Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisnaholic
I also notice that most people here seem to favour early REM. Perhaps REM follow the arc of many bands: bold, innovative sound at the start of their careers, then getting soft, self-indulgent or over-complicated furthur down the line.
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I think that's sort of true for REM. With the possible exception of their second album,
Reckoning, I think their first six albums are all pretty great. By the time they released
Out of Time (the one with "Losing My Religion" on it), I think they were kind of running out of steam and trying to experiment. As a result, that album is very hit-or-miss, but it does have a few really great tracks. They then got their mojo back with
Automatic for the People, which is one of their best albums and should have been their swan song. After that, it was all downhill.
Monster made me lose interest, and what I've heard of the subsequent albums didn't seem to be an improvement.