Murmur was their first one - very slow except for Radio Free Europe.
Reckoning was the second one - launched them into Indie Band Darling status with the song So. Central Rain among other solid ones.
Life Rich Pageant, number 4, is easily their best ever.
Document, number 5, was a flop.
It wasn't until album number 7 Out Of Time, the first on major label Warner Bros, that they became a household name.
They were already in the map with the Indie / College Radio crowd at that point.
It wasn't until Losing My Religion from Out Of Time where they finally charted bigly on Top 40 mainstream.
Christgau is hated amongst the indiefag crowd.
Take the opposite view of what that nigger said to get the public zeitgeist if the time.
College Top 10 not mainstream.
And after the greatness of LRP it was a letdown at the time.
The next one Green was better received because it was moar rock sounding.
Then they signed with Warner Bros and their OG Indie fan base said fuck those guys as they became household names.
That's how that scene rolls, yo.