R.E.M. - Document (1987)

"Document" is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released in 1987 a few months after their rarities collection "Dead Letter Office" appeared and is the last album of new material by the band released on the I.R.S. Records label. It is the first album on which the band worked with producer Scott Litt. "Exhuming McCarthy" makes an explicit parallel between the red-baiting of Joe McCarthy's time and the strengthening of the sense of American exceptionalism during the Reagan era, especially the Iran-Contra affair. Starting with the click-clack of a typewriter, it also includes a sound clip of Joseph Welch's rebuke of McCarthy from the Army-McCarthy Hearings: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator.... You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" The song "Strange" was originally recorded by the post-punk band Wire on their debut album "Pink Flag". This version has slightly altered lyrics, changing "Joey's nervous" to "Michael's nervous" in the first verse, and has a considerably faster tempo. "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.

R.E.M. expanded their instrumentation somewhat on the album, adding dulcimer to "King of Birds" and saxophone to "Fireplace". This experimentation would lead to their adoption of the mandolin, which featured prominently on their subsequent albums "Green" and "Out of Time". Furthermore, the band's musicians began swapping instruments both in concert and in the studio in an effort to create new sounds and avoid stagnation.

Track listing

01.  "Finest Worksong"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 3:48

02.  "Welcome to the Occupation"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 2:46

03.  "Exhuming McCarthy"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 3:19

04.  "Disturbance at the Heron House"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 3:32

05.  "Strange"  (Gilbert, Lewis, Newman, Gotobed)  - 2:31

06.  "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 4:05

07.  "The One I Love"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 3:17

08.  "Fireplace"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 3:22

09.  "Lightnin' Hopkins"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 3:20

10.  "King of Birds"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 4:09

11.  "Oddfellows Local 151"  (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe)  - 5:21

Released:  September 1, 1987

Recorded at:  Sound Emporium, Nashville, Tennessee
Mixed at:  Master Control, Los Angeles, California, United States

Genre:  Alternative Rock

Length:  39:51

Label:  I.R.S.

Producer:  Scott Litt and R.E.M.

Personnel

Bill Berry - drums, backing vocals

Peter Buck - guitar, dulcimer on "King of Birds"

Mike Mills - bass guitar, backing vocals

Michael Stipe - lead vocals

Steve Berlin - horns on "Fireplace"

Carl Marsh - Fairlight CMI synthesizer on "Fireplace"