Document

by R.E.M.

Overview

R.E.M. began to move toward mainstream record production on Lifes Rich Pageant, but they didn't have a commercial breakthrough until the following year's Document. Ironically, Document is a stranger, more varied album than its predecessor, but co-producer Scott Litt -- who would go on to produce every R.E.M. album in the following decade -- is a better conduit for the band than Don Gehman, giving the group a clean sound without sacrificing their enigmatic tendencies. "Finest Worksong," the stream-of-conscious rant "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," and the surprise Top Ten single "The One I Love" all crackle with muscular rhythms and guitar riffs, but the real surprise is how political the mid-tempo jangle pop of "Welcome to the Occupation," "Disturbance at the Heron House," and "King of Birds" is. Where Lifes Rich Pageant sounded a bit like a party record, Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made all the more indelible by its righteous anger. In other words, it's not only a commercial breakthrough, but a creative breakthrough as well, offering evidence of R.E.M.'s growing depth and maturity, and helping usher in the P.C. era in the process. [In 1992, the British division of IRS reissued all of R.E.M.'s albums with bonus tracks. Many of these cuts were featured on Dead Letter Office, but others were rare flexi-discs, fan-club singles, compilation contributions, forgotten B-sides, live tracks, and outtakes. The bonus tracks on Document were all released as B-sides for singles from the album, including a cover of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," two remixes of "Finest Worksong," and live versions of "The One I Love," "Time After Time," and "Disturbance at the Heron House." There are no great revelations here, but it's worth the extra price for hardcore fans, even if R.E.M. themselves were reportedly unhappy with the bonus tracks on these reissues. However, keep in mind that many of these bonus tracks -- the ones that weren't originally on Dead Letter Office -- later appeared on the limited-edition U.S. rarities collection In the Attic, which means that these imports aren't necessarily worth the search.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/18/2022
Label:	Emi / Emi Music Distribution
UPC:	0077771320026

Tracks

1. Finest Worksong
2. Welcome to the Occupation
3. Exhuming McCarthy
4. Disturbance at the Heron House
5. Strange
6. It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
7. The One I Love
8. Fireplace
9. Lightnin' Hopkins
10. King of Birds
11. Oddfellows Local 151
12. Finest Worksong
13. Last Date
14. The One I Love
15. Time After Time etc.
16. Disturbance at the Heron House
17. Finest Working

Album Credits

Performance Credits

R.E.M.   Primary Artist
Carl Marsh   Fairlight,Synthesizer
Peter Buck   Guitar,Dulcimer
Mike Mills   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Michael Stipe   Vocals
Hunt Waugh   Drums
Steve Berlin   Horn
Bill Berry   Drums

Technical Credits

Bill Berry   Composer
Colin Newman   Composer
Elliot Scheiner   Remixing
Carl Marsh   Engineer
Graham Lewis   Composer
Darcy Proper   Mastering
Robert Gotobed   Composer
Scott Litt   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Peter Buck   Composer
R.E.M.   Producer
Mike Mills   Composer
Michael Stipe   Composer
Toni Green   Assistant Engineer
Bryan Kelley   Producer
Gary Laney   Engineer
Floyd Cramer   Composer
Peter Gabriel   Composer
Jim McKay   Sleeve Design
Ron Scarselli   Packaging
Shannon Ward   Producer
Brendan Gormley   Editorial Supervision
Robert Grey   Composer
Ted Pattison   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Tom Der   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Steve Catania   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Michael Meister   Photography
Sandra Lee Phipps   Photography
Hunt Waugh   Drum Technician
Paula Court   Photography
Jim McKey   Photography
Michael Mills   Composer
Vara Radio   Live Recording
Bob Ludwig   Remastering,Mastering
Kevin Flaherty   A&R
Bruce Gilbert   Composer
Kenny Nemes   Project Manager
Shari Sutcliffe   Project Coordinator
Toni Greene   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Todd Sholar   Engineer,Assistant Engineer