Album
Document
Document is the fifth studio album by R.E.M., released on 31 August 1987 through I.R.S. Records. It was the first record the band co-produced with Scott Litt, and it follows on from Lifes Rich Pageant in its approach: the lyrics are easier to make out, and the guitars hit harder than they did on the group's earlier, more shadowy releases.
It also marked a step up commercially. "The One I Love" became the band's first Top 10 hit, and the album climbed to number 10 on the Billboard 200, making it their biggest success up to that point. Sitting between Lifes Rich Pageant and Green, it catches R.E.M. sharpening their sound and finding a much wider audience without losing the jangle-tinged alternative rock that had made their name.
Document: tracklist and credits
11 tracks · 39:51Tracklist
- 1Finest WorksongBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:50
- 2Welcome to the OccupationBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:49
- 3Exhuming McCarthyBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:22
- 4Disturbance at the Heron HouseBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:34
- 5StrangeGilbert, Gotobed, Lewis, Newman2:33
- 6It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:07
- 7The One I LoveBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:18
- 8FireplaceBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:24
- 9Lightnin’ HopkinsBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:21
- 10King of BirdsBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:10
- 11Oddfellows Local 151Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe5:22
- Produced by
- Scott Litt, R.E.M., Peter Buck
- Recorded at
- Sound Emporium Studios, Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Recorded
- March–May 1987
- Mixed by
- Steve Catania
- Mixed at
- Master Control
- Engineered by
- Scott Litt, Gary Laney
- Labels
- I.R.S. Records, I.R.S.
- Length
- 39:51
Line-up
- Bill Berry · drums (drum set)
- Peter Buck · guitar
- Mike Mills · bass guitar
- Michael Stipe · lead vocals
Singles
- “The One I Love” · 24 August 1987
- “It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” · 16 November 1987
- “Finest Worksong” · March 1988
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1988 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1987 | Gold |
| United States · 1987 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
77.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
9.1k
ListenBrainz listeners
123k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
2.4k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 31 August
Every year →
More from R.E.M.
Full discography →
Chronic Town
1982
Murmur
1983
Reckoning
1984
Fables of the Reconstruction
1985
Lifes Rich Pageant
1986
Dead Letter Office
1987
Eponymous
1988
Green
1988
Out of Time
1991
The Best of R.E.M.
1991
Automatic for the People
1992
The Automatic Box
1993
Singles Collected
1994
Monster
1994
New Adventures in Hi‐Fi
1996
Essential R.E.M.: R.E.M. in the Attic (Alternative Recordings 1985–89)
1997
Up
1998
Reveal
2001
R.E.M. Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003 2003
Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003
2003
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
2003
Around the Sun
2004
iTunes Originals: R.E.M.
2004
And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987
2006
Live
2007
Accelerate
2008
Reckoning Spotify Sampler
2009
Live at the Olympia
2009
Collapse Into Now Sampler
2011
Collapse Into Now
2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011
2011
Live in Greensboro
2013
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
2014
Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988–2011
2014
Complete Rarities – I.R.S. 1982–1987
2014
R.E.M. at the BBC
2018
Live at the Borderline 1991
2019
Radio Free Europe 2025
2025
The best of 1987
All of 1987 →
Appetite for Destruction
Guns N’ Roses · 1987
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Pink Floyd · 1987
Tango in the Night
Fleetwood Mac · 1987
Hysteria
Def Leppard · 1987
The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re‐Revisited
Metallica · 1987
Permanent Vacation
Aerosmith · 1987
Among the Living
Anthrax · 1987
Come On Pilgrim
Pixies · 1987
Girls, Girls, Girls
Mötley Crüe · 1987
Introduce Yourself
Faith No More · 1987
Tribute
Ozzy Osbourne · 1987
Schizophrenia
Sepultura · 1987
More on I.R.S. Records
The label →Lifes Rich Pageant
R.E.M. · 1986
Murmur
R.E.M. · 1983
Fables of the Reconstruction
R.E.M. · 1985
Headless Cross
Black Sabbath · 1989
Reckoning
R.E.M. · 1984
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
TYR
Black Sabbath · 1990
Forbidden
Black Sabbath · 1995
Cross Purposes
Black Sabbath · 1994
Eponymous
R.E.M. · 1988
The Sabbath Stones
Black Sabbath · 1996
Cross Purposes – Live
Black Sabbath · 1995
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 31 August 1987 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 31 August 1987 | |
| Wikidata | September 1987 | |
| US release | 1 September 1987 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 September 1987 | earliest UK or European date |
29 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | EMI Music Canada | 724349348028 | other |
| — | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| — | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732205921 | other |
| — | CA | — | 00602537796731 | other |
| — | CA | — | 00077771320057 | other |
| — | CA | Capitol Records | 05099997200659 | deluxe |
| — | CA | — | deluxe | |
| 1987 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099746538323 | other |
| 1987 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5013747102529 | other |
| 1987 | NL | I.R.S. Records | 5099746010515 | other |
| 1987 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076742205911 | other |
| 1987 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 5099746010522 | other |
| 1987 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076742205942 | other |
| 1987 | US | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 31 August 1987 | CA | I.R.S. Records | original | |
| 1 September 1987 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076742205928 | other |
| 14 September 1987 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 0008811914424 | other |
| 21 March 1991 | JP | CBS/Sony | 4988009608525 | other |
| 1993 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 077771320026 | other |
| 1993 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724349348028 | other |
| 1 September 1997 | GB | — | 0077771320026 | other |
| 1999 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724352127610 | other |
| 11 February 2003 | US | Capitol Records | 724349014992 | other |
| 8 November 2005 | US | Capitol Records | 724359939827 | other |
| 2012 | US | Capitol Records | 5099901538656 | other |
| 21 September 2012 | XW | Capitol Records | 5099997200659 | deluxe |
| 24 September 2012 | XE | Capitol Records | 5099997200628 | other |
| 25 September 2012 | US | Capitol Records | 5099997200628 | deluxe |
| — | — | I.R.S. Records | 724349348059 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 2700x2700
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2700×2700 | native: native 2700x2700 |
| itunes | 1500×1500 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |