Document in Bloomington, MN

R.E.M.
began to move toward mainstream record production on
Lifes Rich Pageant
, but they didn't have a commercial breakthrough until the following year's
Document
. Ironically,
is a stranger, more varied album than its predecessor, but co-producer
Scott Litt
-- who would go on to produce every
album in the following decade -- is a better conduit for the band than
Don Gehman
, giving the group a clean sound without sacrificing their enigmatic tendencies.
"Finest Worksong,"
the stream-of-conscious rant
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),"
and the surprise Top Ten single
"The One I Love"
all crackle with muscular rhythms and guitar riffs, but the real surprise is how political the mid-tempo
jangle pop
of
"Welcome to the Occupation,"
"Disturbance at the Heron House,"
and
"King of Birds"
is. Where
sounded a bit like a party record,
is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made all the more indelible by its righteous anger. In other words, it's not only a commercial breakthrough, but a creative breakthrough as well, offering evidence of
's growing depth and maturity, and helping usher in the P.C. era in the process. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine