Ever since I reviewed Life’s Rich Pageant, I kinda regretted it. Not because I don’t like the album, but because I wish I had talked about Document instead. Out of all of the R.E.M albums I have saved, Document is easily my favorite. Every one of its songs is a banger, the order is great, the arrangement of instruments and Michael Stipe’s phenomenal voice are all great, this you know. You probably read my review of Life’s Rich Pageant and already know about my connection to R.E.M. If not, check that out for some extra context.
In terms of the ranking of 25 most important albums to me, I picked Document over something like Out of Time or Automatic for the People because the most songs I recognized as a kid came off of this album. Fireplace, Oddfellows and Finest Worksong are all ones I vividly remember listening to in the backseat of my dads beat up Jeep Cherokee, driving down some country road or another on the way to go fishing, or just on a drive. Gosh, I can still remember how the interior of that car smelled in the hot summer sun.
Again, I wish I had held off on reviewing an R.E.M album until this, just because of how much nostalgia I have for the group. Nostalgia alone doesn’t fuel my enjoying of this music, of course, but to completely ignore it would be stupid. This album can, of course, be found wherever you get your music.
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