[Friday On The Turntable] Ranking R.E.M. - from 'Murmur' to 'Collapse Into Now'

In this special edition of Friday On The Turntable, I am ranking R.E.M.'s entire studio album catalog - from 1983's 'Murmur' to 2011's 'Collapse Into Now' - that's 15 albums, ranked #15 (good) thru #1 (the absolute best). Feel free to leave your comments, opinions and your own ranked lists below. Please keep it positive.
Blog link / R.E.M. playlist: brethelm.blogspot.com/2013/10/...
Additional Links:
Audra Merchandise (my band)
audra.bandcamp.com/
Audra KZbin Channel
/ audramusicvideos
My blog
www.brethelm.blogspot.com
My blog's FB page
/ lifeonthisplanet

[@sydbarrett5]

Am I the only one who loved Monster when it came out? I still love that record.

[@sonicyouth29]

No you're not

[@thebopshop9689]

Monster would make it to my top 3 list. It is the one that gets better and better.

[@350125GOW]

Turn that sucker up.

[@djtimtim9979]

Monster is the tops!

[@glennwiltsee7405]

Monster, AFTP, and Murmur are my triumvirate

[@freebird3520]

I have ranked their albums many times and the list always ends up different. R.E.M. were masters at making each album unique but still just as good as the last. It sure was a fun ride watching this band evolve!

[@Megarobotsquadron]

the beautiful thing about this band is that every album felt like a "soft reboot" for the band

[@andrewdyke5561]

Reckoning is amazinggg

[@meropetied]

I know this was six years ago, but I just found it and, man, New Adventures in Hi-Fi is my favorite album by the band -- or, well, maybe second to Automatic for the People? -- depending on the day? -- and I love that you sensed its depth and raised it up a bit on the list. I mean, it doesn't scream out catchy singles, but hey -- it's the deepest, most interesting, most moving of their albums for me. It's a perfect collection of exploration and challenge. But yeah... can't argue with your elevation of the first two albums at all. They're magnificent.

[@kilgoretrout321]

New Adventures is so damn good. It's fun to put it on repeat and let it seep into your soul. I'm thinking of the beginning to "Leave" right now... Always gets me!

[@patricksnavely5850]

New Adventures is crazy awesome!!!💜💜💜

[@thebopshop9689]

VG comment!

[@iezzi80]

R.E.M. is the best. Amazing music.

[@davidmaholchic6146]

Green massively great

[@PasswordIsTaco]

I feel like every time i listen to Monster i find something new about it that i love. The album art was a stand-out cover at the music stores when i was younger.

[@kevtruth]

Pavement wrote a song in the early 90s called Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence which is about REM's Reckoning album. One line in the song is "Time After Time is my least favorite song". Obviously Steven Malkmus loved that record

[@REMChicagoBoy]

Hello. Thank you for the nice, nice, nice words for 'Green'. It's my #1 R.E.M. record and it's nice to see it so high on someone's listing. Your listing and ranking is very, very, very professionally done. Nice job on 'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' and 'Collapse into Now'. Good video ! :-)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thank you!

[@williamperez6251]

You have great taste in music my friend. I just got back into R.E.M. after giving up on them a while back. I forgot how good this band truly was. They have an awesome catalog that everyone should check out. Thank you for this video.

[@ladystardust04]

Amazing video, I completely agree! I'm glad to hear someone else loves "The Wrong Child". Also, "Murmur" is my all time favorite album :)

[@endi-acoustic]

Fully agree

[@jeffmaehre7150]

I've always been a bit surprised that the Wrong Child disappeared into obscurity so quickly. I think the one time they played it live was in 1989, at the end of the Green World Tour, when they played all of Murmur and all of Green in sequence. It's a beautiful song with an intricate look at alienation or perhaps disability. "I'm not supposed to be like this" is just heartbreaking.

[@MrLovell1971]

Great video Bret Murmur is a great number 1 pick . I have to revisit their catalog. My number one is Out of Time which I lucked up on vinyl. Number 2. Automatic, Number 3 is Murmur. I think Up is very underrated. Love this ranking Bret. Rad my man

[@Ed-rb2wd]

Up is their most underrated album.

[@ptothej100]

I say Reveal, but Up has some gems on it. Actually, I think Up might be better than I thought. You’re In The Air is great. Why Not Smile to the end of Falls To Climb. All of those songs r good.

[@mattyarbrough3148]

Oh yeah man. Daysleeper and Hope alone puts this one high on my list. But so many gems!! Airportman, Sad Professor, The Apologist, Lotus!! All so good.

[@mattyarbrough3148]

Reveal and Up are very close for me. I kinda like to see them as a two volume set. Same sort of feel and flow throughout both of them

[@mmsiphonevinyls1027]

Ed id say Reveal is their most underrated. It was acclaimed when it came out and yet noone seems to like it anymore.

[@radiator-gb7pk]

Reveal is their only dated album. It is the only production that places it in it's time. A few great tunes on there though. Collapse into Now is the most underrated album of their career.

[@ollieoleary]

Fables will always be my no. 1.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Simon, very cool that you made a list before watching the video - I hope other people do that as well, it's definitely fun to compare as you watch. It was a tough race for the #1 spot between Murmur & Reckoning for me. Thanks man. - Bret

[@TheTurkey79]

New Adventures is under-rated in my mind and my fave from the Warners era :) But yup you're right about Murmur :)

[@FARID1870]

Automatic for the People is not just my favourite REM album, but MY FAVE of all time. Drive itself bears repeated listening for me.

[@citehman]

1. Life's Rich Pageant - them being them at their best. begin the begin, cuyahoga and i believe are perfect songs.2. Reckoning - stripped down, simple and stunning. so. central rain and pretty persuasion back to back is a sick range of ability.3. Fables of the Reconstruction - makes you love the south. gravity's pull, life and how to live it and auctioneer are guitar heaven.4. Murmur - a tribute to the importance of background vocals. as is true with most first albums, it is the core of what a band is all about. listening to pilgrimage is just that.5. Document - misunderstood because of its two radio friendly hits but this is an overtly political rocker of an album that was so contrary to what was expected of them after becoming an arena band. disturbance at the heron house and finest worksong are masterpieces.Honorable Mention. Monster - the decision to go full on electric was a total f.u. to all the emo bands claiming REM as their inspirational leaders while cashing in on limited talent. this album is a vibrating wave of science and emotion. " let me in " just might be the best song the band ever made.

[@Matthew-ym2bb]

Couldn't agree more. These are the definitive 5 best imo.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for your comment, Jon. Just went and picked up the deluxe CD version of Green a few minutes ago - really looking forward to hearing the bonus content. 'Green' is for sure a great record. Thanks. - Bret

[@Robmcnees]

I think your picks are excellent. REM is my all time favorite band. My top albums are Murmur, Fables, and probably Green. My most overrated (most people would not agree) album is Automatic. The early albums mean the most to me. My most underrated songs would include Good Advices, I Believe (why is this song rarely played?), and Letter Never Sent.

[@alexborst8066]

apparently Michael said somewhere that it "I believe" was really challenging to sing 'cause there were no breaks to breathe for him LOL.. real pity because what an amazing song that is

[@thebopshop9689]

I can’t stand Green but otherwise I like your list a lot!!!

[@curly_wyn]

Nice list! Here’s mine! 15. Around the Sun 14. Reveal 13. Accelerate 12. Up 11. Collapse into Now 10. Monster 9. Document 8. Fables of the Reconstruction 7. Out of Time 6. Lifes Rich Pageant 5. Reckoning 4. New Adventures in Hi-Fi 3. Green 2. Automatic for the People 1. Murmur *chronic town would be number one along with murmur, it’s my favorite EP of all time! :)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on. Good to also see Murmur in the top spot.

[@wolflower]

Great video! I've had a go at a list myself. I'm going to call it my least favourite to my most favourite rather than worst to best. For one I don't feel qualified to objectively judge each one in terms of quality, being neither a musician or a professional music critic (and I'd be the first to admit I have some extraordinary lapses in taste which can't be helped). Secondly, as they're my favourite band of all time, there are a lot of memories, personal reasons and silly little things for loving one thing slightly more than another thing - things that I can't really explain and certainly wouldn't want to try in a KZbin comment. N.B. I don't hate any R.E.M. album, there are things to like or even love on each one. If I wrote this list on a different day it would probably be different. Having written it only 20 minutes ago, I already think I'm wrong in a couple of places. So I'll call it a snap shot rather than anything definitive. I've tried to select my three favourite songs from the albums as well, which was really hard to do as there were usually 4 or 5 or 6 vying for a slot in the top 3. Again, these would probably be different on a different day. 15. Accelerate (Man-Sized Wreath, Mr Richards, Sing for the Submarine) 14. Around the Sun (Boy in the Well, High Speed Train, The Ascent of Man) 13. Up (Suspicion, Hope, Sad Professor) 12. Collapse into Now (All the Best, Oh My Heart, It Happened Today) 11. Monster (Crush with Eyeliner, Strange Currencies, Let Me In) 10. Out of Time (Low, Half a World Away, Country Feedback) 9. Lifes Rich Pageant (Fall on Me, I Believe, Swan Swan H) 8. Document (Disturbance at the Heron House, Fireplace, King of Birds) 7. Reveal (I've Been High, Beat a Drum, I'll Take the Rain) 6. Green (World Leader Pretend, Turn You Inside-Out, Hairshirt) 5. Automatic for the People (Try Not to Breathe, Man on the Moon, Find the River) 4. Murmur (Pilgrimage, Talk About the Passion, Sitting Still) 3. Reckoning (So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry), Pretty Persuasion, Camera) 2. New Adventures in Hi-Fi (New Test Leper, Be Mine, Low Desert) 1. Fables of the Reconstruction (Life and How to Live It, Kohoutek, Wendell Gee)

[@KevinLarkinAngioli]

Glad to see you singling out "The Wrong Child" on G R E E N, which is a track I find so affecting, as well as demonstration of how Michael Stipe's voice can produce different emotional effects at different registers. Love the compassion and subject in the lyric, and of course there's the beginning of that R.E.M. mandolin magic. I also love that you singled out "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1;" I also deeply love that one and find it singular in the mood it conjures in me. I appreciate your preamble before Up and your ranking it higher than many would. I would argue that Up is strong front-to-back, and that R.E.M. had albums that weren't all that consistent before and after the Automatic barrier. I find G R E E N and Out of Time uneven, and I am continually baffled by how much love Reckoning receives. Almost nothing on side B connects with me on that record. But yes, clearly the later albums are quite uneven, too, though, as you said, all contain incredible tracks we would not want to be without. My personal top five for R.E.M., in chronological order, is Murmur, Fables of the Reconstruction, Lifes Rich Pageant [sic], Automatic for the People, and Up. The order in which they fall often changes. This is the case with me and Bowie, too. It's hard to have a fixed favorite with that many albums that are that amazing, and different. Finally, charmed by your comments on Out of Time's art. I'm wondering if you do the same thing I do, which is occasionally flip around the booklet or position a different page to be the cover art in your CD jewel cases.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Kevin! Lots to respond to here, but just wanted to take a moment to address your last statement. Haha! I totally have done that for certain albums where the flipside of the booklet makes a better cover. I mean, the pic of PM smoking in the Holy Smoke booklet is way better than what made it onto the cover. And definitely the mockup of the Out of Time cover.... I'll have to peruse the CDs to see what else has been rearranged. I dig the Valusia EP cover, but the pic of ZJ on the insert would've been a great cover as well.

[@thebopshop9689]

What a fantastic comment!!!

[@williamperez6251]

Great collection. Thank you for sharing.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

'Gardening At Night' is my immediate favorite... followed by '1,000,000' and then... well, all 5 tracks are excellent. :)

[@PhenomenalCat]

Great review, my number one favorite R.E.M. album is Fables of the Reconstruction closely followed by Automatic, Murmur, Document and New Adventures.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

You listed all great ones. Thanks for watching!

[@thevinylvagabond]

Hey Bret, long-time watcher, first time commenter here :) Great band & great vid. My order would be similar to yours, although Reckoning is my #1, Murmur #2 followed by Fables, Pageant & Document. Oddly, Out of Time is my 2nd least (I like Belong tho) with Sun being my personal lowest. Keep the vids coming! - Bobby

[@claymccoy]

"Beat A Drum" is one of my favorite songs. Anyway, here's my ranking sans the last two albums as I never listened to them: 13. Around the Sun 12. Up 11. New Adventures in Hi-Fi 10. Reveal 9. Green 8. Out of Time 7. Fables of the Reconstruction 6. Monster 5. Document 4. Reckoning 3. Life's Rich Pageant 2. Automatic for the People 1. Murmur

[@markseverson6516]

Great thoughts, Bret. As you said, "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" keeps creeping up my list and continues to be revisited as an upper half fave. Something did seem emptier after Berry left, although it was great to hear good energy and pop with their last two releases. Glad they went out with a bang!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Mark Severson Thanks Mark!

[@andrewhyde4708]

Thanks - your video prompted me to spend the last couple of weeks compiling an REM playlist, who were the first band I loved. I ended up with over five hours of music and it was a reminder how unusually offbeat, oblique and political they were for a band that achieved such a level of audience and success. I probably rank Monster a lot higher than most people, which got some criticism at the time for being a gratuitous 'rock' album - but I think has some interesting themes (fluidity of identity, disturbing nature of fame, weirdness and sexuality). New Adventures in Hifi is also underrated, in my opinion. I still can't get into their albums after Up. 1. Automatic For The People (Drive, Star Me Kitten, Nightswimming) 2. Murmur (Radio Free Europe, Pilgrimage, Moral Kiosk) 3. Reckoning (Harborcoat, 7 Chinese Brothers, So. Central Rain) 4. Monster (I Don't Sleep, I Dream, Circus Envy, King of Comedy) 5. Out of Time (Me in Honey, Half a World Away, Belong) 6. New Adventures in Hifi (E-Bow the Letter, Binky the Doormat, Electrolite) 7. Lifes Rich Pageant (Cuyahoga, Hyena, Fall On Me) 8. Fables of the Reconstruction (Life and How to Live It, Can't Get There from Here, Driver 8) 9. Green (You Are the Everything, Hairshirt, Orange Crush) 10. Up (Daysleeper, Suspicion, Walk Unafraid) 11. Document (Disturbance at the Heron House, Finest Worksong, It's the End of the World As We Know It) 12. Collapse Into Now (Discoverer, Uberlin) 13. Accelerate (Living Well is the Best Revenge, Horse to Water) 14. Reveal (Beat a Drum) 15; Around the Sun

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Andrew! Glad the video was able to inspire an in-depth listen. Thanks also for sharing your list & song selections. I also have a post on the blog with my 20 Best R.E.M. songs: brethelm.blogspot.com/2011/03/20-best-songs-of-rem.html Cheers!

[@stephenmallett2681]

Good coverage and good topics covered of my favorite band, I thought windle gee should of had a mention

[@davidmaholchic6146]

Up might be my favorite. Songs are so cool intense wonderfully produced

[@robcristofoli6330]

Thanks for another great review Bret! It's been a while since I listened to some of these albums so I'd find it virtually impossible to compile a complete rankings list but I agree with Murmur as number 1, Laughing,Talk About the Passion, Catapult, Shaking Through are great great songs that bring back a lot of great memories for me not forgetting the stunningly beautiful Perfect Circle. Another top one for me is Document which is the first one I purchased, heard The One I Love on a radio station and was instantly hooked. Out Of Time is another, such a strong consistent album which like you mentioned has some great tracks hidden away on Side Two, Country Feedback being one of my favourite all time R.E.M. songs. And finally a mention for New Adventures in HiFi which I think is an underrated classic and probably their last great album, I agree that it's a little too long but it contains some brilliant tracks like New Test Leper, Leave, Bittersweet Me and the gorgeous Electrolite :)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Rob Cristofoli - Have you seen all of the bonus content that R.E.M. put up digitally this week? All of the Unplugged sessions - and a bunch of other material - also on Spotify.. Totally agree with you on Side 2 of Out of Time - listened to it the other day - brought back great memories of driving across the country back in 1991. Country Feedback, Me In Honey - so many gems. Thanks for watching and commenting! - Bret

[@robcristofoli6330]

Bret Helm's Life On This Planet Blog Yes I have, looking forward to exploring the rarities sets, it looks like the I.R.S. set includes all of Dead Letter Office plus a load more but what about the Warner Bros set - 131 tracks wow! Also good to see the previously unbroadcasted material from the Unplugged sessions :)

[@jeffmaehre7150]

The name of the album is Fables of the Reconstruction. It does not have two names. Remember, they had these things called records and also cassettes before CD's. When CD's came out, they put out a version of Fables in which they have 2 "of the"s, one facing one way, the other facing the other way, so it reads fables of the reconstruction of the fables of the reconstruction of the...in a loop. Boneheads started calling it Reconstruction of the Fables. An album has an official name, and that is not determined by the way it looks on the packaging of a format that wasn't the original format it was in.

[@fogpeople]

Interesting list. I think the first half makes sense but I would order the top 7 or so very differently. Thanks for putting this together! 🙂

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, Michael!

[@inaminute1826]

ITS THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT AND I FEEL FINE (definitely my favorite. Perfection)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Lovell. Very cool that you have Out Of Time on vinyl - hope to come across a copy one day. Yeah man, I agree about Up - that track 'Walk Unafraid' is so good. Thanks for watching.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hahaha - thanks for watching, Eric. 'Fables' is definitely a great album, and I can see why it would take the #1 spot for you. Cheers! - Bret

[@tricolore31]

Great Video. Here is my ranking : 1. Automatic For The People (10/10) 2. New Adventures in Hi-Fi (10/10) 3. Monster (10/10) 4. Murmur (10/10) 5. Out Of Time (9/10) 6. Reckoning (9/10) 7. Life's Rich Pageant (9/10) 8. Document (9/10) 9. Green (8/10) 10. Fables Of The Reconstruction (8/10) 11. Reveal (7/10) 12. Up (7/10) 13. Accelerate (6/10) 14. Collapse Into Now (5/10) 15. Around The Sun (4/10)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching and sharing your list!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks John. I just checked out the deluxe edition of Green from the library a few hours ago. Looking forward to hearing the bonus content on the second disc. 'You Are The Everything' is one of the absolute best R.E.M. songs - can definitely see why it's your favorite record of R.E.M. - Bret

[@gg41r]

Nice video Bret. I enjoyed that. I myself....only own about 6 REM albums. Im not familliar at all with your top 3. Id rate my top 3 REM albums as 1) Green 2)New Adventures in Hi Fi and 3) Monster. My fave song is Me In Honey. REM actually hold a very special place in my musical history, as Green was the very first CD i ever played on my first ever CD player :)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for tuning in, Graeme. 'Me In Honey' - excellent. Very cool that Green was the first CD that you owned - those are great memories. Yes, that's a 2X4 Expedit - I'm pretty sure that each 'cube' holds approximately 70 records - don't quote me on that. I like having the 2X4s, because then I can use the top shelf to set things on and access at an easy level.

[@charlieehrlich344]

Great list! Here is mine 1. Murmur 2. Life's Rich Pageant 3. Out Of Time 4. Up 5. Reckoning 6. Document 7. Automatic For The People 8. Reveal 9. Collapse Into Now 10. Fables Of The Reconstruction 11. Accelerate 12. Green 13. New Adventures In Hi-Fi 14. Around The Sun 15. Monster

[@johnnyonepair638]

I'm seriously thinking about what my ranks and top 3 songs per album would be. I can be biased to the early I.R.S. years as well. I am very happy I stumbled upon this video. We both agree on least and most favorite which is nice.

[@regularburns]

"Murmur" is my favorite R.E.M. LP, great video as usual.

[@paulelliott3220]

Hi Bret You nailed 1 and 2 with Murmur and Reckoning in my view Totally valid comments about post '92 - always much yo enjoy and many highlights but not quite the same consistency of excellence. 3- Green; every song is tight, sounds great and much variety. The 'mandolin' songs all very thoughtful and supremely lovely, the rockier songs all greatly realised and more 'warm' than on a Document. 4- Life's Rich Pageant; as with Green much to love but more exuberance and pace, and perhaps rocks more but not quite the same depth. 5- Automatic or Out Of Time; the last one I've listened to normally wins this spot. much to enjoy on both and definitely expanding their sound. 7- Monster; played this a few times lately and been very pleasantly surprised how the feedback enhanced material sounding better than I remember. 8- Fables; don't entirely share your adoration for this; the band troubled with the production but I just don't think all of the songs are as collectively strong as other releases. Driver8, Gravity's Pull, etc - there is quality in here to be sure. 9- Document; I like all the songs but only love a couple. The polemic and darkness draws me in but hasn't got the engaging quality of other work. 10- HiFi; listened to this a lot when it came out but, again, the material not as consistently good although the highlights are pretty damn awesome. 11- Up 11- Collapse Thereafter, the ratio of great songs and others gets weighted the wrong way. Awesome band, much missed and the last two showed hints of a revival. However, with such a body of work it's tough to reach the same heights artistically late in a career. All albums worth having though and playing regularly - there are gems aplenty on all releases. Gardening at Night and a couple of others on Chronic Town are great too as others gave commented. Great stuff as always, keep them coming

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

paul elliott Thanks for the detailed list, Paul. Nice to see 'Green' at #3 for you. Cheers!

[@EricCRash]

WHAT?!? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!? WHAT THE @$&% ARE YOU THINKING?!? Kidding, of course, Bret. Believe it or not, though the order would be different, I think my Top 5 would be the same as yours (with 'Fables' taking the top spot). The only glaring differences between us would be that you've always been much higher on 'Up' than me, while 'Monster' would be much higher for me. Great job,as usual! :-)

[@SaltyStU2]

Top 3 R.E.M. Albums: 1. Green 2. Out Of Time 3. Automatic For The People

[@petecarrmusic]

howdy Brett. Gotta say...reveal is right up there for me!!! Some of my favourite songs. funny how we all can think so differently hey..

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Peter. Thanks for watching. Yeah, it's quite interesting to see how certain albums affect each person in a different way. Cheers!

[@petecarrmusic]

Absolutely! Gotta get on board and listen to some early early REM tunes!! Havent really discovered their really early stuff. You obviously love their first album...good place for me to start?

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

peter carr Sorry, must have missed your question here. I'd start with Murmur & Reckoning - cannot go wrong there. :)

[@bavideomaker29]

As a diehard R.E.M. fan, this is a pretty good list. I would swap Reckoning with Pagent and maybe move Automatic up somehow.

[@CPSJSMSUUMUGA]

I think one measure, and an important one, of any artist's work is what happens when they change. You don't want to hear the same album again and again. That's certainly one of reasons the Beatles were so great. As they changed, their music improved. Rubber Soul (1965) and Revolver (1966) were similar, but both so great, it didn't matter. Afterwards, as time passed, their detractors, the music establishment, the same people who had dismissed not just the Beatles, but rock & roll, as fluff, kid's music - "be gone in a year" - begrudgingly acknowledged, "OK, those albums are pretty good, but they've peaked. They lasted a little longer than we expected, but we were right, they're gone." About 18 months after Revolver, the burned out Beatles released, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967), which, Rolling Stone, in their ranking of the top 500 albums of all time, ranked Number 1. The White album (1968), followed, I think by Magical Mystery tour, Abbey Road (1969) and Let it Be (1970). [It'll be a hundred years before the magic-in-a-bottle that was the Beatles will happen again, if ever.] My point is obviously not that REM are the Beatles, but rather, that like the Beatles, they didn't make the same record again and again, and as as they changed they got better. And when they made some of the biggest changes, their art not only didn't suffer, it reached new levels of brilliance. Of course opinions vary. I think part of the reason those early albums are ranked so highly is that the songs have a fresh, raw, even mysterious edge. "What do those lyrics say, anyway?" Those who heard early REM were in on a secret. This was a very good new band that they knew about, but the record industry, those who bought records, or even their friends, didn't. Of course every record wasn't better than the previous one, but if you take a step back, I think the trend was towards creating better music. I was an REM fan early on, but I thought their albums were uneven - some great songs, but too many that were just OK. This changed in 1992. "Automatic For the People" is, for me, one of the greatest albums of my lifetime. When it came out I listened to it, and nothing else, for a month. As I type on May 1, 2020, I've been holed up in my house in Athens, GA, for two months, and am almost finished listening to Automatic. As the last song, "Find the River," is playing, I feel lucky to be alive, and able to appreciate the stunningly powerful, beautiful music of REM. If that's not the purpose of art, I don't know what is.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Excellent. Thanks for watching!

[@fogpeople]

I'm firmly in the camp that if they took Out of Time and Automatic for the People, winnowed them down to one flawless album and called it a day after that they would've gone down in history as one of America's greatest bands.

[@fogpeople]

@@jeffmaehre7150 Very nice! Mine would be something like this: kzbin.info/aero/PLDdR5e8TXOfcA4zXaUg6sY11tlE9cKP_A

[@vinylpatrol101]

Nice job as always Bret, your ranking videos are the best. For me REM is kinda strange because I think they mostly go in order up to "Automatic for the People" after that they are a toss up.

[@mohammedganai9636]

REM put out an album a year throughout the 80s. Their superlong Green tour broke the trend. I would have swapped positions between Document and Green, and Automatic for the People and Out of Time. Great list.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

As the years go by, I love the Green album more and more.

[@SuperCitizenDick]

Great video, interesting list. I wrote my list down before I started watching the video so I could do a little comparison, the rankings are very similar. Reckoning is my personal favorite, In the 80s you can see a real development in their sound, 90s the albums are more varied, The 00s were their inconsistent years, some fantastic songs but also some poor songs. Over 15 years they released some truly exceptional material, which will have me returning to their BC again and again, Simon

[@thebopshop9689]

I have been watching vids ranking REM albums and I may have to enter the fun and make mine. It would be very different than yours. But I really enjoyed your video. King of Birds is just so good! I have been listening to their recordings gearing up. Fables is probably my favorite. Green Grow the Rushes is indeed so damn good!!! But you have Monster out of place. I’d be tempted to put Monster in my top three. Anyway super fun stuff thanks!!!!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Glad you enjoyed! Thank you for watching!

[@CTChipmunk]

Monster is definitely #15 for me, but I love all 15 studio albums. Front to back complete perfect "10" out of 10 albums (in no order): Murmur, Reckoning, Fables, Pageant, Out Of Time, Green, Sun, & Collapse. Front to back almost a "10" (in no order): Reveal, Document, Automatic, Up, & Hi-Fi. Honorable Mentions: Accelerate & Monster. 😆

[@lenabinieda5074]

Where is Dead Letter Office with bonus Chronic Town EP?

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Lena Binięda Hi Lena. I decided to just focus on the regular studio albums.

[@Paneeks1960]

Hi Bret, I want to say before I see your list that 'Automatic' is my favorite start to finish listen of them all. The overall musical compositions this album cannot be beat. I have to agree with your first pick. Murmur + Reckoning were such great albums. I saw REM's first show in Boston at a short lived club called Streets. So being a longtime fan made this post personal for me. But I could not have seen a better REM discography ranking. Top notch band knowledge in a classy way. Rob/Boston

[@bostonianreggie]

Oh how i love Murmur. I'm off to spin Fables now. Fantastic ranking.

[@WickedWings07]

Just out of curiosity, what track(s) do you like off of Chronic Town?

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Vance! Definitely check out their final album - Collapse Into Now - definitely a great end to an amazing career. As always, thanks for watching. Cheers. - Bret

[@user-ok5ti3ib3g]

My favorite is Monster for What's the frequency Kenneth?, Crush with Eyeliner, and Star 69

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

hatehimhecka215 Right on. Thanks for watching!

[@jothoma]

I agree with all except I would switch Document and Green. I have never been able to warm to Green for some reason but it has been a long time since I have listened to it so you have inspired me to give it another chance. I have always said that Fables is the best REM album but I realize that is a very personal choice and I love how you have Out of Time ranked so high. That is their most underrated album I think.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for your comments, John. Happy to have inspired you to pull out Green for a spin - some really beautiful songs on there. - Bret

[@davidmaholchic6146]

Reveal top two for me. So funny the differences of opinion but the love of one band

[@MrNookie89]

you like Radiohead ?make a ranking video.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Tiago Carvalho Thanks for the suggestion, Tiago.

[@WeeklyRations]

Bret, Id be interested to know what was the 1st REM album you ever heard? I find this affects ranking of a bands catalog heavily. Almost as much as 1st release. So many bands never top it. For me, i only came to REM during their massive success period, Automatic etc. But i managed to pick up some earlier albums on Vinyl when i lived in the states and now rank Murmour as my favourite as I've played it so much. Funnily enough I've never heard Reckoning! Better stream it right now!

[@dereckvon]

You're very good at this.

[@Indiediscs]

Great videos. You have a similar taste in music as I do - U2, James, R.E.M., The Cure etc. Do you enjoy Pixies & Radiohead?

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Indie Discs Thanks! I do enjoy both bands - Pixies more than Radiohead, but yeah I dig them both. :)

[@mothafuckinfoofighter8543]

15. Around the Sun (Leaving New York, Wanderlust, Electron Blue) - 14. Up (Lotus, Day Sleeper, Walk Unafraid) - 13. Collapse Into Now (All the Best, Discoverer, Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter) - 12. Reveal (Imitation of Life, The Lifting, Disappear) - 11. Fables of the Reconstruction (Life and How to Live It, Driver 8, Can't Get There from Here) - 10. New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Wake Up Bomb, New Test Leper, Bittersweet Me) - 9. Murmur (Sitting Still, Radio Free Europe, Laughing) - 8. Reckoning (Pretty Persuasion, Harbor Coat, Letter Never Sent) - Out of Time (Texarcana, Radio Song, Belong) -6. Monster (Crush with Eyeliner, I Took Your Name, Circus Envy) - 5. Accelerate (Supernatural Superserious, Man Sized Wreath, Living Well Is the Best Revenge) - 4. Green (Orange Crush, Pop Song 89, World Leader Pretend) - 3. Automatic For the People (Ignoreland, Man on the Moon, Drive) - Life's Rich Pageant (Fall On Me, I Believe, These Days) - 1. Document (Disturbance at the Heron House, It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine), Exhuming McCarthy)

[@THECRAZYNINJA23]

My favorite songs are Radio Free Europe, Orange Crush, Stand, Pop Song 89, and Shiny Happy People.

[@teddyrandallspencer2768]

Thanks Man !! I love countdowns anyway !! whether i agree or not .. love it because ... i am reminded of all the great work of such epic Pop Bands ... I agree with #1 MURMUR

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on. Thanks Teddy

[@ncf1]

1. Automatic 2. Fables 3. Green / Murmur

[@chrismartin1231]

Would anything change, after all these years. Just curious.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Most likely. I will endeavor to do an updated re-ranking sometime in the future!

[@bleachhouse1090]

My ranking changes all the time and for me all of their albums are good (Ok albums) 15.Around The Sun 14.Accelerate (Pretty good albums) 13.Collapse Into Now 12.Reveal (Very good albums) 11.Monster 10.Green 9.Out Of Time 8.New Adventures In Hi Fi 7.Up 6.Document (Excellent albums) 5.Life's Rich Pageant 4.Reckoning 3.Automatic For The People 2.Fables Of The Reconstruction 1.Murmur

[@razorbladebr]

The R.E.M. It's my favorite band. From their list the band started better and then got worse over time. I think the band was growing until the 1990s. And then there were ups and downs after Berry left, but without losing excellence.

[@8145cc]

Reconstruction of the fables is my favorite

[@gabix7488]

15 Around the Sun 14 Reckoning 13 Fable of the Reconstruction ( love the opening track) 12 Reveal ( Lifting is in my top 10 Rem songs) 11 Out of Time ( Low is a masterpiece) 10 Collapse into Now 9 Accelerate 8 Murmur 7 Up 6 Life's reach 5 Document 4 Green 3 Automatic for the People 2 Monster 1 Adventures in Hi Fi

[@razorbladebr]

If I make a list mine would look a lot like yours.

[@billkeon880]

It’s like ranking your children. Very hard to do. My top 10 are like comparing a 10/10 star and the next one on the list 9.9, then 9.8, etc. They are all so close to each other

[@darrenbradly2702]

Love them all

[@johnstebbins24]

The band admitted "Around the Sun" was the one that deserved more effort. I put "Reveal" much higher, but it suffers from A-side/B-side Syndrome. Very front-heavy save for "I'll Take the Rain." But it set the tone for the remainder of their run.

[@NinoMarincokus]

my ranking of the albums from worst to best: 15.around the sun 14.reveal 13.up 12.out of time 11.collapse into now 10.accelarate 9.green 8.new adventures in hi-fi 7.fables of the reconstruction 6.monster 5.lifes rich pageant 4.automatic for the people 3.reckoning 2.document 1.murmur what do you think of the list?

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Excellent. 'Automatic' is an outstanding record - can totally see why it's your favorite. Thanks for watching and for making a list. Cheers. - Bret

[@StaffsOwl]

Bret , there used to be a singles show on a Friday evening here and I remember they gave Losing My Religeon a really bad review!!!! The first album I really got into was Green i think i dont have a full set of albums especially the later stuff but ill have a listen and come up with my favs , tho i suspect it wont be far from yours - John

[@BurnThis2]

Love your comment, that you'd love to know if "Around the Sun" was anyone's favorite. That's such a tactful way of saying that it was the most WTF collection of songs from what is otherwise such an amazing catalogue of music. Too bad you had to leave off the EP (which has two of my favorite songs -Carnival of Sorts and Gardening) and the B-sdes (which has the Pylon cover Crazy).

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Yeah, Chronic Town is so great - 'Gardening At Night' is one of my favorite R.E.M. songs. Thanks for tuning in! - Bret

[@jeffmarkus]

Pretty cool that your top 3 selections are also in my top 3. The order is slightly different though. You have: 3. Fables 2. Reckoning 1. Murmur. Mine are: 3. Reckoning 2. Murmur 1. Fables

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Very cool! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@veerchasm1]

Losing My Religion: the Dylan and Brenda breakup song on 90210 😂

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on, Chez! Thanks for your kind words. :)

[@saturnreturn3889]

1.green 2.murmur 3.up

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hi Rob, sorry for the long delay in my response - finally feeling back to myself. 'Automatic' is a beautiful record - 'Nightswimming' is an amazing track - one of R.E.M.'s best... and the lyrics to 'Sweetness Follows' always chokes me up a bit. So great that you saw their first Boston show - I bet that was an outstanding time to catch them in their youth. I appreciate your comments and always watching. Hope all is well. - Bret

[@8145cc]

What about hairshirt of green

[@gg41r]

BTW....while i remember....is that IKEA expedit unit behind you? If so...is it the 4x2? Im planning investing in some unit or other, but unsure whether to get 4x2 unit or the 4x4 (which will probably keep me going for the rest of my life). The reason i ask...i just was trying to gauge how many records fit in each compartment :)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Daniel!

[@duckbrew]

What?? 'Finest Worksong' over 'Exhuming McCarthy'?? kiddin'...nice work man

[@jamesburton8070]

1. Ranking 2. R.E.M. 3. Albums 4. Is 5. Pointless 6. Different 7. People 8. Like 9. Different 10. Things 11. They 12. Are 13. All 14. Good 15. Around the Sun

[@kilgoretrout321]

I know right? Unless your list is particularly interesting, what's the point? I will say that an unusual list is pretty poignant because you can get a sense of the listener's personality. But anyone who puts a post-Bill Berry album in th top 8 or so is crazy

[@williambreeden4805]

​@@kilgoretrout321 I think Around the Sun is underrated, but that may be because most REM fans like faster, harder alt rock. I also like prog rock, and I think Around the Sun fits well in my collection. Show this album some love.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, Bobby! Really appreciate it. - Bret

[@garyrobinson8665]

Love rem. My favourite is currently fables but that could change. My number two is automatic purely for nostalgia reasons. Up is a very underrated album. I agree they got a bit bloated after automatic and maybe a bit too polished I think. I like the raw sound of the mid 80s.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Mike!