Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down

Continuing my trip across the output of Athens' finest...

Document (1987)

And, eventually, we get to the very first R.E.M. album I bought - with the reason I started here being lost to the murk of history.  But start here I did on cassette and it was listened to a lot in my light blue Ford Fiesta - I remember liking it and I later replaced it on CD, but I've not listened to it in a very long time, so it will be nice to revisit.

Side one – "Page Side"

1. Finest Worksong
Another fine opener - they're definitely continuing their path to mass appeal because you can actually understand the words!

2. Welcome To The Occupation
Not massively different to the previous track, if I'm being honest.

3. Exhuming McCarthy
I had no idea who Joseph McCarthy was before I heard this track - I can't claim to be an expert now, but I am considerably less ignorant.  It has a nice typewriter-based intro as well - as well as some very groovy guitar.

4. Disturbance At The Heron House
I like this one - it's nice stretched out.  That's a musical term, right?

5. Strange
I don't like this one though - there's not really a lot to it.  And what there is to it, I don't like.

6. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
"That's great - it starts with an earthquake, birds, snakes and aeroplanes".  It's always fun to try and sing along to this one - I know some verses better than others.  I am, however, fine with the chorus.

Side two – "Leaf Side"

1. The One I Love
R.E.M.'s misunderstood "love" song - but whatever it's about, I like it!  And they've finally managed to start the second side with a decent song!

2. Fireplace
This was the first one I didn't remember from the title alone, but it came back to me within two seconds of the intro - yeah, I quite like it

3. Lightnin' Hopkins
Slightly quirkier than most of the previous fare - fine, but nothing more than that.

4. King of Birds
Another stretched out song with some quirky rhythms to it and an interesting vocal arrangement - I like it.  And it features a dulcimer - you can never go wrong with one of them, can you?  (I'm pretty sure this isn't true, by the way).

5. Oddfellows Local 151
A nicely quirky song to end the album

I think this hangs together quite well as an album - it's got a reasonable mix of stuff on it and (except for "Strange") it's got a good quality bar to it.  As well as the understandable words, there are lots of singalong choruses on this album - they're definitely making a play for superstardom.  I wonder if it will work?  I guess we'll just have to wait and find out...

This album isn't a definite three or four track album, but I'm leaning towards four because it was my first purchase of theirs.  Either way "ITEOTWAWKI(AIFF)" and "The One I Love" are definitely in - I think we'll go for two more to take one quicker and one slower one, so I'll go for "Finest Worksong" and "King Of Birds".

Wikipedia tells us this is the first album they co-produced with Scott Litt and it's fair to say that they went on quite the run of albums after this (as you'll soon find out).  It also tells me that "two rejected suggestions for the title of the album—R.E.M. No. 5 and Table of Content—also appear on the sleeve artwork" - I never knew where they came from.   It also reminds me that "Strange" is a Wire cover (the original is on Pink Flag, but I don't recommend checking it out).

The critics were very keen on it - there are several comments along the lines of it being their best work so far, with one of them talking about how angry the band are on it, which I'd have to say I didn't really pick up on.  I mean, they're not HAPPY on it, but are they ever really happy?  Commercially, it continued their run of improved commercial performance with it reaching #10 in the US and #28 in the UK, with "The One I Love" also making #10 in the US, giving them their first top ten single.

It was nice to revisit this - I don't think it's absolutely from their top drawer, but I'll always have a soft spot for it and I think there are some great tracks on it.  

And so finally all that's left to say is - it's the end of this post as we know it (and I feel fine)...

Lifes Rich Pageant - A fine return to form
Green - The one before things went mad