Green

Have never listened to REM outside their hits. Enjoyable listen, 3*. Enjoyed: Stand, Pop Song 89, Orange Crush

One of my better liked REM albums. But I just can’t get them up over 3 stars. Good band almost great at times , but in the end. Solid 3 stars

back end goated

I think this album is where I finally understood how to interpret REM’s music. They’re not some alt rock band that randomly got popular, they’re just a pop group for Gen X. 5/10

Good, not the best REM album though

I discovered REM back in early 1983 when Murmur was fresh and new. And exciting and different. I saw them live in October 1983, one of the top 5 shows I’ve seen. And I was a huge fan of their first 4.5 albums (including the Chronic Town EP). But I never really latched on to Document and the subsequent albums, perhaps because I became a father and refocused. And perhaps because they shifted their style, and got really popular. I know (and own) the “hits” from this album, and they’re certainly worthy, so I was happy when this came up on the generator. Overall it’s a good album, though I still prefer the earlier sound when the vocals were unintelligible (and often incomprehensible) and the band seemed less political. The fact that they planned the album release for the same day as the US presidential election doesn’t impress me. Stick to music guys. The 4x singles are really good, the rest of it is just OK. I went into this expecting at least 3.5, probably rounding to 4. But I just can’t get that high, this is below all the other REM albums I own. A kind of disappointing 3/5

A few standout tracks but somewhat uneven as they explore new sounds. Odd how Stone Temple Pilots chose Orange Crush as the track to call out selling out on Big Bang Bang given this album includes Stand which eventually gave us Shiny Happy People. Not their best, the mandolin doesn't do it for me.

I remember California is nice, the wrong child auch Ansonsten ganz ok, kann man hören aber hat mich jetzt nicht gehooked.

R.E.M.'s weakest album so far. At this point, R.E.M. has long left behind the moody post-punk of methodical jangle guitar and kudzu-thick mumbled lyrics in favour of clean, anthemic alt-pop. After their previous record "Document" had already given us two great pop classics in "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" and "The One I Love", R.E.M. seemed poised to lead the alternative revolution into the mainstream, to become the American Smiths. And thus, Green is... fine. Just fine. In opener 'Pop Song 89', Michael Stipe suddenly finds himselves in the rung of the famous, asking around for help on how he should be a pop star: should he sing about frivolous stuff, or should he use fame as a platform to speak up, only getting tepid 'ayes' in response. Unfortunately, it's the unintended thesis of the album: you're getting both politically engaged songs and frivolous pop, but neither is executed in a passionate and memorable way. Stand is the sell-outy, child friendly pop single of the album, and it doesn't work as Michael Stipe is bad at sounding like he cares about kids stuff, sounding more like he is distant. Say what you will about 'Shiny Happy People', but at least his tone works for that songs. He certainly doesn't sound happy in 'Stand' 'Orange Crush' is the anti-war song and while it sounds good and my favourite cut from this album, it feels like there is something missing. The chorus and verse neatly follow to each other without modulating too much in the process, and without Mike Mills' dependable backing 'oooohhhs' in the chorus, it would probably be as forgettable as all the other songs on the album. It's just weird that, despite having two albums before that sound just like this one, "R.E.M. puts on the big anthemic pants without losing that thick Southern mood and queer/left-wing ethos" this one is downright forgettable. Perhaps it is forgettable because it is too much like those previous albums. R.E.M. may have become more popular with this formula, but it was apparant some change was needed in order to stay sustainable. And luckily, it would come; R.E.M. hasn't even reached 'Losing My Religion' yet. But for this album, it's unfortunately too late.

Meh

Pioneers of making mid moody music, some of the songs good though and sounds unique. Shoutout UGA go dawgs.

Vandaaaaag is groeeeeen de kleuuur van jou kipppen

Another one I loved as a teenager. I still like most of the songs - they are kind of strange and corny, like the best REM. Doesn't hit as hard today.

When they're good, they're very good. The rest of the time they sound as flat as Stipe's voice. I like them better now that I did when they were all over the airwaves. "Stand" and "Pop Song" are the standouts. "Get Up" had a nice hook to it. I never liked "Orange Crush", and never will. And so it goes....

I guess okay. Not my cup of tea but it’s not bad in any way

I love R.E.M but this isn't their best.

Okay, not bad. Listened to some of the songs while looking at other websites. Most of the music sounds the same tho honestly. It's not terrible but I wouldn't always listen to it. 3/5, 5/10.

Enjoyed some of it. Seemed to lose its way a bit towards the end. They've made better albums.

Hvis det skal være 80’er rock, så er det vel nok det her

Get Up vind ik een lekker nummertje, en doet me denken aan een ander nummer maar ik weet even niet welke (vgm iets van Nirvana?)... Als hij zingt "Dreams they complicate my life" Hairshirt is echt niet mijn ding :') Over het algemeen wel een leuk album maar niets echt bijzonder imo, would not buy

ja classic REM, erg leuk, maar ook melodramatisch. Heerlijke achtergrond muziek

R.E.M. what can I say, great band

Classics

Pleasant, not for me

Fan of R.E.M. and thought the album was solid

Generally know of and enjoy REM but never did a deep dive of all albums. Faves: Pop Song 89 & Stand.

Strong but not entirely my taste

It was not bad.

Yep, sounds like REM.

Wel een oke album, valt een beetje in dezelfde rij als de vorige albums

It was a good album but I didn't find any of the songs stood out to me so much so that Spotify started a different playlist and I didn't realise.

Pretty good, a lot of the songs in the middle section I really like. Still trying to decide if I like the guys voice or not (should probably know his name).

Not my style but not awful.

Not really a big fan. It had some highlights but otherwise pretty bland overall for me.

Solid songs, it's got that good old 80s vibe but nothing that was like "HOLY SHIT"

Superbe instrumentation, beau flow à l’album. Belle écriture. Le côté folksy/celtique fait grincer. Un peu beige par moment. Stand out : Orange Crush, World Leader Pretend, Untitled

It’s good! Each song sounds pretty similar in my opinion. Stand sounds different! I also know it though. The song, The Wrong Child, sounds like it is being sung by Trump. I like the guitar in Orange Crush. Hairshirt is also sung by Trump. Ditto for I Remember California. Same for Untitled.

Decent album, I may warm up to it on further listenings but not many songs beyond the singles (Pop Song 89, Stand, and Orange Crush) stand out for me.

Wasnt into this at the time. Can now appreciate the guitar and melodies. Unique voice, not sure i fully like it!

Leider kein R.E.M.-Fan. Teils grungey, textlich düster, absolut eigener Stil. 3/5

Meh. I liked some of the songs that changed up the instrumentation with mandolin or lap steel a little more than the rest, but overall this album kind of fell flat. I remember liking the song "Stand" as a kid, but hearing it for the first time in maybe decades it's just the blandest song ever. Nothing on here I actively disliked necessarily, so I guess it's a 2.5/5.

Not their best work but not bad.

lol i liked the lyrics of the first song “should we talk about the weather, should we talk about the government” me to coworkers on a rainy monday. Also orange crush has been a favorite of mine since the OG rock band. definitely a lot of misses tho. 3

Pretty great album with some really strong singles. I felt it was brought down by equally boring songs that I couldn't get into. They were definitely ahead of their time, but it falls flat by modern standards.

REM are an odd group but good.

3.5 - “Your feet are going to be on the ground/ Your head is there to move you around.” Such a wonderfully quirky, life-affirming line. It’s the only one I’d keep of this 45 minutes of music.

Nice pop songs

Niet zo een grote uitblinker. Ik vind veel nummers nogal op elkaar lijken. Maar hier en daar zorgen de meezingers wel voor een extra sterretje

Pretty standard rock music. They definitely picked the right song from the album to be a hit, Stand is a bop. Can’t imagine picking to listen to this in 1988 over all the other stuff coming out.

An enjoyable listen! While I only recognized Stand, the album had this sense of nostalgia about it that reminded me of bands of this style I used to listen to when I was younger like Fastball (so underrated). Pop Song 89 was the standout for me, and the first save I've had for a number of albums now.

I like the vibes, something just a bit different. Not something I would listen to on repeat.

Pretty good

Pop song 89: mediocre Get up: has potential You are everything: has that country drawl Stand: better rock idea

Eclectic poppy REM. Pretty solid overall. Led me to do some research, I didn't really realize that REM was basically the first alternative rock band that inspired others like Nirvana.

It sure is R.E.M. Not bad, but not amazing or anything. There's good parts, but sometimes it's boring. My favourite song was Orange Crush.

Great instrumentals especially on the drums and guitars. Overall, great feel-good music with self-reflective vocals/lyrics. The album suffers from a few songs that seem out of place with slower instrumentals.

I did not appreciate how much Interpol sounds like REM until this listen. Good album but it's a very specific mood.

Pretty indie. A few solid jams. Feels pretty dated. 3.6

Best songs: You are everything Worst songs: World leader pretend

Used to like REM, now the vocals seem to be irritating Parts of these are kind of good though

As soon as this started I was like: “Good, R.E.M, they’re decent aren’t they? Sounds like an easy 4”. And it just couldn’t quite live up to this modest expectation. By the end I was bored and everything felt a little “down” somehow. I’d like to like them but I’m just not a fan.

Very chill. Several of the song had the same “vibe”. Can be a bit repetative. Still bangin

Man this album is a total time capsule. REM is such an odd band sonically, so its just lodged in my brain that their sound has this time period stuck to it. Nothing really got out of second gear for me, sorry REM.

Two stars for the bubblegum pop shit and a bonus star for I Remember California.

Didn't not like it but it Dallas very much I'm the category of bands I don't mind but also don't find particularly interesting

Nothing seems to stand out on this but it has a very soothing effect.

Неплохо, но бля у них есть альбомы лучше пацаны (я люблю смитс) 6/10

Less miserable than I was expecting

Decent

Ok album but i didnt find good tracks.

There’s some really good stuff on here - the singles are all fun and I Remember California is a great deeper cut, but on the whole it is a dip in quality from the fantastic five album run that precedes it

Good ish

ça va

On vous aime bien R.E.M mais il faudrait penser à ne plus revenir s'il vous plaît.

On sait que vous faites pas de la mauvaise musique REM mais pas besoin de venir faire vos interessant une enième fois dans le générateur.

Good, I guess

Depri

It was good but more something I would listen to I'm the background while reading.

3.5, love them but this album isn't my favorite

"Stand" and "Orange Crush" are personal favorites, but the rest of the album doesn't clear the bar they set. Still, R.E.M. is pretty solid background music.

I can't seriously listen to "Stand" without thinking of the great Parks and Recreation episode where they play it over and over through a malfunctioning PA system. It's a good R.E.M. record. I can't help but compare it to "Automatic For the People" and "Out Of Time" which I think are better albums. I noticed that the latter hasn't popped up yet even though it has their most popular song, "Losing My Religion". If this is on this list then I can't imagine that album not being on this list. I like the band but it feels like just a little bit of a lot of R.E.M. I hate that one idea of "ok, is every record by this band going to be on this list? Is that maybe a little too much?" is pervading my review, but I can't help it. Besides that, the record is good and solid. Nice 3/5.

2.5/5

first listen meh

3/5. Solid album with a few good tunes. Heard some deep tracks I had never heard that I liked. I thought the singer was really on his game during this record.

I think I said on a prior albums on this list, REM for me peaked around Life's Rich Pageant, and though I listened to this and Document a lot when they came out, they wore out for me. REM doing its REM thing that it pretty much did for the duration, until it stopped.

not the type of music i usually listen to, but i liked it more than i was expecting! R.E.M definitely has a very unique and distinct sound. i liked the voice/singing at first but after a while it did start to hurt my ears a bit. overall, i thought most of the songs were pretty good. my favorite was “stand”.

This is clearly a pretty important transition point from early R.E.M. to 90s radio friendly R.E.M. Good for what it is, but it's no "Murmur."

I read that R.E.M. were learning about bubble gum pop songs from the 60s when they wrote some of these tracks, and it shows. A weird transition from their usual impenetrable lyrics to very simple and seemingly meaningless songs like "Stand". "Orange Crush" is still a top tune, though, so can't completely slam it.

вайбово

Что-то как-то... опопсели они в сравнении с дебютником. Хотя опять же, забегая вперёд и зная, что потом они выпустят офигительно известную поп-рок песню, можно сказать, что это закономерно. Любимое - Orange Crush. Мне чем-то напомнило сразу и Pearl Jam, и U2. Про U2 сравнение вообще очевидно, про Pearl Jam - наверное, не особо. P.S. Я не знаю почему, но местами я подумал, что это чем-то напоминает мейнстримный российский рок 90х-00: ДДТ каких-нибудь там, Мальчики-мажоры вот это всё.

3,5

Pretty good

Orange crush is zo'n fijn nummer. Verder ben ik niet weg van deze plaat, maar absoluut goed te hebben.

alright alt rock album, with some grunge undercurrents

Solid collection of fun, catchy pop songs 6/10

3.5/5

Honestly this was just fine. I was never a huge R.E.M. fan; maybe it has to do with the slightly annoying singing. Found the album to be solid from start to finish. 6/10.

Didn’t really connect with this, nothing stood out

Weak 3 star. Three good songs, the rest is barf dude.

I guess for influential, this is an influential album because it lead to the next one. But considering how successful "Out of Time" was, I'm surprised this one is selected.

It was... fine. Definitely didn't love it but there are some solid songs. Soft 3

This was okay… fine to have on. No complaints

Kinda meh. Sounds like the soundtrack to a punk-ish coming of age movie. I can see people vibing to it, but it isn't particularly interesting to me.

A bit sleepy and unfocused. The two big singles from this one are overrated. Best track: World Leader Pretend

For the most part, it's decent. I would like R.E.M more but Michael Stipe's voice just irritates the hell out of me. That said, Orange Crush is an all time classic. On the opposite end, Stand is one of my least favourite tracks. Never liked that song even though it was a sizeable hit. Overall it's OK.

This was a nice album. Unfortunately I can't say much more, it came and went. I see that it is lauded, and I am a fan of REM, but it wasn't memorable.

Didn't know what I was expecting to going into a R.E.M album but I enjoyed this. Short and well balanced album.

I enjoyed it 3.25/5

Meh

Sigh. I will admit that there is some R.E.M. that I get and enjoy, and other R.E.M. that I don't really get. This album has a certain sameness to a lot of the material which makes it hard to get excited about what is almost certainly great musicianship and songwriting. The lone exception is "Orange Crush" which just appears as a total breath of fresh air out of nowhere in the middle of the album. "World Leader Pretend" was a fairly big hit for them but is in the same idiom as the rest of the album. I wasn't impressed. I know there are R.E.M albums I like a lot. This isn't one of them. It's fine.

Track 7 yum. Anyone want to go to Metro this weekend?

Didn't really do too much for me. Orange Crush was a jam though

Lauren was not down to listen to NIN. So we compromised with R.E.M. Doesn't do too much for me but it does blow my mind that this came out in 88. Sounds pretty ahead of its time. Some stand(outs) to me were obviously Stand, I Remember Cali, and Orange Crush. I loved playing that song on Rock Band

Jangling and nice but a bit bland for me.

R.E.M. is one of those bands that are only a few standard deviations away from me loving them. It’s a little bit of Dylan, a little bit of alt rock, but the package just never comes together for me. Not bad, just not something I really enjoyed.

this is imo the median rem album — nothing super special, and even then they’re a 2-4 band for me basically always.

Apart from "Orange Crush", I wasn't familiar with anything on this album, but I quite like the album.

Easy to have on in the background again. Nothing special and no standouts for me

I have a love-hate relationship with REM. I do know that I tend to like their earlier works. Haven’t dived into their discog in a while, but I remember not liking anything after Life’s Rich Pageant (my favorite album of theirs). Upon relistening to this, I’m pretty sure my opinion still stands. There were tracks that I actually really liked such as You are Everything, World Leader Pretend, and Untitiled. There’s one song in particular that I really can’t “Stand” that I feel has no place in the album at all. Admittedly, the instrumentation is solid throughout, and there are some catchy hooks like on Orange Crush, even though I don’t particularly like that song. Edit: couple listens in I like it a bit better now, I was gonna go for a 2, but I’ll settle with a 3

Pop song: 3 Get up: 2 You are the everything: 3 Stand: 4 World leader: 4 Wrong child: 3 Orange Crush: 5🔥🔥🔥🔥 Turn you inside out: 2 Hair shirt:3 Gong to California: 3.5 Untitled: Overall: Solid but not amazing outside of orange crush. A few others songs i may throw in the rotation. I think all of my least favorite tracks were the ones with th backup vocals echoing the lead. That shit didn’t work and was annoying. REM has always seemed a bit gimmicky to me. Some combination of the nasaly vocal and often odd song material/lyrics. I like the gimmick, but if someone else doesn’t, I get it. Best: orange crush, stand, world leader MMM: FOLLOW ME DONT FOLLOW ME GOT MY SPINE GOT MY ORANNNNGE CRUSH

Ok listen, R.E.M. remains a band that I don’t mind listening to, but don’t love it. Solid 3

Identifying R.E.M. : It’s R.E.M.

Excellent 2nd outing with Scott Litt producing. The previous album, Document, changed everything for me and REM, and this is a good next step. Nice to hear the mandolins again :-)

After the thrill of their fifth album “Document”, one year later R.E.M hone their sound in a more commercial direction… with slightly more mixed results. “Green” is certainly confident, often catchy, and definitely polished, but there’s a discernible drop in overall quality. Sure, “Pop Song 89” is a lithe and lively opener. “World Leader Pretend”’s statement packs a decent punch with chewy minor chords and lilting slide guitar. But one of the main issues here is a lack of thematic or tonal consistency. “Get Up” and “Stand” are both earworms and good fun to jump around and sing along to, but they’re also obnoxiously peppy pop songs with cloying refrains (“GET up! GET up! GET up!” “Now face north!”) and nursery rhyme-style melodies. Fun on a first listen, and still fun on a fifth…. but perhaps not much longevity beyond that. On the other end of the scale, the band suddenly veer towards whiplash-inducing dark and brooding songs (the cavernous “The Wrong Child” and “Hairshirt” are dirges to wallow in, weight without gravity). Mandolin is back with a vengeance here, edging closer towards its star turn in “Losing My Religion”. It’s best utilised on sleepy, quietly arresting “You Are The Everything”, the high point of the album as far as ballads are concerned. It might pull itself too roughly in drastically different directions, but I still enjoy much of “Green”. Arriving right in the middle, its best single song is “Orange Crush”, which deftly marries the two opposing styles described above. There’s an opaque-bordering on nonsensical lyric, gimmicky call-and-response vocal and mysterious, dark undertone, but it walks the line between all three very well. More of this would have been lovely.

Oop, someone bought a mandolin.

I can respect the songwriting and the themes of these, but I find their sound underwhelming and Michael Stipe's voice annoying. Hard for me to understand why some people were calling them the best band in the world when this came out.

Wish I liked R.E.M. more, but I just find it mostly middling. It's not quite avant-garde enough, it still has its feet planted in accessibility and familiarity of song structures that I've never vibed with them much. I do respect Michael Stipe though.

Good revisit.

Soi ihan nätisti ja ei tarjoa kummoisia nousuja tai laskuja. Tältä levyltä ei varmasti ole paljoa matskua suurimpien hittien kokoelmaan tarjolla.

Tasasesti hyvä

Rock

C'est quand même un album solide, j'aimais beaucoup des pièces qui n'étaient pas des singles. Vers la fin l'album commençait à se sentir étiré un peu par contre. Mais généralement c'est un son très solide pour REM. 7/10

C'est bon REM, j'aime bien c'est plus mon genre de grunge de ces années là. Celui-ci est bien, mais l'autre de la liste est mieux. 3.85

An album that really requires a few listens before the quality of the songs sinks in. Particularly liked Stand and Orange Crush and the lyrical complexity along with the memorable riffs and melodies. I'll never be a big fan of REM but this is a decent album

This album relies on the mandolin than any other rock record that I can think of. A good record but I’m not a big REM fan so I’m not at all blown away by it.

For the most part, I feel like the album was kinda bland. There are a few tracks that stand out more (Pop Song 89, Orange Crush, Turn You Inside-Out), but nothing that really captivated me.

Nice alt-rock. Nothing outstanding but overall very enjoyable.

Never been much of a fan. I get their appeal and see/hear that they are talented, but they've just never been my bag.

Trying very hard to ‘get’ REM beyond the master singles and the odd album - but this one - besides a few really good tracks - again kind of leaves me underwhelmed.

actually i like green but only the color

Another pleasant surprise! Never dug REM, and still don’t to a certain extent! However, this was inoffensive and pleasant to hear! Wouldn’t rush to it again, but wouldn’t switch it off either. So another solid 3 star effort.

They have a very distinctive sounds don’t they!? This is ok. Simply ok. I think they did better songs later on but they’re all kinda similar

Pretty 90s winey

I suspect tell REM fans will tell me I’m wrong but I rather liked everything after Green more than Green and before. Still some excellent tracks here - Orange Crush and World Leader Pretend stand out - and a highly polished, mature album.

I believe this was the 1st REM tape I ever bought. I fully came around to their greatness after hearing Automatic For The People. This was 1993 I think. They would become one of my favorite bands ever. "Pop Song 89"-Great song. Catchy and energetic and playful. 8 "Get Up"-not their best song, but decent filler, which REM is capable of, for better or worse. 4 "You Are Everything"-what a beautiful song. 7 "Stand"-Of course I've heard it a billion times. It's undeniable and annoying. Peter Buck rules this song. Great solo. It modulates. Stupid video. Get a Life. 9 "World Leader Pretend"-Forgot how good this one is. Mike Mills piano FTW 8 The Wrong Child-this one doesn't floor me at all. Filler 3 Orange Crush-Badass song. More Peter Buck brilliance. One of his most rockin performances. "The One I Love" retread. Sort of. Plus a little vietnam or something and soda? 10 Turn You Inside Out is filler. Its ok. 'Finest Worksong" with a dumb chorus of "I believe in watching you" or "what you do". Its not important. 4 Hairshirt is no Harbourcoat. This album is starting run out of steam. 4 ' I dont remember I remember California. probably a reason for that. They had already released Out of Time and Automatic by the time i heard tyhis full record. No time for bad REM. That would come later.4 Untitled. more filler. 4 I fucking love REM This is good. The highs are high enough and the filler is filler. they will make a better record next time. And an even better one after that. Green is a 6 of an album. 3 stars for a 5 star band.

Again, a fine album with a couple iffy tracks, but nothing I'd count among their best work.

Härlig lite gnällig musik. Tycker om det, om än lite tråkigt i längden

how the hell was this their 6th album? REM have this knack of having a few songs that are grungey, interesting and really good surrounded by the most dull middle of the road boring shit. In this albums case, orange crush, stand and pop song 89 are worth listening to, the rest of it is not.

One Saturday morning I was in Debenhams with my daughter. A store worker was doing a demo of some invisible ink, whereby he would write something on his arm and cover it up with the ink and it would disappear, much to the amazement of my 5 year old. I was forced to buy some and she had a wonderful afternoon being a little magician. She soon tired herself out and whilst she was asleep on my lap, I decided to have some fun. I called my wife over to watch as I wrote "twat" on my daughter's forehead. My wife told me to grow up and was not impressed by the invisibility at all. The following day I get a call from my daughter's school. They tell me that someone had written something on my daughter's head and explained that all of the other students were being questioned and not allowed to leave until one of them had owed up to writing it. Turns out the insivibilty ink wears out after several hours, so over the course of the morning, the word "twat" slowly appeared on her forehead. They never did find out who the culprit was.

Alright

It’s rem sure, love the band but, outside of Orange Crush I wasn’t taken with this record overly

Some good tunes here, but it's nothing against their Automatic for The People album.

Nothing wrong with this, but it's kinda bland alternative. Some of the singles are still getting played on the radio in 2023 so that's something. Non-single tracks not worth talking about. There is a truly fantastic 6/5 REM album if you cherry pick across their whole career, but this album on its own is a 3/5.

Above average Standouts: Stand, Orange Crush, Pop Song '89 Singles: -------------------------------- Orange Crush (#1 US Alt & #1 Rock, #28 UK) Stand (#1 US Alt & #1 US Rock, #6 USA, #48 UK) Pop Song '89 (US Alt, #16, US Rock #14, USA #86) Get up (Failed to get up on the charts). Rating: 3.5

I’ve actually looked forward to diving into REM but man this was a big disappointment for me, and I’m normally an alt glazer. These guys were trailblazers for the genre but this is just so so meh. Like genuinely I don’t think a single track captivated me or moved me in any kind of way. As each track played through, the anticipation was building more and more to absolutely no payoff. I usually have notes for tracks I dig, but there’s just nothing man. Only thing saving this from being a 1 star is that there’s 1000% genuine shit on here, I think I’m just misunderstanding this one.

"Stand" reminds me of They Might Be Giants, which I have a soft spot for. Orange Crush is a decent song, and I didn't care for the rest. My opinion on R.E.M. hasn't changed much. I find their music boring and uninspiring

I can’t stand REM’s voice. Songs are decent, but I can’t say I enjoy it

nothing special :/ tho there's a specific part i liked in get up

I liked the first half but the second half was less strong. Found a couple I will add to my collection though

Everything is nice and shiny; but the pixie dust is long gone. Reckoning is their masterpiece. Murmur was a stunning debut. Life's Rich Pageant and Fables of the Reconstruction are rewarding listens. Those early works feature a raw energy, earnest groping for voice, and gorgeous ambiguous quality (both sonically and lyrically) that (through some serious black magic) combined to create an incredible emotional current. When they moved to Warner, cleaned up the sound, and Michael Stipe went from enigmatic eccentric to deep and sensitive, <POOF>. The emotional punch pops up, here, in spots. But mostly it gets lost in the clarity, which somehow flattens the experience; reveals that they're middling musicians making pop music for misfit children. I can't say I'm surprised that Dimery chooses TWO albums from their Warner years, and none (so far, 700 albums in) from their artistically and historically important period. But I'm still disappointed.

Bad

achei generico e tedioso

bleh

Folk/rock crossover album from REM

i didn't even realise i finished listening and the album started looping... pretty unremarkable

See the musical talent and the appeal not really my type of music though

WHY SO MANY R.E.M. IN THIS, COMPLETELY NEFARIOUS

I can't stand this dudes voice.

had no effect whatsoever

A lot of the songs sounded the same to be on this album, it’s not really my sound it almost feels unfinished to me

I have always had a thorough dislike for R.E.M. but perhaps that stance has softened a bit over the years. A bit. But this album reminded exactly why I never could stand them. Michael Stipe’s inane lyrics and quavering whine are on full display here. Hard pass.

I liked the mandolin, but most of it seemed pretty generic otherwise Favorite: Hairshirt

5.5/10 It isn't really my kind of music, but objectively, I'd say the lyrics are really thoughtful, they carefully considered each word and created great and deep meaning within the songs. Now, talking bout the performance and instrumental stuff, I didn't really like the voice nor some of the guitar tunes. Some songs are nice but I wouldn't listen often

Cool color but I’m not too crazy about the album. Automatic For the People was nice but this era of R.E.M. just feels like the Smiths but I’d much rather listen to the Smiths.

World leader pretend tycker jag är en rätt bra låt. I övrigt tycker jag det är väldigt anonymt. Inte dåligt men heller inget som berör mig.

This album got me questioning what I enjoy about music

Well, I usually like REM very much and actually love a number of their albums., I’ve never actually listen to this album before. I found it, whining, dragging, and trying to listen to.

i'm starting to fear that i just don't really like rock music fave track: orange crush

Meh af

meh 2/5

+ Pop Song 89 For mye mandolin REM er ikke helt for meg

Fine, average rock album

No one should have to hear Stand ever again.

Classic but not their best, IMO

I became irate about people's constant trash talk around Taylor Swift while listening to this album. I really disliked the sound and singing on this album. However, I can respect that it's just not MY music. I will not make sweeping accusations against R.E.M. as musicians nor their artistry-- as others fail to do about many famous "mainstream" female artists...

Pretty boring. The lead singer has a good voice, a bit like if the “Bueller” teacher from Ferris Bueller could sing, but the album has the personality to match. Obviously I love Losing my Religion, but they haven’t found that groove here. Anyway, I won’t give up on REM - but I’m close.

Bland noise

Niet voor mij. Paar oke nummers. Snap de stijl

I am learning that I really just do not like R.E.M.

I can sense why people might have found this fresh and exciting in 1988. I'm not so excited in 2026

bland af. not much to separate this and murmur, unless I’m missing something. Mostly made me realise hate hate hate Stipe's voice. Probably one of my least favourite singers of all time - I dunno why. 3.5 / 10

Second album on the generator. Can see why it's popular, but not for me.

this was fine. i really dont remember much tho

Rapidement Évacué de ma Mémoire. 2.49 étoiles

Meh. It was this album where Stipe's schtick started to annoy me. Seems like an easy one to swap out for something more interesting.

Good enough. Not amazing."Get Up" is the one.

its ok, cool early alt rock but nothing standing out to me

I'm not sure what it is that doesn't click with me and REM. They are lacking something for me and I can't quite put my finger on it. Rock, but without any bite and aggression? Pop, but with a voice that it's a bit tepid? Hooks, but without the soul to make you believe? It's not for a lack of trying over the years, on paper a band I should very much like, in reality a band that leaves me pretty indifferent. One into the sound the album picks up in the middle a bit, but not enough for the plaudits it gets.

Great drums.

I don't know, it's fine. I have no drive to ever listen to it again.

I've always thought of R.E.M. as merely ok. I still think that. This is a 2.5 star situation but such half measures are prohibited so I will cruelly round down.

meh

occasionally manages to break out a catchy line or some interesting sounds, but mostly it's just vocally slightly unpleasant to listen to and overall deeply unmemorable.

I don't really like REM, but I get that they are good at what they do. I just find it boring.

Another one where I'm thinking surely there are better albums by this band, why are we listening to this one? I thought to myself if REM were playing a big show would even *one* song from this record make it on the set list? I was curious so I googled and found their 2003 Glastonbury headline set. The answer is no.

Unfortunately I found the tone/sound of the lead singer’s voice so monotonous and dull that I could focus on little else during the album. Not a fan.

Siendo súper honesto no me gustó ninguna y la voz de mi compadre no me gusta, es como que la escucho y veo en mi mente EU pero reconozco que hay una banda de renombre pero pa mi no fue lo grande

Not my style

I appreciate 80s punk for the critical voice they often gave a megaphone. More modern musicians should follow their footsteps and stick their necks out, especially in times like these. However, I really don't like the sound of 80s punk/alternative rock. It just sounds corny man.

safa bien si

I don't like his voice

I don’t particularly like REM and I liked their other album better.

Eh. Fine. But none of their great songs. Classic rem sound tho.

This feels like the start of a new era for REM I liked the earlier albums better This is the point where I realized they were a singles-only band for me

l'in3 eme album proposé après 'Document' (3/5) et 'Automatic For The People' (2/5). Chronologiquement ce nouvel album se place entre les 2 précédents. Et sa note va plutôt basculer vers celle du plus récent. L'introduction de la mandoline va mener à des morceaux folk et/ou très ennuyeux ('You Are the Everything', 'The Wrong Child', 'Hairshirt' par exemple). De plus les morceaux rock sont vraiment très mous (le terme 'metal side' m'a fait bien rire ... Venom l'avait utilisé pour son album 'Black Metal' et c'était là totalement justifié). Bref, ce mélange ne m'a pas convaincu. =>2/5

ah sei lá nao me desce mto nao falta sal, um temperinho. nn sei explicar, eh bem qualquer coisa isso aqui

From what I read it's the first album from R.E.M. I liked the lyrics of songs (lik you are everything and orange crush). Just many pop beats which im not the biggest fan of

Uninteresting.

It’s ok

419/1089 - The weakest one I've had from them so far. Not sure why, just kinda annoying timbre-wise. My final list ranking is Murmur > Automatic > Document > Green.

Ok. I think that R.E.M. is difficult to rate because 1. the nostalgia 2. the amount that R.E.M. influenced a ton of the 90’s punk and pop punk that I enjoy. Here’s the deal… I just didn’t love it as an album. It wasn’t bad, there were songs I liked. But I’m not an album person and listening to Green reminded me why. Some of these songs would be awesome in a playlist but I just… wasn’t into the combination. Season: Late Summer Favorite Song: World Leader Pretend

bit boring

Syns det va ganske møkk. Kleine teksta, klein vokal og ka skjer med koringa PÅ ALLE LÅTAN?

Eigentlich okay, aber irgendwie nervt's mich unglaublich

This sounds very boring to me

REM can fuck right off. Maybe it was my time in the restaurant industry, years of being forced to listen to their grating music, but they persona non grata in these headphones.

First time listening, almost to the standard of ‘good’, but why is that boring? Who want to listen to this over and over again?

favs: pop song 89 world leader pretend orange crush i remember california rating 2/5

kinda album that needs a second listen so

It's weird to listen to whiny pop punk rock that I don't like because it isn't familiar to me. I feel like if I listened to this when I was younger or if I had some emotional attachment to this, I'd like it. It's no worse than Front Bottoms, but I have such an affection for the bad singing there and it just doesn't do anything for me. there were some technically well made songs, with some good bass lines and guitar riffs, but the singing and melodies were just really rough for a lot of it.

Maybe I am missing something, but I don't really 'get' REM. Who is their audience? Not me, I guess. It all seems very competent and polished, but I don't find it at all moving. There's no edge. It trundles along pleasantly throughout.

Didn't like it all that much; prefer their first 2 albums that had a more folkie, less political lean.

Wanted to like it more than I did

Exactly what I hoping, nothing, standard music and nothing new or something that would make it worth it

I've honestly never understood the R.E.M-hype. But I thought I'd give this album a proper chance and sat down to listen to it fully. It's not bad by any means, but its also nothing spectacular imo. Its just... bland. This is definitely dad music.

Alright - I feel like their other albums would be more interesting

It might be because I'm half listening during work. But I haven't been jamming with the last couple albums. and looking at the future albums.. I might not enjoy them either.

2.5

80s

R.E.M, de meest invloedrijkste band uit de jaren 90, hoog gewaardeerd en in het rijtje van meest legendarische bands. Maar waarom dat precies is weet ik eigenlijk niet. Ik vond het erg weinig hebben. Ik vind je liedjes saai en niet leuk, ik vind zijn stem erg jankerig en vervelend om te horen, de mandoline vind ik qua instrument vaak stom en in dit geval dus ook. De band gaf mij om de een of andere reden Raccoon vibes en counting crows. Daarvoor 2 sterren

“You’re drifting off to sleep with your teeth in your mouth” I found this lyric to be highly relatable. Thanks R.E.M.

Sounds a like a generic late 80s album, if I heard it on the radio I would think "yup that's radio music". World Leader Pretend is a good song though it sounds a bit like The Smiths but American. "The Wrong Child" and "I Remember California" are good but other than that it's unremarkable. I don't think I will be revisiting this album.

Not my jam

Meh - maybe just because this is on the later side of their catalog and I like the earlier stuff, but nothing about this record really grabs me.

I'm a big fan, but with a qualification. Their sound never really changed, give or take a few tweaks. I tanked at Document and Green, which is a very very long time ago now...as they weren't doing anything better than Life's Rich Pageant/Fables of the Reconstruction/Reckoning. Those three records were so good, so so good, that what came after paled. So in going back to Green, it is a good record but they'd been there done that, I'd already heard it. But, and I mean but, that's not a criticism per se, just this record didn't excite me like the earlier ones. Having hurtled through space and time to arrive at listening to this in 2026 deadbeats, I still feel the same. I'm listening now to Life's Rich Pageant and wishing I was back in 1986...

r.e.m. r.e.m never changes, to nawiazanie do innego hamerykanskiego klasycznego dziela kulturowego powinno mi wystarczyc jako podsumowanie po tym odsluchu, bo calkowicie nic sie nie zmienilo w porownaniu z ich dwoma ostatnimi pojawieniami sie na liscie, zdecydowanie najbardziej monotonne granie ktore az tyle razy sie pojawilo, a nadal nie jestem na tyle smutny, lub zbyt dziwny, zeby czerpac glebsza przyjemnosc z tak normickiego doomowania, ale jak patrze po ocenach to chyba jest to jeden z najbardziej popularnych bandow na liscie z wysokowa stala ocena, wiec moze idealnie pasuje jako muzyka nastoletnich hamerykanskich krytykow muzycznych listujacych na tej stronce, na plejke dodam orange crusha

I don’t know what it is about his voice but it just makes me sad. Even on the pop titled song, I just feel sad. I don’t think I’ll listen to this again. I just am not a fan of the sound or what it’s saying

Bissl langweilig

Lame

Not one of their best but not their worst. After arguably peaking with the release of Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985, R.E.M. tapered off their innovations and artistry with the subsequent two albums, Life's Rich Pageant and Document. With the release of Green, the band begins their full pivot into international pop stardom... nuff said.

> album is called Green > cover isn't even green Eh, not for me. Orange Crush and I Remember California were highlights but that's about it

Standouts: Orange Crush - this song feels the most defined in the whole album I Remember California - I like the dark ones of this Struggling to rate this one. By modern standards it's a 2 but everyone praising this like it's god's gift to music made me do some reading and surprisingly a lot of alt/grunge bands give this band credit for being one of the original alternative bands. That's nice and all but I know albums from bands I would consider "alt-rock" from way before this album. I respect this band for experimenting in the music space but they unfortunately this isn't an album that landed for me. I think they managed to find their groove in the darker songs and it works really well. The rest of the album is a more of a soft tone and I don't think his voice suits it. High 2/Low 3

Solid album, but not standout

Lite meh, blir bättre på 90talet men helt ok easylistening gnäll

Usch vad trist det är, och har dessutom svårt för rösten. Orange Crush och Untitled räddar den från ettan som är farligt nära.

Väldigt blandat, men det dåliga väger tyngre än det bra tycker jag

Vart har man hört turn you inside out? Känns som GTA? Iaf. Ruggig radiomusik! Skulle inte byta kanal men liksom... Rör inte direkt upp några känslor hos den här Dinon.

Ett bra band begravt bakom sina hits? Hmm. Är inte helt övertygad än. Har tappat i betyg för varje lyssning. Amerikanska The Smiths? Möjligt att det här är ett offer för dagsformen. Stark tvåa :P

okay so it was a hard listen cus tbh i wasn’t feeling her so skipped the day and now i’m JUST listening to it with another 3 albums behind.. a pretty solid rock record just not on my frequency. favs: orange crush!

STAAAAAND IN THE PLACE WHERE YOU WEEEEEHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

mid

Quite an average 80s rock album for me. Not a ton of interesting things going on and it seems that R.E.M. and their style are not my favorite, at least at this point in their career.

Pretty bland tbh, wouldn't go out my way to listen again. Orange crush is the one standout tune though

didnt really like it

Un peu chialeux et redondant

i don't know what it is but i really don't like it. maybe it's his voice (whose? apparently michael stipe is his name). i mean it just is failing to move me. it's listenable i guess which is why i'm not rating it 1 star. maybe i'm missing something. this is supposedly an incredibly popular and influential band? but from the beginning i was wishing for something more and simultaneously for it to just be over already.

Well not my type of music

Jpp du rock

It’s got a couple songs I liked. But I don’t know. I just didn’t do it for me.

Not enjoying at all, and giving it a lower rating because I expected to like it more - it seems like the sort of album I should like but it feels really mid, the songs all sound the same and I would prefer more experimentation. There is not a single song I could even hum back after first listen, very unmemorable. Slightly preferred the second half. Hairshirt is the only one I'm into.

not particularly memorable

I was deeply disappointed by their magnum opus, A.F.T.P., but found this one more palatable, maybe closer to 2.3 stars. At this rate, they might even make it to 3! I have a feeling I’m not done with them yet on this list.

Didnt find it very interesting, some nice moments in it for sure, but i didnt like the vocals, song structures and though alot of them came off as cheesy

Whimsical. Each one of the band members comes off as genuinely nice in interviews. But I really can't stand the majority of their oevre. I remember kind of liking Monster and a couple of songs from Up (neither being fan favourites I think), but I'd need to refresh that memory to see if it's still actually true. Anyway... I didn't enjoy this, and I have serious doubts about R.E.M. having more than one album here because those albums on this list all sound exactly the same.

I try so hard with REM. I sit down and listen intently. I clear distractions. I make sure I’m in a good mood. I do everything to try and like them, for I know they are so influential to more than a handful of my favorite bands. And yet, I can never get into it. I never enjoy it apart from the hits- and I don’t even like all the hits. This album does absolutely nothing for me but I’m glad that there are people out there that love it.

Pretty mid really. It's music, lowercase m. No standouts.

Liked it better than Document

Pretty solid R.E.M. album but not my favorite. I think it deserves an average rating without knowing any historical significance or why it hit a top 100 chart. I'll give it a fair 4/10

R.E.M. always has interesting lyrics, but i never liked them very much. This album had two hits (“Orange Crush” and “Stand”) that I know of. Lots of mandolin on this album, which helps a bit.

Like, I love R.E.M., but not his record. I have no idea why this is on the list? It's the most tepid, bland version of R.E.M. Nothing is like, bad, but nothing is good either.

Found this REM album annoying and whiny

I like REM in theory and Orange Crush is a good song, but this album was never did it for me.

I agree with the general consensus that R.E.M. haven't really aged well. Not enough going on in most of these songs and lyrics that don't really resonate these days. Orange Crush is pretty good though.

A few good songs but a lot of cringe. This album is where the band stops being interesting for me

A lot poppier than I expected. Orange Crush especially is repetitive but with a really strong hook, so no wonder it's a radio hit. Favorite track: You are the everything, because it's the one that stood out to me with its folk rock ambience.

Jangly guitars, reverb, and nasal singing are a combo that I don't particularly enjoy to be honest. I found myself enjoying the ballads a lot more just because the rest of the band calmed down a bit for them. I Remember California is an unexpected highlight, I love that kind of sinister shit. Orange Crush still a banger too. I think R.E.M are one of those bands where I'm happy to stick to the singles.

I don't think this album's aged very gracefully. I'm sure it would have been a more palatable listen back when R.E.M's sound was fresher, but I've heard enough of their music in my time to be pretty tired of the bland, meandering songs that make up the majority of this album. Special mention to Stand for managing to break the monotony though by being such a god awful, corny song that it immediately wakes you up from the stupor induced by the rest of the album as you reach for the skip button. I know R.E.M have better songs than what's on display here so I'll try to check out some other albums some time. Favourite tracks: The Wrong Child, Hairshirt, Orange Crush

Rem makes me so frustrated. How can a band that makes the song orange crush surround it with the dullest songs? They do this on every one of their stupid albums. Two or three absolute bangers and then jangly mumbly boring the rest of the album. My once a decade romantic idea that rem is good actually after listening to losing my religion one too many times always ends in heartbreak.

Not a fan

I just don't really like R.E.M. Sometimes, it's the fact that the music is too jangly. Other times, it's Michael Stipe being really "Michael Stipe"-ey. On this album, it's usually both.

Stand

I've nothing to say about this album that I didn't say in the last R.E.M review. R.E.M fucking sucks bro I just zoned out the entire time and when I came back to I thought I was still listening to the same shitty REM song.

R.E.M. does to former apprentices what the sound of a passing helicopter does to vietnam veterans.

To start, I am going to focus on the parts of this album I like. You Are the Everything is a good little acoustic piece, the accordion track is great here. World Leader Pretend is proof that any song is improved with a slide guitar. The rest of this side ranges from ok to ass. Orange Crush is the best song on this album, Turn You Inside-Out is great, Hairshirt is on the border of endearing and annoying and ends up falling into the latter despite a nice instrumental track. All other songs on this album are either forgettable or make me want to forget listening to this (Stand is the biggest fucking piece of shit I wanted to turn this off when it did its key change). A few good songs do not salvage this album, I have no interest in listening to this again. Highlights: Orange Crush, Turn You Inside-Out

Didn't really stand out to me

Meh, not my favorite REM album, I had never heard this one before. Orange Crush is really good though. 2 stars

Like all the other REM albums, this one is saved from a 1 star rating by virtue of Peter Buck doing interesting things with the guitar (and other related instruments). 2 stars. Side note: I really don't understand how REM has 4 albums in the 1001. Glad to have finally listened to all 4 so I don't need to listen to any more of their albums.

Great guitar riffs when they’re not on the mandolin. Put down the fucking mandolin. The singing in a super heavy American twang and mandolin throws me off though. Don’t care for this. Doesn’t make me feel much; occasional great riffs offset by aside annoyance at singing and mandolin 

Accessible, inoffensive, milquetoast alt rock that I liked less and less as the album went on. Blah

Not quite what I expected from R.E.M. Their material does mostly sound like their hits but without any sauce -- ending up as mostly bland, uninspired rock with a few mild acoustic cuts I didn’t care for. To his credit, Michael Stipe’s voice keeps the band recognizable, but he barely ever changes it up, and by the end of the album his delivery really starts to grate. Standout: Stand