l'époque pour vraiment apprécier le travail qu'ils font par rapport à ce qui se faisait. J'aime quelques pièces, mais pas aucun album en entier à date. Comme ici, It's The End Of The World As We Know It est une pièce importante de cet album que j'aime beaucoup. The One I Love aussi est importante pour le groupe, mais elle ne me rejoint pas. Je reconnais l'importance du groupe pour le rock alternatif, je reconnais que ça semble différent pour 1986 et je crois que cet album a sa place dans cette liste, mais je n'ai pas envie de courir me le procurer ou même d'y revenir.

Lame besides the 2 tracks that anyone ever hears anymore.

MID. End of the world is my soft spot tho

I don’t wanna hear what they have to say I just wanna dance. Sounds like the one I love 11 times in a row

Enjoyable. I'll look more in to a-ha but wasn't my favorite. Take on Me is a classic still, but other than that, decent album.

no!

Fine. 2.5/5. Had some more out less memorable tunes. Enjoyed the alt country mixed with indie vibes. Otherwise feel no reason to revisit.

Disco un tanto flojo de un gran grupo. Tranquilo de escuchar y bien elaborado

Meh

Did not listen

R.E.M. is one of those bands I hear about all the time but have never listened to, and I see why. This whole album sounds like the hits they'd play on the indie rock public radio station of the era. Some is worth listening to, but on the whole it feels like inoffensive alt music. || Spotify following this album up with The Police immediately after only confirmed my thoughts.

I just don't really like rem very much

Decent songs but not my jam- feel too on the nose

I feel that giving it 2 stars might be a bit harsh, but at the same time I thought it was really boring overall, save for one or two songs. They've done much better before and after that album so it's a bit surprising to see this one here.

The one I love was the only interesting song on this album. I can't believe it's on this list

They're just not my bag, baby.

This was good, but not spectacular. Two songs I knew before (It's The End Of The World As We Know It and The One I Love), both I like. Nothing else really stood out - although Exhuming McCarthy was a fun listen for the lyrics. Would I turn this off if it was on in the background? Probably not. Will I ever think, "you know what, I really want to listen to Document right now"? Probably not.

Okay

For what it is and what it aims to be, it is good. The band's sound and overall production quality is clearly a template for countless bands to follow and songs like 'Its the End Of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' and 'The One I Love' are anthems for that time period. I just don't care for it all that much. I don't connect with the lyrics, everything sounds uniform, and I find it all a bit bland.

Outside of the hit singles nothing stood out for me on this album.

I had a friend who, about 20 years ago, used to play REM's greatest hits all the time. I was not a huge fan of them back then; some of the hits aren't bad but this is my first album experience. I'm not shocked that nothing here has changed my mind on the band. It's the guys voice I find a bit annoying I suppose, and the fact I just find this music really bland. More power to the people who like this but I like a bit more meat on my musical bones. Ohh, Strange starts off a bit like a watered down Green Day song, that was the highlight of the album. I can appreciate the hits from this album; they are solid enough. There are actually a few other flashes in here that go beyond mediocre.

Juz po pierwszym R.E.Mie widzialem, ze z tym zespolem sie raczej nie zaprzyjaznie, ale drugi pick tylko mnie w tym utwierdzil, document to piaty album w dyskografii tej hamerykanskiej bandy z roku 87, tym razem troche mniej doomersko, ale nadal tak jak sie gra zeby sprzedac traka dla sluchaczy, wiec latwy odsluch na nielatwe tematy, bo plyta praktycznie w calosci traktuje o hamerykanskosci, a o czym zaspiewac hamerykaninowi jak nie o wspanialosci hameryczki, no oczywiscie o tym jaka hameryczka zla i niesprawiedliwa, wiec bedzie o hamerykanskiej wyjatkowosci, ktora objawia sie w tym, ze wtracaja sie we wszelkie mozliwe sprawy na swiecie, ktore nie powinny ich w ogole zajmowac, wiec interwencje zbrojne i temu podobne szyngenjansy, kumulacja tego rantu jest najpopularniejszy trak z tego krazka, czyli its end of the world as we know it and i feel fine, wiec to rantowanie zbieranie przez pol albumu zostaje zakonczone przytaknieciem, ze spoko, hamerykanskosc jest sprytnie polaczona z motywem ognia i spalania ktory przewija sie przez rozne traki, tak burza skojarzen z ogniem, to takze cienie, strazaka i tym podobne pomysly, nie bylaby to zla plyta, gdyby banda potrafila zagrac wiecej niz jeden kawalek, bo praktycznie cale 39 minut brzmi tak samo, zarowno instrumentalnie jak i wokalnie, chociaz brzmieniowo rozni sie to od ostatniego krazka, ale nadal jest monotonnie jak bylo, tym razem plyta byla nagrywanie w nashville, a co za tym idzie musi czerpac z tej hamerykanskiej folkowosci, ktora nalecialo juz tamto miejsce i czuc to sluchajac tej plyty, na plejke dodam wspomniany kulminacyjny rant, jako najbardziej znany kawalek z plyty i pewnie jeszcze cos sie trafi od rema podczas czyszczenia listy

Dull folk rock that lacks songwriting flair and arrangement craftsmanship. Stick to the Byrd's.

I did not enjoy it that much.

Tråkigt, en 2

REM. The 80s. Nostalgic to me in a background-sort-of way.

Just not a fan of this dude's voice

I've got to say--I don't really get the fuss people make about R.E.M. To be clear, I enjoy Man On The Moon, The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine), and some of their other tunes as much as the average person, but to me, R.E.M. is about as standard as jangle pop gets. The structures of their songs and their melodies aren't innovative in the slightest, merely competent, and the window dressing of skronky sax and minor time signature shifts on a song like Fireplace doesn't change that one iota. Sometimes, R.E.M. stumbles on a hook or two. And this pretty much describes Document. That said, this came out in 1987, and by the standards of that time, it's a minor masterpiece. The only giveaway that this came out in the darkest days of the 80s is the mind-numbing echoey backbeat that accompanies almost every song. The guitars have a bit of grit. The lyrics are unusually literate and intelligent. I like jangle pop. And, while Document is nothing to write home about, I do appreciate craft, and this album has plenty of it. It's a meat and potatoes pop album. But over the course of 11 songs and 40 minutes, it all gets a trifle dull.

Världen går under låten var bra, resten var rätt trist

Whilst I enjoy some individual songs, at an album level, all of the songs sound pretty similar to me. I don't think he's got an interesting voice to listen to

I think it was ok? Dont really remember anything about it

Meh and the singer bloooows

Not the biggest fan of REM though they have some great songs. Just kind of blends in with the music of the time for me and isn't something I'd personally listen to over and over again.

“Document” by R.E.M. (1987) The political critique that permeates this album is faddish and lacks a sense of both proportion and historical perspective. Remember, it was released in the seventh year of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, when his “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” challenge had not yet borne its full fruit, and the nightly news was all about Iran/Contra (yawn). And the pop left had not yet discovered that Joseph McCarthy was right (no pun intended). There actually were communists in the State Department. And the Department of Defense. And Hollywood. Look, young people, don’t embarrass yourselves before posterity. No, R.E.M. lyricist/lead vocalist Michael Stipe comes from the school of ‘let’s get political because it sells’ (“Hang your dollar on me” in “Welcome to the Occupation”). The reason it sells is that ‘getting political’ gives the artist an otherwise undeserved social gravitas, if one is smart enough (and he is) to make the references obscure enough. Yeah, it works. It’s a formula. But it’s bad politics, and even worse in this context, it’s bad art, at least in the case of R.E.M. Lead vocal by Stipe has an idiosyncratic (and thus interesting) timbre, but is a little unsteady. Ok, it’s very unsteady. And his two-, three-, and four-syllable diphthongs are like fingernails on multiple chalkboards. Drummer Bill Berry’s backing vocals are not good. Sorry, Bill. Your drumming, however, is excellent. Compositions are heavy on plain, guitar-friendly chord progressions, including some silly pop throwback (“Exhuming McCarthy”). As an arrangement, “Oddfellows Local 151” stands out as very good. It could have been improved with a soaring lead guitar solo on the outro, but that probably exceeded the limited capability of guitarist Peter Buck. Throughout the album we are treated to nice, if simple, engineering and mixing of percussion (especially the cool intro to “Lightnin’ Hopkins”), with clean electric rhythm guitar. Overall, there are very good production choices, with a few nice supplemental instrumentals. But one could listen to this once, and that is enough. 2/5

Pretty dry , I hate it

59. Bom dia, queria pedir a música esquema preferido, dos barões da pisadinha. dedicada a um feliz aniversário do tio michel, em paris, e a esposa adelaide. PARA A MARIANA, DE TRANCOSO, E FAMÍLIA, PARA A DANIELA, PARA A MÓNICA E PARA O CARLOS, PARA A DALILA DO RESTAURANTE FUNCHAL E FUNCIONÁRIOS, PARA TODAS AS GENTES DE VALPAÇOS, BEIJINHOS PARA A DIANA E PARA A TRUFA, UM ABRAÇO PARA O MÁRIO, COM MUITA FORÇA, E AS MELHORAS DO PRIMO DANIEL, VAI TUDO CORRER BEM. para todos os ouvintes e colaboradores da rádio forum boticas, parabéns pelo bom trabalho, e para ti catarina um bom dia de trabalho. ANDRÉ, SAPADORES MotA: The One I Love "The time to rise has been engaged"

Not my taste in alt rock. Don’t love their big hits and the other songs aren’t any better. Started decent but never picked up. Fireplace is a bad song. 3.8/10

Meh. Nothing special, but not bad in any way.

Boring and vaguely irritating. One or two classics does not an album make.

Not great

generic pop rock meh vocals probably best song was It's The End of the World...

Not a fan

eh, was over very quickly

Feels like a 2, but maaaybe a 3 because of tracks like 'It's The End Of The World' and 'The One I Love'. Its alright but not that much of a game changer. Feel like if it wasn't REM with their reputation then it wouldn't be that great. 2/5 cos I'm just not feeling the rest of it

I believe they put a man on the moon.

No me gustó REM cuando comenzaron, tampoco cuando salieron en los Simpson, y ahora, pasados los años oigo este disco y tampoco me gustan.

The music is pretty boring and his voice is so grating. Not as bad as it could have been but not great.

1 song album

Rough finish to the week with RUSH yesterday and R.E.M. today. Neither band has ever really been in my wheelhouse. Despite that I made it through and while this is not an album I'd go back to listen to it was an easy listen. I can see where some bands I probably love got influence from this but it's simply not for me.

it’s the end of the world as we know it!!

Meh

I just don't like REM.

@@½. Post-grunge poppy rock with jangly guitars. Few nice ones.

2.75

Dare I say it... "REM IS OVERRATED."

har svårt för deras sound alltså.

1987. Key Songs: It's The End Of The World As We Know It, The One I Love

REM... Rock (rapid lol), eye, movement... it was ok

Solid guitar riffs paired with quality percussion sprinkled with some dancing piano chords and a satisfying horn section should make this a staple rock band. The droning and mithering sounds of Michael Stipe tear it all apart. Every song has flat unchanging vocals except "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" where he pontificates just more rapidly. He even seems to recognize his own shortcomings with an exodus of listeners turning away from his singing when he continually whines "Listen to me" in the track "Welcome to the Occupation." Staying true to the 1001 album project, I reluctantly listened to the whole album. Is it possible to rate this album and specifically Michael Stipe a zero?

Like a shitty version of the smiths mixed with a shitty version of the stone roses

Not a fan really, that one song is good

REM has existed in my head, as long as I can remember, as the pinnacle of boring music, and it holds up to this day. I don't think music should be made about politics (it should be primarily about the beauty of sound) but if it is, then at least make it musically interesting. The only interesting moment was when the saxophone came in briefly. Otherwise it's music for white people, snare on 2 and 4. Maybe if I had been alive at the time their messaging would have reached me, but as it is, I'm not moved

i'm bored now from this algorithm, it feels like 1001 rock albums you should listen

Couldn't finish the album. I couldn't really handle the guy's voice. Sounds nerdy? The guitar and music was good. I am curious how I would have liked this album under another artist.

не нравится

auditory equivalent of chewing on cardboard

Some real lame shit if you ask me

I do not get why people like REM. Sure their first two albums actually seemed decent. But after that it's garbage after garbage. If not for the two hits that got some play, I'd say this is their worst one yet.

no merece ni una segunda escuchada

Yeah I do not like REM. It’s like they’re trying too hard I don’t like that guy’s voice it’s just bad. It’s like U2 but worse....wayyyyy worse

REM actually blows

I understand that REM is a big part of the 80s/90s music culture, but this album just...isn't good. It amazes me that a group with such little care for music theory (i.e. use of basic guitar chords in favor of riffs) was so popular for so long

I am not a hard rock fan, so this didn’t strike that cord for me.

every song sounded the same

Bleh didn’t care for it

It’s the end of the world as we know it baby!!!

yeehaw voice thats all i remember

definitely intriguing in that you can hear the first dregs of 90s grunge/rock style in here like a decade before it became widespread. But I just dont really like R.E.M. sorry. I wish I did. you guys must be having so much fun.

just not hitting. bleh. i can appreciate the lyricism though. saved: n/a

I don’t really care lol

incredibile pensare che 39 minuti fa la mia opinione sui r.e.m. era di totale indifferenza e adesso dovrò passare il resto della mia vita a pregare che quella voce nasale e quelle chitarre bling-blang-blong non invadano mai più la sacralità del mio padiglione auricolare. ah, la gioia della scoperta!

a lot of these songs sound the same. listening to this album is kind of like watching the theme song of a bad tv sitcom. I get that it’s woke but their message is barely listenable.

I really dislike the singer

Absolutely unremarkable. Musically, vocally, instrumentally, lyrically - a complete bleh. Fine, the drummer seems to be at least original. Everything else is hopelessly boring and unoriginal. What a disappointment.

Tää REMi ollu mun mielestä kyllä aina jotenkin niin äärimmäisen kädenlämpöistä, ettei kyllä herätä minkään näkösiä tunteita. Mitä nyt laulajan ääni vituttaa pidemmän päälle. JOS musiikki on taidetta JA taiteen pitäisi herättää tunteita, niin laulun vitutuksen lisäksi aivokäyrä näyttää suoraa viivaa, sen vuoksi YKSI PISTE

Goofy songs structure and comically childish lyrics, with the thinnest level of depth possible. One of the most annoying nasally vocals performances I've ever heard as well. No idea how this band is so popular. Wholly unserious album

I've never listened to this album (33). Bald guy stuff, again. Still sucks.

If this is one of the albums I have to listen to before I die just kill me already. Enough.

Wtf so so bad tried to rip my ears off but it didn’t help

Feeling HATEFUL lfg!!

Oof - really do not like this

Jag har svårt att förstå varför detta album finns med i boken. Ett helt ordinärt rockalbum. Dessutom ett ganska tråkigt sådant med svagt låtmaterial. Stipes gnällröst är svår att ta till sig. Texterna ska tydligen vara bra sägs det. Men vem orkar lyssna när framförandet går en att räkna minuter och sekunder till skiten är slut så man kan spela nått bra istället. 😴

Sorry, but I have established that I strongly dislike R.E.M.

They've got some hits and the ones that were hits have been overplayed. The ones that weren't just weren't.

Not my thing. Worst Song: It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Best Song: Strange Added to Liked Songs:

Ok

Whiny pointless garbage

Very eh, very dry, wasted my time, thank you.

Boooooring.

Pas mon style, c’est boriiing j’ai même pas réussi à tout écouter. Je sais pas pourquoi mais ça m’agace.

I’m sure there is someone’s taste but it’s not mine.

Didnt really like the vocal style at all

Lame Christian rock

This was a displeasure to listen to. Genuinely upsets me that everything on this list that is considered essential hard rock listening is just dogshit gen x nostalgia shit It's the end of the world as we know was good tho I guess 3/10

This album made me feel sick.

I just don’t like REM 😕

Of the 80s, this is an album that was released. 2/10

I have no idea why this is on the list. End of the world is kind of fun but the entire album is inoffensive at best dull at worst.

Didn’t like this

1/2

So average. Like nails on a chalkboard.

Zzzz....

Not for me

Una verga

This doesn‘t belong here except for historical reasons

Sounds very much like the mid-90s Americana it represented. The hits were good but the rest was drole I wouldn't have liked it at the time either.

Had to enable editing just for this because I accidentally clicked 1 star before entering notes. This was so mediocre and I feel vindicated for never listening to R.E.M. Complete waste of time listening to this, respectfully.

I can’t stand REM. especially Michael Stipe and his voice. The rest of the band might be good, but I can’t get past that whiny voice. On closer listen, no, the band isn’t any good either.

R.E.M. One of those bands like The Cure that have a huge indie fanbase and that, beyond a few individual songs, I really can't get myself to get into. They seem like really decent guys and I respect the way they called it quits without falling out, but at album length, they're really not for me. Well. Actually. I remember liking Monster (is that on this list) a bit more than all other R.E.M. albums. But that's really not saying much.

just couldn't get into it. if i never heard any of these songs again i would be fine. i don't like the singer's voice, it drove me up the wall.

REM não é meu favorito

Hated the accent

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Mix: 🤷‍♂️ Musik: TREFFER! Kaum eine Band lässt mich so schnell den Raum oder Freundeskreis verlassen wie R.E.M. Wertung: 💀/5

Overall: I hate to be the one to say that the only tracks I really enjoyed on this album are the radio hits that I'm familiar with, but that is my truth. The rest of the tracks were just a bit all over the map and I couldn't find myself into them. I really have always wondered if I would enjoy R.E.M. outside of the radio hits, and never took the time to explore. I was pretty excited that this record popped up and was genuinely ready to give it my full ear. I'm actually bummed my ear did not enjoy it as much as I anticipated. But I'm hopeful with the large discography there will still be other songs out there I enjoy, they're just not from this record. Track Breakdown: End of the world - I hate to be the one to say the only album track I enjoyed is the radio hit that I'm familiar with, but this might be my truth. The one I love - I have always really enjoyed the bass line in this track. Fireplace - It took alot of effort to not skip this track Oddfellows Local 151 - I enjoyed everything about this track, minus vocals. Felt that was worth noting.

Bijzonder vervelende plaat. Ik wilde het een kans geven ondanks R.E.M., maar het blijkt toch gewoon R.E.M. Van alles wat er weinig moet zijn is er teveel (gitaren, gitaren, drumfills, productie, vocals, arrangement,...) en van alles wat er veel moet zijn is er te weinig (groove, oprechtheid, leegte, schone klanken,...). It's The End OF The World staat hierop, dat is de moeite. The One I Love was een hit, maar is vervelend. Misschien ooit eens de platen hiervoor checken, toen het nog niet over-produced was en minder bekend (kort gedaan, op Reckoning en Murmur zingt hij toffer, zit er minder arrangement in de weg etc...) Maar da's voor een andere keer.

No había escuchado mucho más que Loosing my religion, el ressto suena parecido y no me gusta, no me cierra la nasalidad del cantante.

drønkedelig og alle sangene lød ens :/ hader michael stipes stemme

weak

Songs Known - It's the end of the world as we know it, the one I love I didn't think highly of this album. Seems like standard 90's rock music considering it was in the 80's(87) maybe it pioneered the genre but noting apart from the known songs really grabbed my attention. 1.5

blah

Two decent songs. Nothing more. Nasally.

Dullsville. Seriously boring and uninspired.

Black Sabbath Master of Reality

This album is not it at all, I don’t think I’ve come across anything more aggressively American in my life. There’s nothing redeemable about any of the songs in this album, all filled with painfully generic guitar riffs and some awful vocals and basic lyrics. A stand out track is ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’ which has verses that remind me way too much of the theme song to The Fairly Odd Parents and a boring chorus I genuinely can’t believe that’s one of their more popular songs. I’ll be honest some parts of the instrumentals were nice like the saxophone in the middle of ‘Fireplace’ and the opening to ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins’ but when these are the redeemable parts and they make up less than 5% of the album then what’s the point. I genuinely can’t escape from the cadence of the vocalist his voice is actually so annoying especially at times like at the end of ‘Exhuming McCarthy’ it makes me cringe, he sounds like he’s trying way too hard. Finally, the album artwork is terrible it looks so rough and boring, so I guess a perfect display for the music you’re about to be subjected to. I don’t think I need to ever hear this album again, nor do I want to.

not good

nyt oli harvinaisen tylsää settiä, tiedän että varmaan tykätään.. nimekäs bändi kuitenkin MUTTA VITTU 3.56???? JA JARRE SAA 3.0x vittu nämä hömelöt ei ymmärrä mistään mitään.. jokainen biisi tässä on vittu sama indie rock rämpytys vimputus ainoa kunnioitettava asia on vokaali ukko tykkään siitä mutta musiikki niin paskaa että en rupee tutkimaan lähemmin lyriikoita ILMEISESTI ON HYVIN KIRJOITETTU... EN TULE KOSKANA TIETÄMÄÄN...iso pettymys HUOH huokotellaans HUOH HUOH HUOH end of wordl

Абсолютное говнище. Единственное, предтеча гранжа и поп-панка. Бессмысленный альбом. Мир бы ничего не потерял без этого альбома и без этой группы.

It was alright but not my style. There wasn't even one song that caught my attention but it's good enough as emm background music. 4/17

The saxophone is Fireplace nearly killed me. I encountered several songs that I would actively avoid in the future. I think I may not be a fan of the R.E.M. guitar sound. It lingers too long. Then add the constant cymbals. Too much sound at every moment.

Не очень, нудный, спокойный

CBA listening to it.

El album malo de rem lol

yeah this isn’t really my kinda thing. sounds too dated and country weird that was so painful to listen to

1-10 this is a 3

Classic.

My first REM

weakest of IRS period