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R.E.M.
Document
Release Date: 1987
Running Time: 39:34
Label: Capitol
Rating:

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. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Finest Worksong	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	3:48
2	Welcome to the Occupation	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	2:48
3	Exhuming McCarthy	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	3:19
4	Disturbance at the Heron House	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	3:33
5	Strange	Newman, Gilbert, Lewis, Gotobed	2:32
6	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	4:07
7	One I Love	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	3:17
8	Fireplace	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	3:24
9	Lightnin' Hopkins	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	3:18
10	King of Birds	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	4:07
11	Oddfellows Local 151	Buck, Mills, Stipe, Berry	5:21