always wanted to ask that!!
first of all, REM is probably the only band from US that i cannot feel it, sometimes the lyrics' complexity reveals it that i really love..
Honestly said i've got REM's only latest 6 albums..
Out Of Time
Automatic For The People
Monster
New Adventures In Hi-Fi
Up
Reveal
...that i can evaluate for the moment, the initial period sounds not that attractive for me except some extraordinary tracks like 'It's the End of the World As We Know It', 'The One i Love', 'Talk About the Passions', 'So Central Rain', 'Stand', 'Radio Free Europe' etc.
Beyond all, the six albums above have each different place on me.
Out of Time -> did once introduced me the power of this band, especially with Losing My Religion, incredible song of all time. Now this song is played by some drunkard violinists in the backstreets of the city, and named as a boring staff due to this fact, i completely refuse it and acknowledge it as a masterpiece!!
Near Wild Heaven, Low, Endgame (MtvUnplugged's intro
) and yeah 
Shiny Happy People are great tunes...Automatic For The People -> i think this one is REM's best, and strongest album!! excellent opening (Drive), and closing (Find The River
) tracks... and undisputedly ace tracks (IMO exceeding the album) Man On The Moon, Nightswimming, Sidewinders Sleeps Tonight hold the album in the best records of all time.Confession: why i don't know but the only song by REM included this album that i can never ever bare to listen to is 'Everybody Hurts', find it quite boring and stupid!!..
Monster -> Well, this album is on the base of the rock of my understanding, this album is mine!!
smashing (What's the Frequency Kenneth?, Crush With The Eyeliner), hot (Star 69, Circus Envy), dark&depressive (Let Me In, You, I Took Your Name, I Don't Sleep, I Dream), simple (King of Comedy), schizophrenic (Tongue), ace (Bang&Blame, Strange Currencies).
New Adventures In Hi-Fi -> probably the best cover art among the whole REM albums, and most probably due to its black&white view that talentfully reflects to its concept! brilliant and very much mellow songs never makes me leave NAIHF behind. E-Bow The Letter (perhaps another thread is needed just to talk about the beauty of this song), Leave, Be Mine, Bittersweet Me and simply excellent Electrolite (Orpheus, you are the star tonight
)... I've been really undecided to assert my favorite REM Album, when i'm between NAIHF and the next coming one.Up -> It's been said that the true big very big loves start with a tremendous hate and deny; so when this album was firstly turning in my player, i was completely disappointed and couldn't fit its name to it. It must have been 'Low' instead!! But i was utterly wrong, i understood after a while, when i noticed that i did listen to it with anything except the ears of my mind. Well, for me the most experimental and emotional album of REM is Up. Low beats are enhanced with different stringed instrument forms a new mellow sound, probably due to being lack of Mr.Bill Berry. Each song is a product of REM's intelligency. Up is definetely a concept album, having the same sorrow and oto-interrogation in each song. Parakeet, Apologist and At My Most Beautiful are my
lovely songs off.
Releave -> Considering the point they've arrived, they have done a marvellous record, maybe i couldn't imagine a better one before i purchased it. Its sound is so pure and acceptable after all. She Just Want To Be, ILL Take The Rain are two superb tunes! There are people insisting those two are probably the Best compositions of REM so far, and it's already impossible to deny. But my fav track is Saturn Returns in the whole album, Stipe's vocal is merely fascinating. A great album again!!!
After all, my vote is gone to Up, the one i emotionally feel closer!
I'd better pick my dusted REM Cd-s from the shelf, and listen more frequently
.btw. i managed to use quite simple and unsophisticated expressions to describe my ideas,
but in fact this only the way i feel..
Thank You..
