Rate and Rank All R.E.M.'s Studio Albums

The first person I'd say is pretty close to reality. I think Green might need a level up, and also level up Accelerate....nowhere near as tough of a listen as Reveal and Up. Around The Sun is not a good album, a few enjoyable tracks.

 

Chronic Town - 4.5
Murmur - 3.5
Reckoning - 4.5
Fables - 4.75
Pageant - 4.5
Dead Letter Office - 3
Document - 5
Green - 4
Out of Time - 3.5
Automatic - 3
Monster - 2.5
New Adventures - 4
Up - ?
Reveal - ?
Around The Sun - .5
Accelerate - 3
Collapse - 3.75

 

5.0 - Up, Monster
4.5 - Lifes Rich Pageant
4.0 - Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Automatic for the People, Murmur
3.5 - New Adventures in Hi Fi, Document
3.0 - Out of Time
2.5 - Reveal, Green

I still can't wrap my head around the hate for Monster. It's one of few REM albums that still resonate with me.

 

1. Murmur 5
2. Automatic For The People 5
3. Reckoning 5
4. Document 4
5. Fables Of The Reconstruction 4
6. Out Of Time 4
7. Life's Rich Pageant 4

"that's all folks"

 

15) Around The Sun - 1.5
14) Accelerate - 2
13) Reckoning - 2.5
12) Fables Of The Reconstruction - 3
11) Up - 3
10) Green - 3
9) Document 3
8) Reveal -3
7) Collapse Into Now - 3.5
6) Monster - 3.5
5) Life's Rich Pageant - 3.5
4) Out Of Time - 4
3) New Adventures In Hifi - 4.5
2) Murmur - 4.5
1) Automatic For The People - 5

There are some unpopular opinions on here. I'm not anywhere near as fond of Fables as are many R.E.M. fans (and I am a huge one). I also don't consider Monster to be anywhere near as bad as history has kind of painted it (I think it suffered mostly from throwing expectations straight out the window, not from it's content) and I'd rather listen to it than almost all of the post-Berry records. I think New Adventures is their most underappreciated album by far, and it's the one I listen to the most aside from Murmur or Automatic. Murmur I consider an outstanding record, but I think Reckoning suffers from a sophomore slump. Accelerate tries too hard to be an upbeat punk-ish record, and doesn't come off very well. Of the post-Berry records, Reveal and Collapse Into Now are my favorites, with Up getting an honorable mention for R.E.M. at least attempting to spread their wings at a really difficult time.

 

A year after I posted those rankings, I now agree with you on Green, and Fables goes from 5 to 4 stars. My main problem with Accelerate is everything is at 11. While that's also true of Collapse Into Now, some of the individual songs on their last album are as good or better than anything from their three-legged dog period.

The problem with using half votes is that it is actually a ten point scale; using quarter votes turns it into a twenty point scale. I'm not that granular about my musical taste. So, no half votes.

1. Automatic for the People - 5.01
Murmur - 5
Lifes Rich Pageant - 5

Green - 5
5. Reckoning- 4
Fables of the Reconstruction - 4
Document - 4
Out of Time - 4
Monster - 4
New Adventures in Hi-Fi - 4
Collapse Into Now - 4
12. Dead Letter Office - 3
Up - 3
Reveal - 3

Accelerate - 3
16. Around the Sun - 2

 

16) Around the Sun - 2
15) Reveal - 3
14) Accelerate - 3
13) Dead Letter Office - 3.5
12) Up - 3.5
11) Monster - 3.5
10) Out of Time - 4
9) Green - 4
8) Document - 4
7) Reckoning - 4
6) New Adventures in Hi-Fi - 4.5
5) Collapse Into Now - 4.5
4) Fables of the Reconstruction - 4.5
3) Murmur - 5
2) Life's Rich Pageant - 5
1) Automatic For the People - 5

I haven't read everyone's comments (I will after I post) as I want to stay bias. I actually grew up with REM as a child in the 80's through adolescence through marriage. They are my favorite "band." They compromise the biggest expense and most room in my collection, I've seen them the most times in concert of any artist, but only twice with Bill Berry. There are so many music collectibles from this band, and it's been fun trying to find everything. I am broker and a better man for it!

The least favorite, and one I listen to the least is Around The Sun. To me it's always sounded more like a Stipe solo, it doesn't have the band sound to me, but it is a curiosity. Reveal and Accelerate were practice as a 3 piece band, to finally get it right which resulted in Collapse Into Now, which I think is one of their best efforts. The favorites. IMO nothing has ever topped Automatic. They've had individual songs as good, but no album is as easy to listen from beginning to end. Until Automatic, Life's Rich Pageant had always been my favorite. It's an album that is well produced and the songs are killer! Murmur was my favorite until Pageant came out, and that one holds a special spot. It was the first vinyl I ever wore out! Favorite songs though come from nearly all their albums. Soft spot for "Fall On Me" and there has never been anything by REM more beautiful and haunting than "Find A River." "Radio Free Europe" started it all for me and it remains a favorite! The Chronic Town EP is also a favorite, not from this list, but deserves a mention!

Now I will go back and read other comments and lists.

 

Hey, they weren't on the list! (But I love them too!)

 

5:
Automatic for the People ("Nightswimming" is by far my favorite REM song)
Lifes Rich Pageant (tons of great songs ["Begin the Begin," "I Believe," "These Days," etc.], but I always thought "Fall On Me" was overrated)
Murmur

4.5:
Document
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Reckoning

4:
Green

3.5:
Fables of the Reconstruction
Monster
Out of Time ("Me In Honey" is a VERY underrated tune, in my humble opinion)
Collapse Into Now (the band's most underrated album, in my humble opinion)

3:
Up
Accelerate
Dead Letter Office

1.5:
Reveal

0.000000000001:
Around the Sun

 

1. Murmur - 5/5
2. Chronic Town - 4.5/5
3. Reckoning - 4.5/5
4. Automatic for the People - 4.5/5
5. Life's Rich Pageant - 4/5
6. Document - 4/5
7. Reveal - 4/5 (really underrated, it's the perfect chill summertime evening album, such good vibes from this one and only a couple of semi-clunkers in the whole bunch)
8. Monster - 4/5 (don't get the hate for this one, reverb drenched glam worked pretty well for them)
9. Fables of the Reconstruction - 3.5/5 (starts out SO STRONG but them peters out pretty fast after "Life and How to Live It")
10. Up - 3.5/5
11. Green - 3.5/5
12. New Adventures in Hi-Fi - 3.5/5
13. Out of Time - 3/5
14. Collapse Into Now - 3/5
15. Accelerate - 2.5/5
16. Around the Sun - 1/5

 

I've heard all the post-Berry albums, but I kind of consider that "a different R.E.M.," so rather than putting them all at the bottom of the list I'll leave them off and just focus on the 83-96 albums:

1. Green--5 (it's better than you think!)
2. Murmur--5
3. Document--4.5
4. New Adventures in Hi Fi--4.5
5. Life's Rich Pageant--4.5
6. Reckoning--4
7. Monster--3.5
8. Automatic for the People--3.5
9. Fables of the Reconstruction--3.5
10. Out of Time--3

 

A lazy top 10 from me with rating and fav track

1) Automatic for the People - 5 - (The Sweetness Follows)
2) Life's Rich Pageant - 5 - (These Days)
3) Murmur - 5 - (Perfect Circle)

4) Green - 4.5 - (The Wrong Child)
5) Document - 4.5 - (It's the end of the World)
6) Reckoning - 4.5 - ( Lette never sent)
7) New Adventures in Hi-Fi - 4.5 - (New Test Leper)

8) Fables od the Reconstruction - 4 - (Driver 8)
9) Reveal - 4 - (The Lifting)

10) - Up - 3.5 - (Lift Me Up - the closing section is one of my fav REM moments)

These albums easily put REM in the genuinely great category

 

I need to revist Up and Reveal. Dont need to revist Around the Sun.

 

Murmur - 5
Lifes Rich Pageant - 5
Document - 5
Automatic For The People - 5
New Adventures In Hi Fi - 5
Accelerate - 5
Collapse Into Now - 5
Fables Of The Reconstruction - 4.5
Chronic Town (ep) - 4
Reckoning - 4
Green - 4
Monster - 4
Up - 4
Reveal - 4
Out Of Time - 3.5
Around The Sun - 2.5

-----------------------------------------

(& just for fun)

Singles:

The Great Beyond - 5
Fretless (b side) - 5
Bad Day - 4

What a great run overall they had! (Glad I saw them many times "live" between 1986 and 2008)

 

I had a hunch that "Fall On Me" was going to be #1, but I had struggled to guess what would come after it. The impression I got from seeing that list is that R.E.M. isn't a singles act, despite having had legit hits at their commercial peak. The songs alone are unmistakably good, but to understand why R.E.M. are great, you've got to hear some of their best albums in their entirety. One track from "Murmur" is impressive, but it takes the whole album to knock you out.

 

Here's a small way to revisit the Making of "Up." I had never seen this until today and it gives me more respect for this first record without Bill Berry.

 

1. Murmur - 5
2. Life's Rich Pageant - 5
3. Fables of the Reconstruction - 5
4. Reckoning - 5
5. Document - 5
6. Out of Time - 4
7. Green - 4
8. Automatic for the People - 5
9. Accelerate - 3
10. New Adventures in Hi-Fi - 4
11. Monster - 3

Ranked out of the ones I've heard. Sorry to say, I started falling off a bit after Green.

That said, Murmur, Pageant, Document and Fables were wonderful. The soundtrack of my college years.

Fables in particular doesn't get much respect on the vinyl reissue front, although I believe it's been re-released on hi rez. I still feel it's one of their best.

 

1. Chronic Town - 5
2. Murmur - 5
3. Reckoning - 4.5
4. Fables - 4
5. Life's Rich Pageant - 3.75
6. Document - 2
7. Green - 2

All the others oscillate between 1 and 0...

 

Reckoning 4.5/5
Life’s Rich Pageant 4.5/5
Fables 4/5
Murmur 4/5
Green 2/5

I don’t know the rest well enough to rank or rate them.

 

Chronic Town (EP) - 5
Murmur - 6
Reckoning - 5
Fables of the Reconstruction - 5
Life's Rich Pageant - 5
Document - 4.5
Green - 4
Out of Time - 2
Automatic For the People - 4
Monster - 3
New Adventures In Hi-Fi - 4.5
Up - 1
Reveal - 1
Around the Sun - 1
Accelerate - 3
Collapse Into Now - 3

 

**** CHRONIC TOWN
***** MURMUR
**** RECKONING
**** FABLES OF RECONSTRUCTION
*** LIFES RICH PAGEANT
**** DOCUMENT
*** GREEN
**** OUT OF TIME
***** AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE
*** MONSTER
** NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI

 

Following the OP's 16 album format, so like the OP weighting Dead Letter Office higher because Chronic Town is included on the CD.

16) Around the sun 2
15) Monster 2.5
14) Accelerate 2.5
13) Collapse to now 2.5
12) Reckoning 3
11) Dead Letter Office 3
10) Reveal 3
9) Up 3.5
8) New adventures 3.5
7) Out of time 4
6) Murmur 4.5
5) Document 4.5
4) Green 4.5
3) Life's rich Pageant 4.5
2) Automatic for the people 4.5
1) Fables of the reconstruction 4.5

 

15. Around the sun
14. Accelerate
13. Collapse into now
12. Up
11. Reveal

10. Monster
09. Reckoning
08. Fables of the Reconstruction
07. New Adventures in Hi-Fi
06. Document
05. Green
04. Life’s Rich Pageant
03. Murmur
02. Automatic for the People
01. Out of Time

 

Chronic Town E.P. - 5
Murmur - 5
Reckoning - 4
Fables - 4
Pageant - 5
Dead Letter Office - 3
Document - 5
Green - 2
Out of Time - 4
Automatic - 4
Monster - 3
New Adventures - 3
Up - 2
Reveal - 2
Around The Sun - 2
Accelerate - 2
Collapse - 2

 

i don't know if i can rank them that way but here's my list ... and i know it is uncool but anyhow
the albums i have

1 green
2 document
3 automatic for the people
4 out of time
5 monster

and monster being last doesn't mean i don't like it