R.E.M. - ACCELERATE

[the carlos]

I have really enjoyed Accelerate so far. Horse to Water, Until the Day Is Done, and Mr. Richard are the standouts for me. I've liked Houston much more on the record than when I first heard it on the South by Southwest stream.

 

I have never felt betrayed by a band. If a band starts making music I don't dig I just don't buy the album(s). I'll always have the previous records to listen to.

 

Oh and New Adventures... is still one of my favorite records. It gets as much airplay as Murmur does for me. Two very different records but still great. I love R.E.M. and they've been my favorite band since I was 15. I've enjoyed the change in sound for the most part(Around the Sun being the exception for me, I didn't mind Reveal). Reckoning sounds like Reckoning. That's why I love it so much. Same with the other records. I miss Bill's drums too but I'm glad they keep trying to make music.

[watch me fall]

I hope to pick this up over the weekend. Can't wait!

[myboyblue]

I have really enjoyed Accelerate so far. Horse to Water, Until the Day Is Done, and Mr. Richard are the standouts for me. I've liked Houston much more on the record than when I first heard it on the South by Southwest stream.

 

I have never felt betrayed by a band. If a band starts making music I don't dig I just don't buy the album(s). I'll always have the previous records to listen to.

 

Oh and New Adventures... is still one of my favorite records. It gets as much airplay as Murmur does for me. Two very different records but still great. I love R.E.M. and they've been my favorite band since I was 15. I've enjoyed the change in sound for the most part(Around the Sun being the exception for me, I didn't mind Reveal). Reckoning sounds like Reckoning. That's why I love it so much. Same with the other records. I miss Bill's drums too but I'm glad they keep trying to make music.

 

Sums it up for me. I'll download Accelerate later today but I've liked what I've heard. I have posted this MANY times but people completely overreact to REM's latest output. For whatever reason, people love piling on them. I agree that "Around the Sun" isn't the best album of all time but it really isn't that bad. Reveal and Up were pretty decent but clearly not as consistent as earlier REM output.

 

New Adventures is definitely one of my top REM albums.

 

Aside from all of that, these guys still kick ass live and they give exposure to absolutely phenomenal opening acts.

[TheMaker]

Accelerate is growing on me. It isn't great, and it's still laugh-out-loud funny that Rolling Stone called it the best album the band has ever made, but there are some really solid songs on here (Man-Sized Wreath, Horse to Water, Sing for the Submarine).

 

I still maintain that Hi-Fi is a total piece of shit, arguably the nadir for R.E.M (excepting Around the Sun, which brings new meaning to the word terrible). It's just a shapeless, colourless mass of generic rockers, almost all of which sit and spin their wheels for five to six minutes when it feels so obvious that they should be over in like two and a half. I've been listening to the entire R.E.M. catalogue at work over the last week or so, and true to form, this one started dragging for me almost immediately, becoming a complete chore to listen to about a third of the way through Wake-Up Bomb. The only songs I actually like on this album are Electrolite and Be Mine.

 

Up, though, I freaking love.

[solace]

Accelerate is growing on me. It isn't great, and it's still laugh-out-loud funny that Rolling Stone called it the best album the band has ever made, but there are some really solid songs on here (Man-Sized Wreath, Horse to Water, Sing for the Submarine).

Rolling Stone never claimed it was the best album they've ever made, you need to learn how to read. David Fricke (who is one of their best writers & reviewers) called it "one of the best albums they've ever made", there's a HUGE huge difference. that could constitute it just being in their top 5 or 10...

[the carlos]

Sums it up for me. I'll download Accelerate later today but I've liked what I've heard. I have posted this MANY times but people completely overreact to REM's latest output. For whatever reason, people love piling on them. I agree that "Around the Sun" isn't the best album of all time but it really isn't that bad. Reveal and Up were pretty decent but clearly not as consistent as earlier REM output.

 

New Adventures is definitely one of my top REM albums.

 

Aside from all of that, these guys still kick ass live and they give exposure to absolutely phenomenal opening acts.

I agree. Even Around the Sun has some good music on it. I really love Up too. It was fun buying a new R.E.M. album this morning. I didn't buy Around the Sun the morning it came out and I felt like I something was missing the entire day. This is a good day.

 

R.E.M. is still the best live act I've ever seen. I'm really bummed we aren't going to be able to make the Red Rocks show this year.

[JerseyMike]

I don't claim to be a great REM fan, but I do appreciate their music. I have listened to Accelerate a few times and I think it is a good, but not great record. There are moments when I feel they are trying to hard to recapture the past, but it does make for an enjoyable listen. My main criticism with the record is Stipe's lyrics, which are pretty tepid and silly for a man of his age and experience, especially on the last track, "I'm Gonna DJ". Hardcore REM fans may have a harder time enjoying the record than someone who hasn't spent a lifetime connecting to their music, which is perfectly acceptable. So far, Houston has been my favorite track, but I think I'm moving to Texas in a few weeks, so I have a sub-conscious bias.

[hardwood floor]

There are moments when I feel they are trying to hard to recapture the past

 

this hits the nail on the head for me why i don't like this

 

this record screams out to me: "OK, what we've been doing hasn't been working, we know that. Let's make a conscious and transparent effort to do what people used to like." Just rings out disingenuous to me.

 

Marah's last record struck me the exact same way. OK, this is our return to when we were fucking great.

 

well ... why did you make me buy the last couple records then? that you claimed were "your best work ever?"

 

bands that do this shit lose all credibility with me

 

i can't even list to marah anymore because of this dynamic

[JerseyMike]

Marah's last record struck me the exact same way. OK, this is our return to when we were fucking great.

 

Couldn't agree more. I thought "Angels" was a huge disappointment.

[solace]

but would you rather have a band appear (and it's only your perception to be honest) to be trying too hard rather than coasting?

 

i'd take the former myself if i had to choose.

[Sly like a Foxwell]

this one does seem to draw on the past, and it seems they they realized they better turn the rock back on, or they were done. it's nice to hear some loud ass peter buck guitar in the world again.

i've listened to it a few times, so as usual with REM, i haven't quite absorbed it. even if the lyrics don;t meet the expectations , sometimes a simple song is better than a masterwork left undone. i'll bet that some of these songs translate very well into rocked the fuck out live versions.

[the carlos]

but would you rather have a band appear (and it's only your perception to be honest) to be trying too hard rather than coasting?

 

i'd take the former myself if i had to choose.

indeed.

[JerseyMike]

but would you rather have a band appear (and it's only your perception to be honest) to be trying too hard rather than coasting?

 

Its a great question that could be its own thread.

 

In this case, I would rather see a band trying too hard to create something new and different rather than trying too hard to re-create past glories.

 

If I want to hear a band coast, I'll wait 'til the next AC/DC record!

[SunkenKamera]

Hi Fi is good, but crazy long compared with most of the catalog.

 

To me, Wilco's IATTBYH is like a cousin to How the West Was Won... Both are great tunes.

 

E-bow is my favorite on the record. Binky the Doormat is probably my favorite song that references Astroglide.

 

 

I like Accelerate. It's funny to me that I seem to be enjoying the slower songs more. Until the Day is Done is a great example of how much better this album is than recent efforts. Can you imagine how this song would sound with the Around the Sun treatment, awash in keyboards?

[brown eyes dreaming]

Thought you might like this - REM's appearance on Letterman back in 1983.

 

A shy Michael Stipe hides for the first 1:40 of the video. When asked what song they will be playing, Mike Mills says they haven't named it yet (it's So. Central rain).

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Like many if you, I was a huge fan of REM in the 80's (completely wore out Chronic Town and Murmur) and early 90's and then lost interest. Decided to give Accelerate a listen. First time through, only 2 songs really stuck - "Mr. Richards" and "Living Well's the Best Revenge"

[bigideas]

Interesting point considering so much of it was recorded at soundcheck, backstage, etc. Unfortunately they didn't learn that lesson and instead relied on studio production more heavily than ever in the albums that followed.

 

yes, we have Radiohead to thank for that. they did the same thing with My Iron Lung, REM liked the idea and put it in practice. i think that's the story.

 

i can't get into all of Hi Fi.

i think it's that "i look good in a glasspack" or whatever line. that is the worst.

 

I've been reacquainting myself with Around the Sun.

try this people:

listen straight through and cut out tracks 3, 5 and 6.

it makes it a very solid 10 track, 42/43 minute album.

 

fyi, i just bought the DVD/CD Accelerate at Target for $17.99.

as far as i know they're the only ones offering this version on sale for the first week.

the normal CD is basically around $9.99 most places, so if you consider the 2 b-sides you would pay 99 cents a piece for, that asks the question, "would you pay $6 for a 45 min documentary on the band/album and DVD box packaging?"

[Oil Can Boyd]

fyi, i just bought the DVD/CD Accelerate at Target for $17.99.

as far as i know they're the only ones offering this version on sale for the first week.

I just saw it in Newbury Comics (a New England chain with about 25 stores).

[EL the Famous]

i think carlos alluded to this, but if i listen to each new REM record (or any new record from one of my favorite bands)as it's own entity and do my best to try and take it in w/out any previous work looming over me as i do so...i end up enjoying the experience 100X more whether i end up liking it or not.

 

i really like accelerate...i couldn't say it's their best or on par w/ thier best, but it's a great album (REM or otherwise).

[bigideas]

I just saw it in Newbury Comics (a New England chain with about 25 stores).

 

i meant "on sale" as in lower than sticker price, not that they carry the item.

 

i'm glad i bought the special edition now. the booklet is really cool. the whole thing is in a normal clear dvd case and the booklet is thick and looks handsewn together or stitched. there is even a joke printed on the front "this booklet will fall apart" although it doesn't seem weak or anything. all the lyrics are in there with artwork and picturess and quotes i guess that inspired Stipe for the lyrics. not colorful like most REM things, this stays with the black and white of the cover art.

 

first listen through the album and i am pleasantly surprised.

i really only know REM from Automatic on and love the last albums as well, while everyone seems to hate those and like the new one, so i was afraid i wouldn't like this one.

 

My first thought is that I wish Houston really kicked back in after that last note or sound, it's too short. I like what there is though.

 

if Accelerate is a pointer to older REM then i finally do need to start from the beginning.

[SunkenKamera]

R.E.M. on the Colbert Report. Pretty great.

 

 

 

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/index.jhtml

[Rusty Shackleford]

I've finally listened to (most of) Accelerate, and I like it quite a bit. They're back to sounding like R.E.M.--Stipe's vocals are a bit down in the mix, and most of them make no linear sense. More importantly, there are real drums played by a real drummer who is named Bill. It's not quite the same as having Bill Berry back, but that alone goes a long way to restoring the R.E.M. sound. Finally, Mike Mills sounds like himself again--the bass lines push the melody more than the guitars do, and he's singing harmonies again. Peter Buck's guitars are back, but this isn't the jangle-pop of Reckoning or LRP--more like Monster (e.g. Star 69) or NAiHF (So Fast So Numb).

 

I know some people on here see this record as a cynical move for the band to widen its audience (or gain it back) by just giving the masses what it thinks they want. I can see that point of view. But I see this record more as the band getting back to what they're good at, and playing the way they enjoy playing live, which they didn't do on the last 3 records. Accelerate is a huge step in getting their recording and performing careers back on the same track, which is a very good thing.

[bsr8j]

R.E.M. on the Colbert Report. Pretty great.

 

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/index.jhtml

 

That was a great segment. More to the point, Colbert was great. (And isn't he really the focus of every interview on that show?) I loved his question about the album being labeled their "comeback."

[bigideas]

they said they were making a rock record during the Around the Sun interviews though.

at that time they didn't know ATS would be received so poorly.

 

i spent the afternoon listening to the Amazon clips of all the early REM albums in order.

 

if i want to start getting the full albums should i go for the IRS reissues with the bonus tracks or should i just get the cheaper normal versions and buy that compilation (i forget the title)?

[Analogman]

they said they were making a rock record during the Around the Sun interviews though.

at that time they didn't know ATS would be received so poorly.

 

i spent the afternoon listening to the Amazon clips of all the early REM albums in order.

 

if i want to start getting the full albums should i go for the IRS reissues with the bonus tracks or should i just get the cheaper normal versions and buy that compilation (i forget the title)?

 

I am sure the re-issues sound better - or rather, I would hope so, anyhow.

 

* Murmur (1983)

* Reckoning (1984)

* Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)

* Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)

* Document (1987)

* Green (1988)

* Out of Time (1991)

* Automatic for the People (1992)

* Monster (1994)

* New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)

* Up (1998)

* Reveal (2001)

* Around the Sun (2004)

* Accelerate (2008)

[Rusty Shackleford]

they said they were making a rock record during the Around the Sun interviews though.

at that time they didn't know ATS would be received so poorly.

 

i spent the afternoon listening to the Amazon clips of all the early REM albums in order.

 

if i want to start getting the full albums should i go for the IRS reissues with the bonus tracks or should i just get the cheaper normal versions and buy that compilation (i forget the title)?

 

 

I don't know if the reissues sound better or not--I actually think that the "...And I Feel Fine" compilation that came out recently doesn't sound as good as the originals--it's remastered the "modern" way--e.g. all really loud, for mp3 player use. The 2nd CD of that "limited edition" has some great stuff on it, but I would start with the regular albums first.

 

Also, keep in mind that many of the extra tracks on the IRS reissues are also available elsewhere (both legitimately and otherwise). For instance, many of them are on the 1987 release "Dead Letter Office," which was a compilation of B-sides that had been issued to that point. I would definitely recommend you pick that one up eventually--it's worth it for Peter Buck's liner notes alone, and the CD version now comes with the "Chronic Town" EP included.

 

I think the most "R.E.M.-sounding" records (and therefore best for beginners) are Reckoning and Lifes Rich Pageant, but they're all great. Happy listening!