WAIM #046 - Matt Berenson Ranks R.E.M. With Matty C

When author and producer, Matt Berenson first published his list ranking all of the fifteen albums in the R.E.M. canon, I felt one more cosmic connection to him and his fandom for the most famous band from Athens, GA. I was thrilled to read Matt’s piece and see how the LPs stacked up in his estimation. Furthermore, I began to wonder where I would differ and where our ideals on the perfect R.E.M. record might converge. I accepted my own challenge, and I was off. 

Throughout November and December, I published my own full list ranked 15 to 1 with detailed notes on each album as to why it finds itself in that particular spot. The project was truly challenging, but what a joy to work on. I was able to revisit albums in the catalog that I hadn’t spun in full for a few years. I was also given the chance to reassess the latter records of the band’s career which I had largely dismissed when they were released. 

Matt and I got together to talk in the quiet days between Christmas and New Years to review our lists and see where we lined up or diverged. Largely, we’re in the same camp on what does and doesn’t make the best sort of R.E.M. record. Much of the subtle differences in our lists can be found in the timeframe at which we were first introduced to the band.

Somehow, while breaking down the R.E.M. catalog in detailed fashion Matt manages to tell me about the rare opportunity he had to see British band, The La’s at the Tower Records in Los Angeles on their lone tour back in the early 90s. There is also healthy section on an indie classic by The Wedding Present and a thorough assessment of Morrissey’s early solo career. Somehow, it all makes sense.

In talking about how supremely terrific R.E.M. were at covering the work of other artists, I challenged Matt to a collaborative playlist project. Each of us selected six songs featuring the band playing a tune written by another artist. We went at this draft pick style. The result is a twelve song playlist of the band’s best cover versions. I’ll be sharing those soon in a separate article.

How does your list compare to me and Matty B? We wanna know.

Cheers,

Matty C

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