The best R.E.M. album? Yeah, I’d say so…although there is ‘New Adventures In Hi-Fi’ which is also boss…and ‘Up’ too, hmmm, ‘Monster’ is cracking as well…oh and there is ‘Out Of Time’ obviously. R.E.M. released some fantastic albums in the 90s.
I’d been meaning to add this to the collection for a while so when I saw it was being rereleased (again) as part of the National Album Day cash-in, I mean, celebration, I saw it as a sign and preordered it from 81 Renshaw Street in Liverpool.
This is the limited edition, 180g, yellow vinyl version and it sounds fantastic. Excellent mastering and pressing, well done to all involved.
The theme of National Album Day this year was the 90s and it would be hard to argue that this wasn’t one of the biggest and best of the decade.
The album has shifted over 18m copies worldwide and spawned some of the decade's most well-known singles; ‘Drive’, ‘The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight’, ‘Nightswimming’ and ‘Man On The Moon’.
It also includes some great album tracks too, the likes of ‘Try Not To Breathe’, ‘Sweetness Follows’, ‘Ignoreland’, and ‘Star Me A Kitten’ excite me as much as the singles did when I heard them first.
For me, this is a complete ‘no skip’ record, each track needs to be heard (even ’The Sidewinder…’ which has been played to death over the last 30 years). An outstanding album.
Fancy a copy? This National Album Day edition can be picked up at your favourite online emporium for about £30.
Tracks To Try: Any of them.