Document (studio album)
by R.E.M.

Document by R.E.M.
Year: 1987
Overall rank: 367th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 931 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1987 (6th)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1980s (49th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (367th)

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Availability

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R.E.M. REM NICE💿! Document Out of Time Automatic for the People Bundle Lot CD
Condition: Good


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R.E.M. NO. 5 Document Vinyl Record LP REM IRS 42059 1987 VG+ Original Pressing
Condition: Used


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REM - Document [New CD]
Condition: Brand New


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R.E.M. bestography

Document is ranked 3rd best out of 36 albums by R.E.M. on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by R.E.M. is Automatic For The People which is ranked number 48 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 19,265.

R.E.M. album bestography « Higher ranked (137th)
Murmur
This album (367th)
Document
Lower ranked (399th) »
Out Of Time

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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An Evening With David Byrne - Who is the Sky Tour
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Document track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Document rankings

Document collection

Document ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 931 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 931 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
80/100
 Report rating
28 hours ago rubens  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 79871/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
43 hours ago MaxStorm98  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,77689/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
11/12/2025 23:05 NYAndreas  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 91955/100
 
75/100
 Report rating
11/11/2025 15:45 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 83768/100
 
90/100
 Report rating
10/16/2025 21:02 melisandre  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 14989/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.4/100, a mean average of 79.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.0.

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Document comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 48 comments |
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Rating:  
100/100
From 07/07/2025 08:19
I've been a huge R.E.M. fan since I bought my first album of theirs, Murmur, Back in 1983 from the fantastic Rough Trade West in Notting Hill. Loved them then, love them now,

Document is their finest achievement amongst so many phenomenal albums that they have produced over such a long career, One of the true great bands of all tim
#309943 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/24/2025 01:19
A really good album if not quite a great one like their previous four. Solid from top to bottom without ever being revelatory.
#308168 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/17/2024 08:33
One of the best albums of the 80s.
#304369 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 11/06/2023 20:52
Solid, but far from their best. The One I Love is my favourite track.
#299846 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/08/2023 16:02
Brings REM's unique and beautiful sound into it's most interesting and listenable package.
#297449 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 02/07/2023 22:06
Another solid album, imo the best since Murmur, I like how they push further with sound from previous record and add a lot of political themes. Lyrics are thought-provoking and leave a lot for interpretation, some of the best tracks are: Finest Worksong, It's The End Of The World As We Know It, The One I Love and very underrated, dark Fireplace.
#293776 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/11/2022 12:38
Hmm, One great song the others are not bad but not too memorable or getting airplay after 35 years after their release.
#281111 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 02/03/2022 16:37
I've been a democrat my whole life, but my god, this album has taught me what Fox News means by 'smug liberal'. Hard to appreciate the music when bumper sticker messages are being shoved down my throat.
#280581 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 05/08/2021 21:42
I like this album, the first seven tracks are excellent and then the standard drops slight bit. It is the start to their commercial success.
#269507 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/23/2020 18:30
Lifes Rich Pageant is where they decided to strip back their sound, and Document is where it pays off. The songs are catchy, contrasting with the angry lyrics with grace and finesse. It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) will always be a fun song to listen to, and The One I Love is still one of their best songs.
#254313 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1987
1. The Joshua Tree by U2
2. Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
3. Sign "O" The Times by Prince
4. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
5. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur
6. Document by R.E.M.
7. Bad by Michael Jackson
8. Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
9. Sister by Sonic Youth
10. Hysteria by Def Leppard
11. Substance by New Order
12. Kick by INXS
13. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me by The Cure
14. Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
15. Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
16. Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
17. Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil
18. Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim
19. Tango In The Night by Fleetwood Mac
20. Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen
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