Green [25th Anniversary Edition]

R.E.M.: Mike Mills (vocals, accordion, bass); Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitar, mandolin, drums); Bill Berry (mandolin, drums).
Additional personnel: Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Keith LeBlanc (percussion).
The album that found the band sandwiched between being an important cult band on the verge of major success and being the world's most successful rock band of the 90s. A tricky situation, but this album made the breakthrough and mighty Warner Brothers were behind it. R.E.M. were able to get their folky mandolin material like 'You Are The Everything' accepted on an equal footing with great pop such as 'Stand' or 'Pop Song 89' (which could have been written by Jim Morrison and titled 'Hello I Love You'). 'Orange Crush' is already an FM radio favourite, and the rest is all recent history.