This was a difficult album to review. There did not seem to be a unifying theme to it like some of the older work. On one hand 6 of the first 7 songs are all excellent, one of the best strings of songs on an R.E.M. album, including the big hits the "the one I love" and "the end of the world". On the other hand it seems like some of the other songs were more like filler, with either throwaway lyrics or music that does not really have that R.E.M. drive to it. Maybe because the previous album Life's Rich Pageant seemed to hold together so well and seemed to sum up the first 4 releases, this one seems a bit in limbo. There are some songs about social issues, and of course the ironic love song that unwitting people used to call in a request as a dedication to "the one they loved" but overall I think this CD finds R.E.M. in a bit of a holding pattern. It certainly made them more popular than ever due to the 2 big hits. Overall I would say one of their better releases, but not in the top echelon of R.E.M releases.
Since I only really listened to the CD one time through I am just gonna list some things I noticed instead of writing a paragraph.
1) The CD has some songs that sound like they could be off their newer CD's while others sound like they are off their very first Albums.
2) The song strange is actually strange.
3) Some of the songs seem like they could have only been from 1987.
4) The one I love is one of their biggest hits and if you heard it for the first time today it would be hard to tell when it was released. Is there a connection between the song not sounding dated and it being a popular song?
5) When I heard End of the World I wondered what the rest of the band thought wen Micheal first suggested the song, but then I heard the rest of the album and I realized they probably thought it was pretty normal.
6) A lot of the songs are about "the world". At least the first half of the CD is.
Document was released in 1987 and was R.E.M.'s fifth studio album. Try to have your comments submitted by December 6, which is a Monday.
This was a difficult album to review. There did not seem to be a unifying theme to it like some of the older work. On one hand 6 of the first 7 songs are all excellent, one of the best strings of songs on an R.E.M. album, including the big hits the "the one I love" and "the end of the world". On the other hand it seems like some of the other songs were more like filler, with either throwaway lyrics or music that does not really have that R.E.M. drive to it. Maybe because the previous album Life's Rich Pageant seemed to hold together so well and seemed to sum up the first 4 releases, this one seems a bit in limbo. There are some songs about social issues, and of course the ironic love song that unwitting people used to call in a request as a dedication to "the one they loved" but overall I think this CD finds R.E.M. in a bit of a holding pattern. It certainly made them more popular than ever due to the 2 big hits. Overall I would say one of their better releases, but not in the top echelon of R.E.M releases.
ReplyDeleteSince I only really listened to the CD one time through I am just gonna list some things I noticed instead of writing a paragraph.
ReplyDelete1) The CD has some songs that sound like they could be off their newer CD's while others sound like they are off their very first Albums.
2) The song strange is actually strange.
3) Some of the songs seem like they could have only been from 1987.
4) The one I love is one of their biggest hits and if you heard it for the first time today it would be hard to tell when it was released. Is there a connection between the song not sounding dated and it being a popular song?
5) When I heard End of the World I wondered what the rest of the band thought wen Micheal first suggested the song, but then I heard the rest of the album and I realized they probably thought it was pretty normal.
6) A lot of the songs are about "the world". At least the first half of the CD is.