Which album began R.E.M.'s run of five studio albums with producer Scott Litt? The answer is Document.
Released on August 31, 1987, Document was R.E.M.'s fifth studio album and the first to be co-produced by the band and Scott Litt. Litt's collaboration continued on Green, Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi, making Document the starting point of that celebrated sequence.
Recorded at Sound Emporium in Nashville, the album sharpened the band's sound with louder guitars, clearer vocals, and a more muscular rock attack. It built on the progress of Lifes Rich Pageant, which had been produced by Don Gehman.
Document also marked R.E.M.'s breakthrough into the mainstream. “The One I Love” became their first Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 single, while the album reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and eventually earned platinum certification. It remained an I.R.S. Records release; the band moved to Warner Bros. before Green.