Document
| R.E.M.
Document
Document is the fifth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released on August 31, 1987 by I.R.S. Records. It was the first album by the band to be produced by Scott Litt. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Document maintained both their regional self-definition as well as their indirect social engagement.
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Rolling Stone
Document is the sound of R.E.M. on the move, the roar of a band that prides itself on the measure of achievement and the element of surprise. The end of rock & roll as R.E.M. knows it is a long way off.
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Drowned in Sound
Document is the crucible where REM forged their future, and the furnace where they burned down their past. The future was calling; the South was burning.
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The Guardian
Essential, offering a 1987 show that thrills and delights.
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BBC
The album that took them from college radio favourites to mainstream success.
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Sputnik Music
While deeply inconsistent and top-heavy, "Document" proves that a subpar IRS-era R.E.M. record is still pretty damn good.
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The New York Times
As usual, R.E.M. is anything but obvious. But with riddles wrapped in enigmas wrapped in guitar riffs, the band has found that if it can keep listeners guessing, it will keep them listening, too.
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Uncut
Document mostly endures, however, because R.E.M. resisted the temptation which often overwhelms the youngish and politically agitated: at no point did Document seize by the lapels and rant, instead making its points with an obliqueness that verged on the Dada.
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Pop Matters
As before-and-after a dividing line as any band ever drew, and easily one of the top hundred albums of 1987.
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uDiscover Music
‘Document’ Remains An R.E.M. Classic.
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All Music
Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made all the more indelible by its righteous anger.
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Glide Magazine
They are the band that showed others in the underground music scenes that you can be big and not lose your artistic integrity.
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Louder than War
It was built on solid foundations with a rebellious spontaneity, after 25 years it still feels relevant and fresh despite some of the political commentary.
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Magnet Magazine
R.E.M. at its peak.
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Adrian's Album Reviews
This record lacks an easy flow, lacks any kind of special atmosphere.
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Super Deluxe Edition
The album was more aggressive and rock-influenced than previous offerings.
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Diffuser
Can you look at yourself in the mirror realizing that you don't own an album with "It's The End Of The World As I Know It" on it? I think not.
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Classic Rock Revisited
This one is winner, both the packaging, bonus concert disc and the incredible remastered sound of the original album.
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50 third and 3rd
A towering album.
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CBS News
[It's] very lyrically straightforward.
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XS Noize
Powerful, dramatic, intense and really represent some of the band’s finest work.
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Mark's Record Reviews
This is a confident if pessimistic non-folk-rock record, and both the songwriting and production are very strong.
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John McFerrin's Music Reviews
If you're a huge R.E.M. fan, chances are pretty good you're going to just about worship this album.
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Backseat Mafia
Document provides an alt-rock manifesto that R.E.M. wouldn’t adhere to themselves, but nevertheless provided a blueprint for countless acts to follow years later.
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Los Angeles Times
A welcome break from the ‘60s pop-rock obsession that once made it easy to dismiss the band as simply affectionate pop revisionists.
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Red Dirt Report
'Document' turns 30 and resonates more than ever.
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Louder Sound
Document remains the high-water mark of old-school R.E.M.
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Icon Fetch
The album that changed the playing field for alternative music in the Eighties celebrates a quarter century.
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Flipside Reviews
Life's Rich Pageant and Reckoning remain, for me, their most complete works.
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Don Ignacio's Music Reviews
Success!
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Aphoristic Album Reviews
It’s very strong for the first seven tracks, but gets more esoteric for the last few tracks.
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Classic Rock
Perfect. Contemporary. Timeless.
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Robert Christgau
How it will all end I couldn't say, but it's a healthy sign that their discovery of the outside world has sharpened their sense of humor along with everything else.
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Spectrum Culture
Document is an album that is hair-triggered with rhetoric and dignified with activist sweat.
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Flagpole
Document was the second R.E.M. album I ever bought after Out of Time, which was THE album that made me an R.E.M. fan. But in many ways, it was Document, more than Out of Time, that pierced me and never let go.
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Wake Mag
“Document,” though a decent, clever album, one of the band’s less remarkable releases of the decade.
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Ad's Vinyl Adventures
Document, an LP consisting of angry political songs and a straighter rock sound.
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Classic Rock History
An album like this certainly deserves as big an audience as possible.
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