Document (album)
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| Document | ||
 |
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| Studio album by R.E.M. | ||
| Released | 7 September 1987 | |
| Recorded | 31 March–2 May 1987 | |
| Genre | College rock | |
| Length | 39:51 | |
| Label | I.R.S. Records | |
| Producer(s) | Scott Litt & R.E.M. | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| R.E.M. chronology | ||
| Dead Letter Office (1987) |
Document (1987) |
Eponymous (1988) |
Document is the fifth studio album by R.E.M. and their sixth overall. 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.
Contents |
[edit] Details
Document was R.E.M.'s first album co-produced by Scott Litt and the band, a collaboration that continued through Green, Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi, and may account for their success with this album as well as the following five. This album was significant not only in launching R.E.M.'s first U.S. Top 10 hit in "The One I Love" (which reached #9), but also giving them their first platinum album.
"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. This version has slightly altered lyrics, such as "Michael's nervous and the lights are bright." After Document, their I.R.S. contract expired. With the band poised to become a major rock group—perhaps to the dismay of their college rock fans—R.E.M. signed a five-album deal the following year with major label Warner Bros. and saw their commercial fortunes grow exponentially.
In 2005, Capitol Records (whose parent company EMI now own I.R.S. Records' catalog) issued an expanded DualDisc edition of Document which includes a digitally remastered version of the album on the CD side, a DVD-Audio, DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner on the DVD side, and the original CD booklet.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 470 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2006, it ranked 49th in a Q readers' poll of the "Best Albums Ever".
[edit] Track listing
All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, except as indicated.
- "Finest Worksong" – 3:48
- "Welcome to the Occupation" – 2:46
- "Exhuming McCarthy" – 3:19
- "Disturbance at the Heron House" – 3:32
- "Strange" (B.C. Gilbert, Graham Lewis, Colin Newman, Robert Gotobed) – 2:31
- "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:05
- "The One I Love" – 3:17
- "Fireplace" – 3:22
- "Lightnin' Hopkins" – 3:20
- "King of Birds" – 4:09
- "Oddfellows Local 151" – 5:21
[edit] UK Reissue
On May 11, 1992, EMI (which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released Document in the UK with six bonus tracks:
- "Finest Worksong (Other Mix)" – 3:47
- "Last Date" (Floyd Cramer) – 2:16
- "The One I Love" (Live)1 – 4:06
- "Time After Time Etc..." (Live) – 8:22
- "Disturbance at the Heron House" (Live) – 3:26
- "Finest Worksong" (Lengthy Club Mix) – 5:52
[edit] Notes
1 Originally released as "This One Goes Out" on a 1987 single.
[edit] Personnel
- Bill Berry – drums
- Peter Buck – guitar
- Mike Mills – bass, vocals
- Michael Stipe – lead vocals
[edit] Additional personnel
- Steve Berlin – horns
- Carl Marsh – Fairlight CMI
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Billboard 200 | 10 (33 weeks on chart) |
| 1987 | UK Albums Chart | 28 (5 weeks on chart) |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 |
| 1987 | "The One I Love" | Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
| 1988 | "The One I Love" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |
| 1988 | "Finest Worksong" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
| 1988 | "Finest Worksong" | UK Singles Chart | 50 |
| 1991 | "The One I Love" | UK Singles Chart | 16 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | November 2, 1987 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Platinum | January 25, 1988 |
