Songs that made you realize your favorite band was going downhill

[private joker]

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REM - Shiny Happy People


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WTF? That's a crap song for sure, but downhill? Yeah, you're right -- following that up with AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE is a real step down. ROFL, etc.

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I actually think "Automatic" is their best album, and "Monster" isn't bad at all either, but you could tell on "Out of Time" that they were headed for the crapper, and it quickly came to pass after Monster.


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No, this is totally wrong too. Their immediate post-Monster album, NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI ranks up there with PAGEANT and RECKONING as the best work they ever did. Hi-Fi is way better than Monster, at least as good (for my $) as Automatic, and much better than Green, Out of Time, or Up (but Up is pretty good too).

REM started tanking at Reveal.

But up through 2000 they were untouchably great.

(Actually, if I weren't so lazy, I'd find and link the thread where OOT rated Hi-Fi among the top 25 albums of the last 10 years).