When Did REM Jump the Shark?

I recently pulled out my vinyl copy of REM's collection of rarities and oddities, 1987's Dead Letter Office, released just before Document propelled them into the top 10. And it was one of the most enjoyable listening experiences I've had in a long time. So I followed it up with spins of the sublime Fables of the Reconstruction and the nearly-perfect Life's Rich Pageant.

It then occurred to me that I don't get nearly the pleasure from their early 90s work that I do from these older albums. I had a conversation with a friend lately regarding when we thought REM stopped making good albums...I said it ended with 1992's Automatic for the People; she was convinced Out of Time was the last one.

But the more I think about it, I'm going to say Green was the last great REM album. Sure, I enjoyed the following two--I mean, who didn't, to some degree? But Automatic and Out of Time seemed to lose some of the loose appeal of those first six albums. I loved the album art, the esoteric lyrics, the jangly, almost 60s guitar work--and the fact that you could sing along to a whole album just by mumbling. Brilliant stuff.

For the record, I hated Monster. And I never bought anything new they did after that.

Here's my ranking of the six best REM albums:

1. Life's Rich Pageant
2. Murmur
3. Chronic Town (EP)
4. Fables of the Reconstruction
5. Document
6. Reckoning