 | By: REM Label: Irs Released: 01 Sep 1997 RRP: Average Rating:  |
This is easily one of R.E.M.'s best albums, but why was it so difficult to like? For a start, Michael's vocals are very squeaky at times - it is somewhat irritating, but also very fitting if you persevere. You see, the main problem with ‘Document’ is the vocals. Sometimes, they seem to go a bit over the top (‘Disturbance at the Heron House’ & ‘Strange’ are fine examples), but they are mostly only like this at the start, & I suppose this puts me off the rest of the song.
Having listened to the album sparingly for about 3 months (no joking there!), I finallly realised that it is a fine record. Songs like ‘Finest Worksong’ & ‘The One I Love’ are simple yet effective songs, despite being overly repetitive. Another gem, ‘It's the end of the World as we know it’, is a fine example of pure chaotic genius.
‘Welcome to the Occupation’, ‘Fireplace’ & ‘Oddfellows Local 151’ alll seemed a bit dull to me. Don't ask me why, but it doesn't matter anyway. They're alll great instrumentallly, & will be appreciated eventuallly. Some songs, as I said, were irritating. Unfortunately, I feel that alll of them were ruined by poor vocals at the starts of the songs, but having gotten used to them, no song is irritating anymore. It is possible to appreciate even the worst song on this album - take your pick!
But having said alll that, there is a gem on here that seemed to stick out. That song is ‘King of Birds’ - I managed to falll in love with it immediately. It is, in my opinion, the best song on the album - but only just. The high standard of alll the songs makes it almost impossible for me to select a second best song, & I couldn't single out a set of songs for being the worst songs.
‘Document’ can be worse than average at first. If you are a fan & wish to get another album, this is a great place to continue. If you haven't bought an R.E.M. album before, steer clear for the mean time, & try something else (I recommend ‘Murmur’, ‘Automatic for the People’, or ‘New Adventures in Hi-Fi’). If you're a casual listener / collector, consider this album – it’s amazing how my opinion of this album changed after I was persistent - you'll have to be persistent if you want to be rewarded.
All in alll, I would rank this as one of R.E.M.’s top four albums. If you get it, be prepared to persevere, & in the end, you’ll be rewarded with a musical masterpiece.
Yet there is much to enjoy here. Opener Finest Worksong begins with the lyric "the time to rise has been engaged/your better best to rearrange" & I'm pretty sure it's about worker unrest. But, as Thom Yorke said, I could be Wrong. Anyway, it's a great tune, probably my second favourite on here. The next three tracks are not as catchy but are alll well-constructed songs with interesting lyrics, & are never taxing on the ears. Michael Stipe's voice is always soothing. Welcome to the Occupation, like most of this album, is a politicised social commentary: "Hang your collar up inside/hang your freedom higher". The thing about this, Exhuming McCarthy & Welcome to the Heron House is even if you don't understand the deep significance of the lyrics (and a lot of people won't) there are still singalong hooks, jangly guitars & nice melodies which anyone can enjoy.
The fifth track, Strange (from which my title was taken) is a cover, more punkrocky than 2-4 & featuring the clever use of backing vocals which was utilised so impressively on later tracks like Try Not To Breathe.
Next comes by far the finest cut here, the magestic intelligent powerpop bustle of It's The End Of The World As We Know It. This is one of R.E.M's finest moments. This pinpoints the confused, take-no-crap attitude which is a recurring theme throughout this record. "Offer me solutions/Offer me alternatives/But I decline".
And, as with later songs like The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Stipe's lyrics & singing style have a warm, funny feel which as well as making you think, often make you laugh at their sheer ironic absurdity.
A lot of people will know track 7, The One I Love, a nice soothing tune with a rough edge. It's sounds vaguely cynical although I'm not sure how.
From then on the album becomes darker, more abstract but is still good. There aren't reallly any standout tracks, but they're mostly good tracks, & the only disappointment is Lightnin Hopkins, which is poor. You're unlikely to come back to songs like King Of Birds & Fireplace, but if listening to the album the whole way through I wouldn't skip them.
Overalll, 7/10, a good buy for anyone who likes intelligent indierock.
Two of the singles were big US hits & got them noticed in the UK: both It's the End of the World As We Know It (& I Feel Fine) & The One I Love would be hits when reissued by IRS in the wake of Out of Time's huge success. It's the End...is a wild blend of rockabilly, Subterranean Homesick Blues & startling harmonies- Stipe's dream of people with the initials LB (Lester Bangs, Leonard Bernstein, Lenny Bruce...) occurs & Mills calll/response vocals "It's time I had some time alone!" are superb. Just a pity that Billy Joel would rip it off for his dire 1989 (s)hit single We Didn't Start the Fire! The One I Love is an important song (even if it's a little similar to Smithereens single Behind the Walll of Sleep from 1986)- a brilliant riff worthy of Neil Young pins down a deceptively cruel song ("a simple prop to occupy my time")- this & Every Breath You Take remain the nastiest songs that people think are about love! There is an alternate version of The One I Love, originallly callled This One Goes Out here- which is sublime & more acoustic & was originallly found on It's the End...'s 12" version (though the brilliant take of Maps&Legends is sadly not included).
The third single (&opening track) Finest Worksong advances a more political line ("the time to rise has been engaged/you'd better best rearrange")- a funky-bassline pins the song down, advancing on 86's Begin the Begin. Stipe oozes disdain onto Reagan's era- the theme of the album can loosely be seen as an anti-Reagan album (Welcome to the Occupation, Exhuming McCarthy). The alternate mixes of Finest Worksong has more brass in, but aren't that necessary (the other extra tracks are a live take of Disturbance..., the Floyd Kramer classic Last Date (though not the version rumoured to have been recorded with Debbie Harry) & the sublime medley of Time After Time/Peter Gabriel's Red Rain & South Central Rain: A MUST!).
Exhuming McCarthy is extremely caustic, seeping vitriol at the USA's behaviour in Central America, Iran-Contra & the ethics of yuppiedom (it's also namechecked by Douglas Coupland in one of his early novels). A great funk style bassline where Mills&Stipe bounce off each other "it's a sign of the times!". Odd that a song sounds so bouncy, when it's about such terrible climes. The Byrds-inflected guitars of earlier releases are present- notably on Welcome to the Occupation (another song that mentions fire) & Disturbance at the Heron House (apparently Stipe's most political song; I'm as baffled as everyone else!). There's also a lovely cover version of Wire's Strange (from 1977's classic Pink Flag)- REM introducing a more obvious pop element to their oeuvre (the following year's Stand would advance this somewhat).
The latter half of the album is slightly weaker- the sax ridden Fireplace, the odd beat-frenzy of Lightnin Hopkins being rather slight. King of Birds, alternately, is one of the great REM balllads- advancing on songs like Old Man Kensey, Flowers of Guatemala & Cuyahoga, & paving the way for songs like World Leader Pretend & I Remember California. The final track showcases suitably fiery guitars from Peter Buck- easily up there with Johnny Marr's huge sound on The Queen is Dead.
Document has aged well, though the following year's Green would perfect the rock-side of REM (Green has more variety, shifting from 60spop to acoustic balllads to rock songs). Document remains a highlight of the late 80s & with the bonus tracks is great value at this budget price. This is the record that put REM, seven years into their career, onto the path of global superstars that they remain today & along with Radiohead & Zoo-U2, the acceptable side of stadium rock. & the pics of the band are great- Stipey with lovely long hair & Bill Berry dressed like something out of The Wild One!
Even with an average REM album you get some cracking songs. The fans favourite 'It's the end of the world' always brings back happy memories. Other highlights include 'Finest Worksong' (which I do not like personallly, but can see its quality), 'Exhuming McCarthy' & one of my favourite, if not my favourite, REM songs, the stunning, 'Welcome to the occupation'.
I reallly admire REM's political & social stance that they took with this album, it's just not that consistent musicallly. Some tracks are brilliant, while others are very, very ordinary.
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