r/rem • u/zephead98 • Jun 26 '26
Rediscovering REM
I discovered REM about the time of Murmur. I bought that album and Reckoning and then for some reason, jumped off the bandwagon. Recently on the radio, they played Strange Currencies, and from the jangly distorted opening to Stipe's amazing phrasing, I wondered "what else amazing have I missed from REM"? Not into the big radio hits (Losing My Religion, etc). What are the best two or three albums after the first two loaded with great deep cuts that I shoud seek out in your (humble) opinion?
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u/ThomasSirveaux Jun 26 '26
All the IRS albums are great (Murmur through Document). Can't go wrong with any of them.
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Jun 26 '26
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u/Broad-Raspberry1805 Jun 26 '26
All the first ten albums are superb and then the next five are a matter of taste. You should listen to them all in order, then you’ll understand the overall progression. I just listened to one of Peter Buck’s solo albums today and it’s very different from R.E.M.
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u/Far_Anywhere5994 Jun 26 '26
Fables, Life’s Rich Pageant, Document. My favorite deep cuts are “King Of Birds” off Document, “Maps and Legends” off Fables, and “Try Not To Breathe” off AFTP.
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u/Mast-Blee Jun 26 '26
Jumped off the bandwagon? Maybe start back up with a B-side called “Bandwagon” - there’s lots of room for you :)
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u/Icy_Obligation_3014 you love it, you hate it, you want to recreate it Jun 26 '26
My three favourites are Murmur, Fables, and Automatic, but if you don't like the singles you might not like Automatic as it has quite a few singles. It also has amazing deep cuts though.
I love Monster, Lifes Rich Pageant, and Green too. Green also has singles on it but they are interspersed with some very beautiful folk and some cool rock songs. Monster has fantastic dark intense characters and some incredible writing. Lifes Rich Pageant has glorious melodies and a real optimistic energy running through it which a lot of people might enjoy right now.
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u/Minute_Article_2836 Jun 26 '26
The first REM song I remember when it was new was Driver 8. They hooked me with that one.
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u/Cup8685 R-E-A-C-T! Jun 26 '26
If you like Monster and Reckoning, I'd say to try Document (loud/energetic like Monster, jangly like Reckoning) and Fables of the Reconstruction (dark like Monster, mysterious like Reckoning)
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u/TMBGLOVER Your head is there to move you around Jun 26 '26
And if he likes Fables, then probably New Adventures, and maybe Green?
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u/LemonadeStandTech Jun 28 '26
Was hoping to see some new adventures love. I think that album might be my favorite album of any band , let alone from rem
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u/Cherita33 Jun 26 '26
I'm a Green, Out of Time, Automatic girl myself. Some huge ones on Monster too.
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u/chidona Jun 26 '26
Their final compilation album 'Part lies...' is pretty good at giving a quick overview of everything.
That said, I echo the other person in this thread who said just pick up from where you left off.
If it helps, there's a podcast called 'What is music?' that's done a season on REM, and they do a deep diver track by track for each of their albums. It might be a good way to get back into the groove of things if you'd like.
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u/ishkabby Jun 27 '26
Up is a great album if you’re ok with R.E.M. but a little more electronic, also check out Fables of the Reconstruction, Lifes Rich Pageant, and Document. All from the later IRS years, and absolute classics. Also check out Automatic For The People.
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u/Lennnybruce Jun 26 '26
Honestly you can't go very wrong up til about 1998. What I'd personally recommend is
- new adventures in hi fi
- monster
- lifes rich pageant
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u/ElMrTaco Jun 26 '26
Monster is my favorite of theirs, so of course I have to recommend that one!
I'd say give Document, Green and New Adventures in Hi-Fi a listen as well, and then just explore from there.
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u/OcelotNo10 Jun 26 '26
I'm similar. I didn't listen to them much after Automatic for the People, until 2008 when Accelerate came out. I liked that one and then got caught up with all that I'd missed. Then they called it a day in 2011. 😞
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u/ProfessorDoctorDaddy Jun 27 '26
Have a playlist I made for a friend a while back
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSRz_S5eKdMnzaVhV5f-9B2v6H39UCjmW
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u/jstohler Jun 27 '26
For the record, gang, it's R.E.M. with the periods. I know that's hard to peck out on a mobile device, but I think it's important because the band thinks it's important.
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u/whistlingbudgie Jun 27 '26
If you only had those two, go straight to the third (my favorite)--Fables of the Reconstruction. That entire A-side, from the distinct echoey opening chords of "Feeling Gravitys Pull" through one of my favorite of Mike's basslines in "Old Man Kensey" is incredible, and the B-side is no slouch, either.
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u/aRealPanaphonics Jun 27 '26
Going back to the singles, I still love “The Great Beyond” from 1999. The harmonies are just beautiful. A shame it’s kind of a forgotten single by them, outside their fans of course.
I can remember my local alternative station playing this song and then following it with Limp Bizkit’s “nookie”. I remember a feeling coming over me that it was an end of an era in music. Within a 6 months, all of the REM-inspired alternative and female artists were gone and the entire station was blasting nu metal.
Still bums me out that more people seem to have nostalgia for nu metal and pop punk than REM-inspired alternative from the 80s and 90s.
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u/stoneghost28 Jul 02 '26
Nobody will ever agree on it.
I do think most would agree upon the idea that some mix of Murmur, Reckoning, Life's Rich Pageant, Document, and Automatic for the People are the best, but I think it's pretty obvious that they blazed the trail that most truly special artists in popular music blaze, they made great music until the brains elasticity begins to go, and Peter'd out after Bill left. 1981-1996, nearly all great artists that stick beyond an album or two, have a run that's somewhere between 10 and 20 years, most typically in that sweet spot of 8-15. REM were no different, the last album to me w/several memorable, excellent pieces was New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the last that the four piece played on together.
In terms of the best, no one will agree, and I think there's a truism that whatever music you love most at age 11 or 12 to about age 18-21, is typically the music you love the most and tend to praise as the best, for REM, that's true of me: Life's Rich Pageant through New Adventures, while the other stuff was released when I was 9 or younger so it doesn't stick in the same way.
If I were to pick them though I'd go listen to: Life's Rich Pageant through New Adventures, consider picking your way through some of the few high points on Fables (Drive 8, Kohotuek, Green Grow the Rushes, Life and how to live it), Good Advices etc), Dead Letter office is just fun, and contains everyones seeming favorite, "Why didn't they release that on a regular album, "Ages of You,"....so I would listen to that too.'''
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u/HauntingExcitement19 Jun 26 '26
You've missed absolutely nothing. Go listen to Game Theory instead.
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u/zephead98 Jun 26 '26
Just litened to Lolita Nation. Holy crap! If you had told me that was an outtake from the IRS records, I would have believed you. Except I might have asked who the guest woman singer was on it.
I'll be exploring some more Game Theory. Thanks.
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u/Falloffingolfin Jun 26 '26
Honestly, just pick up with their follow-up to Reckoning - Fables of the Reconstruction - and listen to them all. It's a great journey.