R.E.M. Albums Trivia Quiz

R.E.M. released an EP prior to "Murmur" called "Chronic Town" but "Murmur" is the band's first long play studio album. This album was released in 1983 and includes the incredible songs "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion." The album was recorded in January and February of 1983 and the sound and unique and indistinct vocals by singer Michael Stipe made it a darling of college radio listeners.

The album is consistently on 'Best of' lists. "Pitchfork Media" named it one of the top ten albums of the 1980s in 2005 and in 2013 "Rolling Stone" named it one of the top twenty best debut albums of all time.

"Reckoning" was released in 1984. The band was pressured by their record label to make the album more commercial. There was a bit of strife between the band and the record label and the band ended up recording the album quite quickly before it could be listened to by any record label representatives.

The album reached number one on college charts and "Rolling Stone" gave it a four out of five rating. The album reached number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart and stayed on the chart for almost a year. "Reckoning" includes my all time favorite R.E.M. song, "So. Central Rain", which the band sang on the "Late Show With David Letterman" in 1984.

At the time the song was brand new and didn't even have a name and singer Michael Stipe was so shy that he didn't speak at all, he sat in the background while Letterman interacted with other members of the band.

"Fables of the Reconstruction" was released in 1985 and was recorded outside of the United States (a first for the band.) During the recording of the album the band were unhappy, feeling homesick and not enjoying a miserable winter in the United Kingdom.

They have been quoted many times as putting down this album. For the liner notes of the twenty-fifth anniversary deluxe edition of the album, guitarist Peter Buck disputes that, saying that "I'm really proud of how strange it is." The album reached number twenty-eight in the United States and number thirty-five in the United Kingdom.

It includes the songs "Cant Get There From Here" and the beautiful song "Wendell Gee" that was released as a single in Europe only.

"Lifes Rich Pageant" was released in 1986 and recorded with producer Don Gehman who moved the band toward a more accessible and hard rock sound. The album peaked at number twenty-one in the United States, spending more than thirty weeks on the charts. Two singles were released from the album.

The first was "Fall on Me", an environmentally focused song about acid rain. The second was a cover song called "Superman" originally by The Clique. Singer Michael Stipe was not overly enthusiastic about recording "Superman" so he is on backing vocals for the song, with bassist Mike Mills taking the lead. "Slant Magazine" named the album one of the best albums of the 1980s and it was the band's first gold record.

Another year, another R.E.M. album. "Document" was released in 1987. The band switched producers for this album, working with Scott Litt (who they would collaborate with on several more albums). The band also built on their more accessible sound and commercial success with this album.

The song "The One I Love" was a top ten hit in the United States and the album went platinum. Another very popular single from this album is "It's the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)", which gains popularity depending on what's happening in the world.

For example, an alternative radio station in Alberta, Canada, played it on repeat on December 21st, 2012, which was the date the world was supposed to end according to the Mayan calendar.

The album "Green" was released in 1988 and was a critical and commercial success. It was the first album for the band with a major record label (Warner Records). The band toured for almost a year to promote the album (I saw them in Toronto and was extremely thrilled to have third row seats for the show!) and released four singles in total from the album.

The simple, silly pop song "Stand" was released as a single, becoming the second top ten hit for the band in the United States. The band released the album on the same day as the 1988 presidential election and chose to use their growing fame to criticize Republican candidate George H. W. Bush.

The album went double platinum in the United States, reaching number twelve on the charts there.

"Out of Time" was released in 1991 and this is the album that catapulted the band to worldwide fame. The album peaked at number one in several countries, including Canada, Austria, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also won the band a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album.

The band released four singles from the album including "Shiny Happy People" which included Kate Pierson of the B-52s on vocals. Another massive hit from the album was "Losing My Religion" which was the highest charting single for the band in the United States.

They won two Grammy Awards for the single (Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal).

This album (my favorite R.E.M. album) was released in 1992. This album, which was a darker and more mournful record overall for the band, reached number two on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. Six singles were released from the album including "Drive" and "Everybody Hurts." The album reached number one in New Zealand and the United Kingdom and was nominated for a Grammy award for best album (it lost to the soundtrack to "The Bodyguard"). "Rolling Stone" gave it a five out of five rating and is included in a number of 'Best of' lists.

It's also included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die." The single "Man on the Moon" is included in the soundtrack for the movie of the same name, about the life of Andy Kaufman.

"Monster" was released in 1994 and represents a stylistic shift in music from the previous two R.E.M. records. Six singles were released from this album including "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" "Monster" reached number one in the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland and other countries. The album was received positively and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album (it lost to the Rolling Stones album "Voodoo Lounge").

During the recording of the album, both River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain died and singer Michael Stipe, who was friends with both, was impacted by their deaths. The recording sessions were stopped due to those deaths and the fact that various of the band members fell ill during the recording sessions. The band members weren't even in the studio together at the same time while recording and mixing was happening and tensions between band members were high. The group resolved their differences and embarked on a "Monster" tour which resulted in more health problems for the band, including drummer Bill Berry suffering a brain aneurysm on stage in Switzerland (which he fully recovered from.)

"New Adventures in Hi-Fi" is the tenth studio album for the band and the last one with founding member, drummer Bill Berry. It was released in 1996. Four singles were released from this album, including "E-Bow the Letter" and "Electrolite." The album was recorded during and after the "Monster" tour of 1995 and the album is quite diverse in sound and feel, mixing acoustic, country and rock.

The album reached number one in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada and New Zealand. It is also included in several 'Best of' lists including "The 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 1993-2006" by "Mojo".

Many fans (myself included) believe it to be the last of the great R.E.M. records, before a decline in the artistry of the band.