Essential Studio Albums

[liebzz]

R.E.M. - Life’s Rich Pageant

If Fables was an awkward transitional album (with a ton of great material nonetheless), Life’s Rich Pageant seems like the dive into their more commercial sound that I always assumed Document really was. And this album is up there with the earliest records, especially with a good amount of variety in here without losing the thread of the album. Begin the Begin is such a great opener, Fall On Me is an all-time classic and one of those true wheelhouse tracks that defines the band’s sound in their prime. Cuyahoga, I Believe, and Swan Swan H are all highlights while Just a Touch is a preview for how hard this band can rock when it wants to. If this album gets overshadowed by Document, it makes for a gem of an album for fans to dig through before the big breakout.

The Essential Track: Fall On Me

Up Next: Talking Heads - True Stories

[wease]

I’ve really not ever gotten into REM. Other that the handful of tunes that are played on the radio, I know virtually nothing of them. Should I rectify this?

[VinylGuy]

I’ve really not ever gotten into REM. Other that the handful of tunes that are played on the radio, I know virtually nothing of them. Should I rectify this?

jesus, yes. Please dont go around and tell this to people.

[liebzz]

I’ve really not ever gotten into REM. Other that the handful of tunes that are played on the radio, I know virtually nothing of them. Should I rectify this?

jesus, yes. Please dont go around and tell this to people.

Got to agree here. You won’t get flashy solos or will you extol about any virtuosity in their playing (though it is low key really incredible musical chemistry without aforementioned flash), but instead you have just well composed songs off jangly hooks that can as much recall elements of the Beatles to bands like Big Star in the 70s, and still without being outwardly loud foreshadow hooks to be found in the 90s.

And even then, it’s not about that. It’s just great songs one after the next, and being able to track this band’s growth and development over the course of 30 years, and see them take swings without ever really striking out.

I’m really glad to be revisiting a place I only occasionally go with them, those IRS records years, and I don’t have a reasonable explanation as to why other than I had only grown up with a handful of those tunes. But I did grow up with their output from Document to New Adventures…pretty intensely, and it’s some of my favorite music (notwithstanding reconsideration in this thread as I get there). What I always come back to appreciate most is that I don’t fawn over any single element of their music - I’m not going to tell you their guitars or drums or bass or vocals are better than everyone else, it’s the overall product that astounds me, and that’s a feature that I can most closely associate with my love of The Band.

[LoathedVermin72]

REM are not a full-album band for me but they have a handful of songs I really love. Stipe's voice can be challenging for me

[wease]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

[liebzz]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

I think it’s all up on streaming services if you use streaming.

[wease]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

I think it’s all up on streaming services if you use streaming.

Wouldn’t even know where to begin.

[VinylGuy]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

I think it’s all up on streaming services if you use streaming.

Wouldn’t even know where to begin.

I would maybe start with Monster.

[liebzz]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

I think it’s all up on streaming services if you use streaming.

Wouldn’t even know where to begin.

I would maybe start with Monster.

Wow. I find Monster is a bit of an outlier but a fantastic album nevertheless. There’s not one that captures it all, but I would start with Document, which is the album they ascended from indie darlings to mainstream rock mainstays.

[LoathedVermin72]

My favorite is Accelerate

[liebzz]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

I think it’s all up on streaming services if you use streaming.

Wouldn’t even know where to begin.

I would maybe start with Monster.

Wow. I find Monster is a bit of an outlier but a fantastic album nevertheless. There’s not one that captures it all, but I would start with Document, which is the album they ascended from indie darlings to mainstream rock mainstays.

You could do it Star Wars style and start in the middle (Document through New Adventures in HiFi) followed by the prequels (Murmur through Life’s Rich Pageant), followed by the post-drummer sequels (Up through Collapse Into Now).

[liebzz]

My favorite is Accelerate

Not to give it away, but my favorite is New Adventures in HiFi, which is one of my favorite albums ever. Excited to see how it fits in here about 10 years from this point.

[wease]

No. I meant wouldn’t know how to begin with streaming. I’ll do it chronologically once I’m able to get it all.

[LoathedVermin72]

No. I meant wouldn’t know how to begin with streaming. I’ll do it chronologically once I’m able to get it all.

How do you generally listen to music? (I don't use streaming either, for the record.)

[Birds in Hell]

I've given REM a fair shake over the years, but they're just not my thing.

Like LV, I am fond (even very fond) of a few individual songs.

I think Stipe has a great voice, there's just something about the songwriting that doesn't quite hit for me.

[VinylGuy]

Ok. They may be my next deep dive if I can find all their stuff.

I think it’s all up on streaming services if you use streaming.

Wouldn’t even know where to begin.

I would maybe start with Monster.

Wow. I find Monster is a bit of an outlier but a fantastic album nevertheless. There’s not one that captures it all, but I would start with Document, which is the album they ascended from indie darlings to mainstream rock mainstays.

I think the 80s albums are awesome but i kinda feel a good starter point is the more direct stuff like Monster, a heavy psychedelic oriented album. If not, i would recommend Hi Fi yeah.

[liebzz]

Talking Heads - True Stories

After a long string of great albums, Talking Heads seemed to come back to Earth just a little bit. Still an excellent album with some real highlights, but not the level that they had been since at least Fear of Music. On this one, I naturally gravitated to the rockin’ opener Love for Sale, the pop hit Wild Wild Life, Radio Head, and Puzzlin’ Evidence. That all these songs are quite different from each other is a demonstration of their range. Such a great band.

The Essential Track: Love for Sale

Up Next: Peter Gabriel - So

[wease]

No. I meant wouldn’t know how to begin with streaming. I’ll do it chronologically once I’m able to get it all.

How do you generally listen to music? (I don't use streaming either, for the record.)

Mostly shit I put on my phone. I used to have 2-3 mp3 players loaded down but I started getting phones with more capacity so I just switched to that. I do still listen to CDs but nowhere near as often. Just once in a blue moon when I want to listen to something I don’t have on my phone.

[liebzz]

Peter Gabriel - So

Peter Gabriel took his mad genius and went and made it fully pop accessible. We have walked through 3 of his first 4 albums, all self-titled, and all sonic masterpieces. This one is a pop masterpiece of its own, with 80s classics Sledgehammer, Big Time, and In Your Eyes at the heart. In Your Eyes was my prom song a full decade later, and well, I grew up watching the Sledgehammer video on MTV on near repeat. Add to that great highlights in Red Rain, That Voice Again, and the abstract genius of We Do What We’re Told and we have yet another great Peter Gabriel album on our hands. I get most folks would go with In Your Eyes here but childhood memories beckon.

The Essential Track: Sledgehammer

Up Next: Genesis - Invisible Touch