R.E.M. Records Ranked (#5 to 1)

[@Axel_Foley1970]

Great videos of one of my favorite bands of all time. My number one is Life's Rich Pageant as well.

[@catherine6653]

I like REM and have seen them live also. Automatic For the People got me through college. I appreciate Stand and Shiney Happy People. They were written to be children's songs. I heard Michael Stipe say this in an interview. I will watch the other videos in the series. I am glad to find this. 😊

[@lostmixtapes]

Thanks Catherine. I do love the Furry Happy Monsters version they did on Sesame Street.

[@aronpolasek4506]

This has been such a fun series. Thanks for making it! My list is below. 1-4 for me are pretty well set at this point. 5-9 can fluctuate a bit depending on my mood. And then 10-15 are also pretty well established. 15. Around The Sun 14. Accelerate 13. Up 12. Reveal 11. Collapse Into Now 10. Fables Of The Reconstruction 9. Document 8. Out Of Time 7. Monster 6. Green 5. Murmur 4. Automatic For The People 3. Reckoning 2. Life's Rich Pageant 1. New Adventures In Hi-Fi

[@lostmixtapes]

So glad you enjoyed it. Cool to see New Adventures at number one. Such an interesting, sprawling record. Interesting to see Collapse Into Now ahead of all of the other post-Berry records too. I don't think enough people really heard that one. Kind of an underdog.

[@aronpolasek4506]

I revisited “Collapse Into Now” about a year ago, and I remember thinking, “This is much better than I remember it being”. I think certain R.E.M. albums have taken a historical hit prestige wise due to fans jumping off the bandwagon. I think a lot of folks jumped ship when “Monster” was released, so “New Adventures” didn’t have the same momentum/audience for its release. And, as much as I personally love ‘E-Bow The Letter’, it was not a great pick for a lead single. I think “Collapse Into Now” also has some of that same baggage. It was the last album, and I just didn’t feel like the audience was really there for it. Maybe there is some revisionism going on that colors my memories of those releases, but I’ve long felt that there simply wasn’t as much passionate support for the band post-“Monster”. People are fickle, and some fans simply move on from bands over time. Case in point: U2. There was a very noticeable shift in perception for that band at some point. That was easily the biggest band in the world for a number of years, and then they quickly became loathed by a newer generation. Or at least a punchline to a newer generation.

[@lostmixtapes]

@@aronpolasek4506 They've kind of said it before in interviews. That there was a time when their tastes and the mainstream met up but they knew it wouldn't last that long. Such a ballsy band...any other would have further explored the territory they were mining with Out of Time and Automatic. They essentially blew it all up with Monster. I think a lot of slightly older people who came on board with those two records didn't know what to make of Monster and it's part of the reason it's in all the used bins.

[@phillyfan70]

Thanks for making this series. Always been a big REM fan. It is never easy to make a list like this but really appreciate your time in the discussion of each album. As you mentioned, everyone's will often be different based on the time of being introduced to REM. I came in around Document in high school and then college friend introduced me to the earlier albums. Through college and post grad my love for REM grew. Automatic for the People definitely got the most play. I always ended any test studying with "Nightswimming". Later, when blessed with daughters, I would often relax with them on my chest listening to the same track. Your video series comes as a great time as just recently I have been going back and giving more time to the earlier and later albums and like your recommendations of the lesser known tracks. I know just my time to commit to REM music decreased over the years and I never gave New Adventures in Hi-Fi the time it deserved and I know many rank that much higher than I likely would have in the past. Thanks again!

[@lostmixtapes]

I love your story. Thanks so much for sharing it.

[@mcpop3005]

Hi Todd- great REM series, my favorite band since 1985. Hard to rank their albums so I applaud your effort. I’m definitely partial to the IRS years and most days Reckoning would be my number 1 but on others it’s Murmur, Fables or Pageant…love Chronic Town too. Cheers! Matt

[@lostmixtapes]

Thanks Mat. The IRS years were so good.

[@americankickboxer]

I think everyone's fave REM record is Life's Rich Pageant. Those first three songs blow you away.

[@lostmixtapes]

@@americankickboxer I’d add the fourth song too, Cuyahoga. What a way to begin a record.

[@ollieoleary]

@@americankickboxer I've always felt that way about the first 3 on Reckoning especially, and indeed Murmur. They sure know how to open a record even just looking at the first songs - The Lifting, Airportman, Finest Worksong, Feeling Gravitys Pull, Discoverer, How The West Was Won...

[@jdmiller5832]

First four songs- Cuyahoga is amazing!

[@Cureboy1]

Love Life's Rich Pageant 👍

[@Universityofvinyl]

Cuyahoga baby!! ❤❤❤

[@rascott1970]

Great ranking. Green is my favourite as it was my entry point and I saw the Green tour which blew me away. Yeah the next 3 albums were good but I think they were at their best at Green. Perfect cross over from indie to blowing up big time

[@TheDigitalGramophone]

Again, an amazing job with this countdown and how you talk about your personal connection to the band and these albums. We have the same Top 2, although, I’m on record as having them reversed. That said, I could flip them on any given day. LRP is their best IRS record. Automatic is their best WB album. That might be all that needs to be said. I will do a response in 2024. Just for fun. Happy New Year, Todd ✌🏻

[@lostmixtapes]

Thanks. Looking forward to your response at some point. No hurry. It's a time sucker. Happy New Year!

[@brianstewart3206]

LRP is their best IRS album and AFTP is their best WB album. That’s actually a great way of simplifying the debate and one that I’m partial to myself. Thanks for the video too mate. Always love how I can completely agree with a fan strongly on certain albums/songs/lyrics then have polar opposite views on the next one😂✊🏻

[@danielholloway]

Hi Todd, this has been a great series to follow and I think I agree with 99% of your choices. I've previously spoken about how Green changed a lot for me musically and as a result many life choices and so I just want to say it was so great to see your passion for REM, your reasoning and ultimately the joy of seeing what this band means to other people and not just me. Look forward to so much more from your channel. Have a happy and peaceful 2024!!

[@lostmixtapes]

Thanks Daniel. They were definitely something special. Glad you enjoyed the series. Happy New Year to you!

[@allicat140]

Sooooo happy someone else agrees that Lifes Rich Pageant is awesome. Like you, I listen to albums time and again, one or another moves into another place, but LRP is always, always on top of the list. Also love Reckoning / Harborcoat!

[@dennispaulik3206]

Great series and a great channel. Thanks for doing this series on R.E.M.

[@gerardfletcher1203]

thank u rem great band but u made me fall in love again i just ordered up. document and green are in cart. wild god is on while im searching cheers from oz

[@lostmixtapes]

@@gerardfletcher1203 Love that! Such great records.

[@StratsRUs]

" Departure, Godspeed, Bless his heart.Good Lord ! What a f*ck-up.What a fighter " 😊

[@mazzysmusic]

That is a very cool ranking. A favorite band of mine, too. I'll hopefully do my version in the new year and see how they are different or the same.

[@lostmixtapes]

Thanks Mazzy. I’d love to see yours.

[@maheiherp]

Yessir! Life`s Rich Pageant is fantastic! My favorite too...I`m not surprised...

[@lostmixtapes]

The run of Pageant, Document, and Green is really the sweet spot for me.

[@CoreyLeland]

Can't get there from here had horns. I got into R.E.M. when Reckoning came out. You are right about how one ranks their LP's is largely affected by the time and place in life when you discovered them. Love "Worksong" and "End of the World" but never loved Document. Fables was my favorite for more years than Reckoning was...but I'll never forget sitting on my front steps with a Sony Walkman listening to the just released "Life's Rich Pageant." Those first 3 songs blew me away. Still my number one R.E.M. album. Oh, I saw the "Fables" tour at a small beautiful theater in Santa Barbara, CA...The Arlington. Made a big impact on me...for a few years there they were the only band I listened to. (more or less...) The thing that I loved about "Stand" was the wah-wah guitar solo. Different sound than we'd heard from Buck...and I agree with you about the bonus song on Green.

[@lostmixtapes]

What wonderful experiences. I can imagine how cool Fables would be in a small theater. Your LRP experience sounds similar to mine. The first three songs…but then Cuyahoga too? Stipe seemed especially gifted lyrically at putting that one together. Spaced on the horns in Can’t Get There From Here. I’ve been on quite the R.E.M. kick since the brief reunion and interviews of the past week or so.

[@CoreyLeland]

@@lostmixtapes Yes, Cuyahoga too..."I believe" was a favorite at the time...Flowers of Guatemala...I know why it's your favorite R.E.M. album. Mine too. They opened the Fables tour (at least the night I saw them) with the sound of an oncoming train and then took the stage with "Feeling Gravity's Pull" Fables has a special place in my heart..."Green grow the rushes" Those two would be my top two R.E.M. albums. Great review, thank you! I'll be watching more of your videos. Happiness and Peace.

[@zimi84]

Great series of videos! Really enjoyed them and now I'm deep into R.E.M. catalog again after so many years. Cheers!

[@williambreeden4805]

Very enjoyable video. 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.

[@lostmixtapes]

I tend to like their more mellow introspective albums post-Green. There’s plenty to like about Around The Sun. I just think it was over-produced and had most of the rough interesting edges shaved off. But there are several good songs on there and it sustains a mood quite nicely. Something had to be at the bottom. I don’t think the delays in getting the album out helped either. The demo for Final Straw was a great teaser, but the actual album came out a year and a half later.

[@stephanevillatte5970]

Great serie that R.e.m ranking! Thanks! About your no1... Well I'm a bit surprised...but I can see the points...great record anyway...this month in our Legendary magazine here in France...called Rock n' Folk...Mike Mills has been interviewed for Up's Deluxe edition...his favorites?..."murmur","automatic","UP","accelerate"

[@lostmixtapes]

Thanks! Interesting Mills' picks. I'm surprised New Adventures isn't on his list. That seemed to get mentioned all the time by the band. Is there an online version of that magazine/interview? I'd love to check it out.

[@mariawesley7583]

I will defend "Shiny Happy People" until death.

[@anthonyburke223]

Which will be soon . lol,because it’s an indefensible abomination of a song ….❤

[@gjames6895]

Yikes. Great band. Embarrassing song.

[@Pluralofvinylisvinyls]

It is a good song. I don’t know how you can’t like it lol

[@ConglomerationCat]

Everything from Chronic Town to Life's Rich Pageant has a very special place in my musical heart. Peter Buck is my Rickenbacker hero. I began to lose interest after Document. Life's Rich is my favorite album.

[@streetspirit956]

Me too. It may be a bit daft but it's gloriously melodic.

[@seamuscolgan7654]

Highly enjoyable and educational set of videos 👍🏼 Would have ranked Up one or two higher, New Adventures top 5 and Green #1

[@anthonyburke223]

I agree with the comment in Kahooga this is where we walked, hunted , danced and swam . I’m in awe every time

[@Lebowski55]

Drive, Try Not To Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps, Monty Got a Raw Deal, Nightswimming. Incredible record

[@Thedarkstuff]

Pretty surprised by your #1, but honestly, all of the top 5 are pretty amazing.

[@tomkent6349]

Michael Stipe is also a genius and prophet. I think of REM as friends of mine since the 8O’s and I’m always glad to reconnect every time I hear their songs or play an album. I’ve even made pilgrimages to Athens to pay my respects and visit sacred REM places. I love this band.

[@lostmixtapes]

There was/is something truly special about that band. I made it to Athens once in the late 90s. Saw The Flatliners at the 40 Watt. Remember Wuxtry being closed. Would like to go back sometime.

[@stefano.b65stef77]

Hi, i'm catching up on R.E.M. albums after a while, i listened to them a lot from 1986 to 1992 more or less. I love I.R.S. spell, Fables of the Reconstruction was the first album i bought, then Murmur and Reckoning. At the moment my top 5 would be: Document, Automatic for the people, Lifes rich pageant, Murmur, Reckoning

[@lostmixtapes]

So many great albums. All very solid choices.

[@ollieoleary]

Just did my list as per now, having listened to your videos, thanks.. Will anger many I think but it's how I would rank today. 15 Collapse 14 Around 13 Accelerate 12 Adventures 11 Pageant (I know, sorry..) 10 Document (again, sorry..) 9 Reveal 8 Time 7 Reckoning 6 Monster 5 Up 4 Automatic 3 Murmur 2 Green 1 FABLES

[@lostmixtapes]

@@ollieoleary Refreshing list. They’re one of those bands that really doesn’t have universal consensus on what should be in the top 5. So many good records. Mine change all the time. Cool seeing Up do high on your list. Fables too. That seemed to be everyone’s favorite when I first got into them. Thanks for watching my countdown.

[@ollieoleary]

@@lostmixtapes Ah thanks, I really enjoyed your countdown a lot. It's amazing how subjective music is of course, but especially with a band like R. E. M., as their canon is so eclectic. Yep Up is definitely one of my favourites, under-appreciated generally for sure, but a bit of a cult one among fans! I was delighted you highlighted The Wrong Child from Green by the way, what a stunningly evocative song. Always feels weird to rank LRP and Document lower down as of course I love them both and they are so many fans' favourites, but got to be honest..! Fables remains, for me, the most coherently strong set of all, filled with a dark but melodic atmosphere, and an intriguing sense of mystique. Thanks for your considered response to my comment. Best wishes..

[@kevtruth]

Late to the party. I'm partial to the IRS years, but really dug REM for the most part 1981-94. I attended Indiana University in the late 80s and felt so proud that 'my band' shot the Fall On Me video outside of Bloomington at a rock quarry

[@lostmixtapes]

That’s so cool. Didn’t know that.

[@bacarandii]

R.E.M. was always aware of its place in pop culture history. A few suggested resonant pairings (some more obvious than others): "Cuyahoga" w/ "Burn On" (Randy Newman, 1972) "Monty Got a Raw Deal" w/ "The Right Profile" (The Clash, 1979) "The One I Love" w/ "Dedicated to the One I Love" (The Mamas & the Papas, 1967) "It's the End of the World as We Know It" w/ "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (Bob Dylan, 1965) and "Done Too Soon" (Neil Diamond, 1971) (we can leave out the Billy Joel one) "Nightswimming" w/ "The River" (Bruce Springsteen, 1980) "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" w/ "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (The Tokens, 1961) "Pop Song 89" w/ "Hello I Love You" (The Doors, 1968) and "Don’t Worry About the Government" (Talking Heads, 1977) "Stand" w/ any bubblegum song from the '60s and '70s -- like the ones that similarly influenced Talking Heads, especially the aforementioned "Don't Worry About the Government" "Star 69" w/ "Answering Machine" (The Replacements, 1984) -- another calling feature

[@lostmixtapes]

Love that you paired these. I’m going to make a playlist of all of them. Some I can tell by looking at the titles. Others are new to me,

[@cpstudioworks]

props to Green

[@shoogerkane]

REM is prob in the top 3 bands for me, all time. And that's almost completely based on the strenght of their first 5 albums. Their output after Document is spotty, IMO. Life's Rich Pageant is also my favorite. Document is my No. 5, coincidentally. Murmur and Reckoning are interchangeable and always contending for my second favorite. Fables at number 4. Dead Letter Office is in the mix too if B Side comps would be counted.

[@lostmixtapes]

I don’t think you can beat the IRS years, although I certainly love some of the Warners albums too. Out of Time is especially spotty.

[@nianfiedler5291]

Your number 1 is spot on. But can’t say the same for number 2. Having been a hardcore fan for 35 years. Automatic was a critical darling that IMO hasn’t stood the test of time. Right off the bat, sidewinder, man on the moon (while good is not great) , New Orleans you can just put it I. The never want to hear again pile. Star me Kitten? Meh And Everybody Hurts is kinda Cheesy. Now you’re down to 6 really good and great songs. Comes in at number 7 for me. HiFi not being in the top 5 is tragic.

[@lostmixtapes]

I love HiFi and at times have had it much higher. I love the sprawl of the record and the lyrics are exceptional. But I do think it has songs that are just ok and could have been removed like Departure, Blinky, Wake Up Bomb (love it but it’s so jarring in the context of the record), and possibly even Bittersweet Me. It’s my favorite R.E.M. record for a road trip. Automatic is like a fine wine you open for special occasions and savor every drop.

[@lloyddarbon5034]

Another good thing about the internet nowdays, is that we in England can see there are nice people in America: something we weren't aware of in the days of TV and radio!

[@Rib13Bass]

I do love REM but Im mainly a fan of their EP and first four albums. They lost me in 1987 (with Document)...Ironically, another band whose EP and first four albums I love that lost me in 1987 is U2

[@lostmixtapes]

Interesting that those two albums lost you. Both feel like slight twists on the albums that came before. Did they sound too commercial or what was it about them that turned you off?

[@nianfiedler5291]

How do you lose interest at two of the best albums that REM and U2 ever made? To not carry on to the greatness of Out of Time, Green and HiFi, or Achtung Baby, Zooropa and POP is truly sad indeed.

[@kevtruth]

I agree. Feel they lost their indie cred after Life's Rich Pageant

[@bacarandii]

To me, at the dawn of the 1980s it felt like pop culture was being deflated. The life and vitality of popular music on the radio (AM and FM) that I'd grown up with, from the British invasion to punk, had drained away, squeezed out by soulless synth pop and drum machines -- and soulless, cynical politicians like Jerry Falwell and Ronald Reagan. In 1980, just a couple years after everyone had "gone disco," Bob Dylan put out the vapid, sanctimoniously slick "Saved" and that seemed like the final nail in the coffin for smart, engaging, challenging pop music. Fortunately, R.E.M. released "Murmur" in 1983 and became the first of a new generation of bands (along with the Replacements) to issue their debut LPs in the 1980s and feel like they might have an actual career worth following. I bought every R.E.M. album as a matter of course for the rest of the 20th Century. Thank goodness for them. (FWIW: The indecipherability of early R.E.M. lyrics was a big part of the band's appeal, but I took "The One I Love" as a twist on the teen-sentimental "Dedicated to the One I Love" (a hit for the 5 Royales, the Shirelles and the Mamas and the Papas) -- maybe about a musician's relationship with all those unknown, faceless concert audiences and radio listeners -- the "props.")

[@lostmixtapes]

Love reading what you write. Always very thought provoking and informative. I’ll always credit them from opening my eyes to an alternative to all of the things you mentioned. I’m not familiar with that song by the Shirelles. I know Peter Buck is super aware of music’s past. Mills too, Stipe seems a little more scattershot. Add in Berry and it all works so well.

[@marcyfan-tz4wj]

"life's rich pageant" is an interesting choice. obviously it has no correlation to bryan adams. superstardom was coming peter buck's way whether he liked it or not. it's certainly a very, very easy listen and hasn't been overplayed (and mike mills singing superman is great)!

[@lostmixtapes]

Not being overplayed probably has something to do with it being number one for sure. No correlation to Bryan Adams, but instead there is one to John Mellencamp, which I've always found interesting. Same producer. Interesting to think about Document with him producing it.

[@marcyfan-tz4wj]

i probably found a connection to mellencamp then too. i'm working up to your "death as a gateway to the beatles" video. "sweetness follows", the replacements "tim", "now and then" And maybe JM's "minutes to minutes are intertwined in a way that makes me want to make an hour long video that no one will like. i understand the theme of your beatles vid i think... a worthy series for certain.@@lostmixtapes

[@MisterFastbucks]

I lost interest after "Green". Give me the I.R.S. stuff every time. I noticed your top 5 are I.R.S. heavy. I try to listen to the others from time to time. Nothing has broken through yet.

[@lostmixtapes]

I’m surprised you haven’t found a few things you like.

[@rhwinner]

I just found out today that Stipe is gay. My world has been shaken.😮

[@Andreas-w1i]

All shit ........... 5 to 1