tunes you need Tuesday: R.E.M. Document

If I had and actual plan for Tunes You Need Tuesday, I would have started with Murmur, then either Fables of the Reconstruction or Lifes Rich Pageant (haven't decided which), then Document, and end with Green.  

But The Kerry Blog doesn't often follow a plan and the author often flies by the seat of her (capri) pants.  If you've been reading for any length of time, you're probably aware of this.  

So, let's take a look at Document, the last album R.E.M. released under the I.R.S. label.  If you read last week's Tunes, you know that Green was the first album the band made under Warner Bros. and how different that album was from previous albums.  Document is a great album for many reasons.  It has more of a rock feel, more mainstream than the earlier albums that have that college rock sound they were known for previously. 

And now for the "Page" side of Document, from back in the day when albums had sides. 

The first song on the album is "Finest Worksong," a great song that I've always liked, particularly for the way Michael Stipe sings the word "rearranged."  You'll find a fab different version of this song with horns on the compilation album Eponymous as well.  I've always thought "Finest Worksong" to be the perfect first song because the energy is great and I find it hard to sit still while listening.  Here's the only way to kick off our listening party, "Finest Worksong."

01 Finest Worksong

Next on Document is "Welcome To The Occupation," a darker song before the upbeat "Exhuming McCarthy."  "Exhuming McCarthy" starts with the click-clack of typewriter keys, features fantastic horns, and the sound clip from the McCarthy hearings ("have you no sense of decency, sir?") which makes it sound unlike other R.E.M. songs.  This song is enjoyable.  

03 Exhuming McCarthy

"Disturbance At The Heron House" is another good song in the upbeat vain of "Exhuming McCarthy."  There's something I love about the line "the call came in to Party Central" that I love, as well as the refrain "to try to tell us something we don't know."  I really like the beginning guitar part of this song.  A real gem on Document is "Strange."  I've always liked this little song, and after checking out Wikipedia, I found out "Strange" was first recorded by a band called Wire (who I've never heard of).  It's a fun song and isn't found on any of R.E.M.'s compilations, so naturally I gravitate toward songs like that.  Take a listen.

05 Strange

The last song on the "Page" side of Document is "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)."  I'm assuming everyone knows this song, it's a classic.  I thought I'd throw in the video because I hadn't seen it in a while and thought maybe some of you haven't either.  Fun stuff.  

http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40

R.E.M. – It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

The "Leaf" side of the album begins with "The One I Love," which was R.E.M.'s first hit single.  It reached #9 on Billboard and had a visually stunning video to accompany it.  The song is an interesting one, it has three verses, nearly identical and the word "fire" as the chorus.  Speaking of fire, on the original sleeve of the album, were the words "File Under Fire."  The second part of the album has a lot of fire imagery with "The One I Love,""Fireplace," and "Oddfellows Local 151."  

As I've said before, R.E.M. really doesn't do love songs and "The One I Love" isn't a love song, it's an admission that the person in the song was only a prop and has been replaced with another prop "to occupy my time."  That's cold.  Here's the video.  By the way, the Director of Photography was Food Network's Alton Brown.

The remaining songs on Document are kind of a mishmash of odd songs, but "King of Birds" really stands out. The video I've included is from Tour Film, a superfantastic tour video.  I adore the percussion in this version.  

R.E.M. King of Birds – Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

So, that's more or less what I love about R.E.M.'s fifth album, Document.  If you only have compilations of the earlier R.E.M. stuff, I highly recommend getting the album, it's quite special.