25 years later, my infatuation for R.E.M.’s album, “Document,” endures.
Just gotta start with the songs, man!
11. “Finest Worksong.” I was in 3rd
grade. I had to mow our enormous back lawn. I had a Walkman. I found a cassette
tape in our “junk drawer.” I plopped it in. I turned it up. This song came on.
The song is firing on all cylinders. Rhythm section, guitar, vocals, horns.
Damn. The line “what we want and what we need has been confused” has stuck with
me since that day.
22. “Welcome to the Occupation.” Ah, the namesake of
my nerdy blog. WTF does it even mean? I’m not sure but it applies to so many
things. Michael Stipe at his ambiguously clever best. Peter Buck’s
jingle-jangle guitar is just a thing of beauty. “LISTEN TO ME!”
33. “Exhuming McCarthy.” The ends never justify the
means. “Sharpening stones, walking on coals, to improve your business acumen.” (Yeah.
That’s in a pop song). I wonder if Romney has heard this one?
44. “Disturbance at the Heron House.” Alt Country.
Post Punk. College Rock. Genres that had no place until these dudes.
55. “Strange.” There’s something going on that’s not
quite right. A good song for those type of moments, right?
66. “The End of the World (And I Feel Fine).”
Optimism in the face of annihilation? Clever song. I still can’t keep up with
Michael Stipe, but I try.
77. “The One I Love.” R.E.M.’s quintessential “hit”
(prior to “Losing My Religion.”) I was 9 years old. I didn’t know it was a hit.
I just loved to sing along. It took a while for the clever contradiction in the
lyrics to make me smile: “This one goes out to the one I love/a simple prop to
occupy my time. FIRE!” (Ouch).
88. “Fireplace.” “Crazy, crazy, world. Crazy, crazy,
times…”
99. “Lightnin’ Hopkins.” Post-punk, Pre-grunge sweet
spot.
110. “King of Birds.” I absolutely LOVE the post-civil-war-hillbilly-guitar in this song. Peter Buck is so effing rad. Add Bill Berry’s army-march
drums and its just a badass song.
111. “Oddfellows
Local 151.” Post punk/Pre grunge sweet spot. Again. No wonder Kurt Cobain loved these guys…
So glad I found that cassette in our junk drawer in 1987. So glad my older brother Scott left it lying around. Happy 25th Birthday, Document!
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