R.E.M. - Document demos pt. 1 (audio)

[fred6059]

Some friends of theirs had to walk on coals for an outing at their work and wound up in the hospital with burnt feet. That is where the 'sharpening stones walking on coals to improve your business acumen' comes from.

[Ducksoup67]

I love the raw demos. The band creates the "song" and then you can see how the producers polish it all up. Producers are sort of like BASF - they don't make the music, the make the music better.

Case in point here, all the over dubbing of the vocals on McCarthy in the studio was brilliant.

It's also what made the loss of Buddy Holly so pronounced - he was destined to be a legendary producer.

[YomenCoxwain]

I was 23 y.o. when this album came out, and I wore the print off of the cassette within a month...great days...great two songs rendered here...

[michaelstipefan777]

what is the name of this first song

[kidrocker1026]

Exhuming McCarthy

[VAThrasher]

enemy sighted, enemy me... wait what? awesome job finding these demos!

[Issicra]

lol!  I found myself singing along to Exhuming McCarthy during the blank spots.

[darkvaper2010]

thanks for posting this i love R.E.M.

[PBuckFan]

great bass line! mike mills rules!!

[listenasthewindblows]

These are rare and amazing demo's!! this is the album i used to listen to on headphones when i was young and new to music...long before i knew who R.E.M were...!.. these sounds are part of me..

[trabukez]

Great album!

[jdcurly]

I think you're not giving Green enough credit. the band have always said they move from one sound to another, not staying the same as the last album. document was loud, crunchy and angular. Green is very clear, dream like and leans towards the positives. songs like World Leader Pretend, The Wrong Child and You are the everything cannot be discounted as anything other than up there with their very best work.

[truefaith00]

Green also happens to contain "Get Up" which is one of my all-time favorite songs from any band.

[alystyn]

I adore the bass jamming... dang that's a great song. 2 of the best songs of the album :) Document and Eponymous are probably my favorites...

[Orkomagic]

I love listening to R.E.M. on earphones at night. You hear all the layers and find different things with each listen. Plus your mind drifts and you go on a floating, word-painted tour.

[listenasthewindblows]

i agree .... wonderful stuff!! well said!

[alina1981xxx]

For Orkomagic: I agree and use to do the same... marvellous dreams coming, expecially after listening to their early times songs :)

[pulsepi]

out of time and automatic for the people added an artistic, sophisticated quality to the comeback of American music in the 90's

[Issicra]

Two of my favorite songs from that album. Document is probably in my top ten list of best albums of all time.

[truefaith00]

The greatest American rock band in our history. Period.

[TheKillUncle]

I completely agree with you, really.

My favourite albums are Murmur, Reckoning and Automatic

[REMchout]

I love the bass groove in Exhuming McCarthy.

[atomeyes99]

this backs up my belief that REM has been one of the worst produced/recorded bands to come around in the past 20 years.

other than Automatic For the People, i cannot think of one album that actually sounds good. see Green for the prime example.

and their demos and live shows back this up.

[dudesleeper]

Radiohead fan, right?

[atomeyes99]

kind of, but not huge. how come?

[dudesleeper]

It's just that it was the kind of comment only a Radiohead fan could say. Either way, you're still talking out of your bum cheeks. But, like your initial comment, that's just my opinion.

[atomeyes99]

Yes, clearly I am a Radiohead fan and cannot have a proper opinion about music. and we'll ignore the 4 years i spent in the industry and the 2 years i spent writing music reviews.

I suggest you listen to post-Document albums and Reckoning, and *maybe* you will understand what I'm talking about.

good production doesn't necessarily equal "The Soft Bulletin" or "OK Computer", but it also doesn't equal the sounds of some REM songs, where the recording and production do not do the songs justice.

[mountaincoffee]

I wouldn't use these particular recordings to back anything up...they have to be the crappiest quality R.E.M. tracks I've ever heard.

[atomeyes99]

actually, my comments compliment the demos and critique their final, produced songs

[Mozzer232]

I have to disagree. I think document is a great sounding album. You have to remember this is a demo that your watching in a video. The final version sounds a lot better.

[jm705]

New Adventures sounds wonderful.

so does Reveal, to be honeset.

[11redder]

I couldn't agree more. The production of R.E.M.'s records takes from, rather than adding to, their quality. They should just go and play live in studio & they'd produce their best work in 20 years.

Green as you say is the perfect example. So many great songs, such god awful production. It's maybe the 'thinnest' sound ever recorded. Leave all the dirt, filth and depth of Peter's guitar and Mike's bass I say.

[atomeyes99]

that is probably the best description i've seen for Green: thin. the production that irks me the most is for any of the mandolin songs and for "Inside Out". IO was a rocker live, but its just..meh on Green. best sounding REM records? Document is pretty solid. AFTP is a little too polished. Chronic Town is pretty good because its so simple.

[REMchout]

Murmur is one of my favorite sounding records ever...

[JLDB1987]

Back when R.E.M. was still "jangly" Love that earlier, less produced sound.  Like the early Beatles- never purer.

[jayantani]

I used to have a tape of this recording way back when. Thanks for posting! Brings back memories!

[remnicolas]

Wow it is so cool to hear two of my favorite songs of all time in such different versions.I like both songs about the same album version and this version. Thanks so much for posting it!

[mooseperson]

thank you so much! document is my favorite R.e.m. album.

[a1950hotrodcat]

How fresh does "McCarthy" sound without the horns or extra static from the studio version? A shame that they didn't just leave it as is but add in Michael's extra vocals.