As I am only a casual R.E.M. fan, I'd never really given this much thought before...
R.E.M. are one of those groups / artists who everyone can say they like, and are familiar with at least something they have done, but barring the lead song here: Radio Free Europe, I'm not sure if other casuals will know much about the rest of this album either, but it's an absolute winner from start to finish, and has a more even feel and consistency for me than the later mega hits: Out of Time, and Automatic For The People etc.
I think this is perhaps because those ones are too well known now, and there's one or two on those that are a little saccharine and populist as well as overplayed.
I only bought this from the charity shop because it was 25p, and thought... "Why not?"
...Further to this, I only played it through from top to bottom because I was testing my newly fixed Sony Discman (The batteries blew last year in the heat)...
And what an album I discovered!
The thing that struck me, is how like Joy Division / early New Order the tone, or overall sound they created was... but with the as yet unrealised inner R.E.M. of later years trying to get out... and occasionally doing so with the now familiar harmony vocals, strong tunes and melodies... but all to a noise that Ian Curtis could quite happily throw some shapes to...
...as indeed I have done in the privacy of my own cave! :)
This is getting repeated plays right now, and needs an upgrade in my collection to a vinyl copy sometime soon!