Shouts
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estreetsycamore
i'm still not too sold on this album but would like to be. Imitation of Life is excellent of course. The Lifting is better than I've given it credit for
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estreetsycamore
i'm still not sold on this album but i agree that this trio as a whole are underrated. ATS way better than it gets credit for
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intheluminol
I remember feeling relief when I heard this album at the time of its release, as a pretty solid return to form after Up (which was very disappointing to me). The production is deliberately overly synthesized (I remember Stipe talking about the intentional choice to use synthetic strings rather than actual strings for this effect) and isn't perfect... but overall, this album is underrated. Their last solid album, in my humble opinion.
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WarriorJones
I used to be obsessed with this album. Still a really pleasant listen, and Imitation of Life is one of the greatest songs of all-time.
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MyMediaMusic
A bit over-produced, and a few lifeless songs - seriously, who's decision was it to make "All the Way to Reno" a single? - but some stone-cold R.E.M. classics on here - "The Lifting", "I've Been High", "She Just Wants to Be", "Disappear", "Saturn Return", "Imitation of Life", etc.
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RIPELIVEJAM
Restrained production would have done this album wonders as for the most part the songs were there.
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rogerengineer
Could well be R.E.M's most underated album. Together with Up this was the last time for me they tried something different with an album and what followed was 3 albums (One dud and two solid releases) that borrowed extensively from what had come before. I Love the production on this album, it brings to mind hot sticky summer nights and I always think of it as their skylarking!
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TheDarkMinstrel
A great record. "I'll Take the Rain", "the Lifting" and "She Just Wants to Be" are amazing !
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heaventree22
expiry223: same here! this album will forever mean summer camp to me. also, i think it is unfairly shit on. it's no 'murmur' or 'out of time,' but i think it has many moments of beauty.
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expiry223
I really loved this when it came out. Excellent summer album. Around this time I was a teenager, feeling totally misplaced at a camp my school arranged, having a bummer of a week. Then I put "Reveal" in my discman, and my days suddenly brightened up. Thanks to the music on this little round plate I now have more fond memories of the trip than bad ones. Not having listened to the whole album for a few years I gave it a spin just now, and I must say it sounds pretty good! Not just because of fond memories, but despite some strange production here and there I think the songwriting is good. Michael does some really beautiful singing too.
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TheMongKey
Giving this one a second chance! Three tracks in, and sounding pretty lush so far...
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The_Cole_Train
Agreed with a lot of the people on this shoutbox, this is a pretty underrated album, ten thousand times better than Around the Sun. The Lifting, Disappear and Beat a Drum are real gems. It's hardly them at their best but it gets a lot of unfair stick in my opinion.
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bernlin2000
Harder to get into than most R.E.M. releases (except for the truly bland Around The Sun), but there's some hidden treasures here to be found. Nevertheless, this and ATS certainly document a band that is falling further and further away from the mainstream of pop/rock, and not necessarily in a manner that can be called innovative or "pushing the envelope"
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zapiekanki
Reveal is not underrated it actually has one of the most overrated songs in R.E.M.'s career (Imitation of Life) whose music video has heavily televised at the time. I prefer Around the Sun over this boring release, I'm sorry but I hate Reveal. The only good song on this album is She just wants to be.
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RIPELIVEJAM
reminds me quite a bit of early summer 2001. the songs at their core (mostly) hold up but the production is just way too cluttered. "Chorus and the Ring" is a frankly classic REM song, as is "Beat a Drum". "Imitation of Life" would've been a perfect, PERFECT pop song if they just cut back on all the syrupy sound effects through it. (should've just been guitar, bass, drums, and some of those synthy swells and that's it!) still not without merit (unlike *shudder* the next two albums...).
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musi4buetti
their summer album. underrated, but nonetheless the most aesthetic album of their career
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