Choice: Freddy
This is a long time favorite of mine. It's about as close to a "concept" album as I guess REM has come. Most of the album deals with end of life themes, misunderstood people, and fractured relationships. This is such a pleasant listen, if there were no lyrics I'd still love it. It's easily my favorite REM album and probably in my top 25 of all time. Chris also enjoyed the listen and it came at a time when a nice, mellow record was needed. When making the record, the band started out to make a rocking album, but kept coming back to subdued musical beauty instead of hard edge, guitar rock (which they later hit with "Monster"). The album features string arrangements by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and was produced by Scott Litt.
Charts: #2 Billboard USA, #1 in the United Kingdom (Top 4 in 7 countries in 1992)
Singles: 6 singles, featuring "Drive", "Man On The Moon" and "Everybody Hurts"
Awards: Sold almost 4 million copies in the US alone. Nominated for a Grammy in 1993. Is ranked at #247 in Rolling Stones Top 500 Albums, and was ranked by NME voters as the 37th best album ever in 2006.
