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Accelerate | 
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| Artist: R.e.m.
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $5.00
You Save: $13.98 (74%)
Rating:  205 reviews
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.3
MPN: 418620
UPC: 093624988588
EAN: 0093624988588
ASIN: B0013BNY2Q
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 8-31-08 BDR Guaranteed.
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| Tracks:
| • | Living Well Is The Best Revenge | | • | Man-Sized Wreath | | • | Supernatural Superserious | | • | Hollow Man | | • | Houston | | • | Accelerate | | • | Until The Day Is Done | | • | Mr. Richards | | • | Sing For The Submarine | | • | Horse To Water | | • | I'm Gonna DJ |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
In the decade since the departure of drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. could seem at times schizophrenic. Their albums of the era, which veered from the experimentalism of Up and reaffirmation of Reveal to 2004's more diffuse, reflective Around the Sun, often stood in stark contrast to the vibrancy of their live act. But here the alt-rock godfathers have resolved that dichotomy with their most focused and satisfying album in over a decade; a collection that doesn't so much revisit the bracing ethos of the band's '80s coming-of-age, as boil it down to its essence and supercharge it with the energy of their contemporary stage shows. That sensibility is evident from the opening track, "Living Well's the Best Revenge," where Peter Buck's aggressive, distortion-drenched riffs and Michael Stipe's gruff snarl set the tone for "Mansized Wreath," "Horse to Water," and "Supernatural Serious"; rockers that bristle with the abandonment and aggressive energy of a band half their tenure. Yet it's no mere blast-from-the-past. The inclusion of the band's recent touring musicians (Scott McCaughey on second guitar and drummer Bill Rieflin) into the session mix, as well as working out much of the material live onstage in Dublin, has yielded something more sonically akin to R.E.M. 2.2. Stipe's penchant for the lyrically opaque has been largely supplanted by an edgy, articulate passion that variously explores "Houston'"s displaced Katrina refugees, the bluegrass-tinged "Until the Day is Done," and the more typical, quiet self-examination of "Hollow Man," before exploding in the album's unlikely, upbeat elegy "I'm Gonna DJ," where singer and band find renewed hope in not only music, but themselves. --Jerry McCulley
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Wow this is bad - Pete, continue playing with Robyn Hitchcock! August 27, 2008
Joseph Morris (Elmwood Park, NJ)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm altogether dispirited
I've listened to this about 5-6 times all the way through, and not one song has made an impression
Read the lyrics - they're ok - I don't really care too much about lyrics. My favorite album by REM (Murmur) and I don't know the lyrics on most of my favorite songs on that (Radio Free Europe, Perfect Circle)
I am absolutely miserable. I mean, I'm still gonna listen to the group. I'll stick pick up the next album. But none of these songs are very good. There aren't really any strong melodies
Pete, you can do better! You played on Robyn's very good album Ole Tarantula for gods sake.
I can't imagine someone picking up this album and loving it. The first few times I listened to this album I was depressed for a week
Blah! Not a bad album (I guess) but unmemorable. It sounds off; I like when REM rock out (Monster's good) but there seems to be a distinct lack of good solid songs here
I'm sticking to Love's Forever Changes from now on.
 R.E.M. Returns To Rock, But Michael's Voice Is Frayed! August 25, 2008
R. C. Whiteley (Louisville, KY USA)
I was really excited to hear that R.E.M. had returned to a more Rock 'n' Roll style of music. However, other than the loud guitars, a staple of R.E.M. music became very strained on "Accelerate." That would be Michael Stipe's voice. He was never a crooner or a screamer for that matter, but he really seemed to struggle to sing along with the accompanying chiming guitars on this album. The only song that would negate that statement would be the beautiful "Until The Day Is Done." On that track, a break from the guitar racket, Michael sings very well about the current state of affairs in this country, the USA. Overall, I appreciate the album, and that track makes "Accelerate" worth every penny I paid for it. I think the worst sung track on this cd is "Hollow Man," oddly during the calmer parts of the song.
REM is back August 22, 2008
Maureen Brennan (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I can't say I'm a huge fan of REM but I recently picked up this CD and would rate it as very good. Like their old stuff.
Starts off strong with this rocking "Living Well Is the Best Revenge". Continues strong with "Man-sized Wreath" and "Supernatural Superserious". Slows down into a melancholy track - (I've become a) "Hollow Man".
Next track, "Houston", is solid:
"Houston is filled with promise
Laredo is a beautiful place
and Galveston sings like that song that I loved
Its meaning has not been erased"
I really liked this CD. A good effort by a great band. Good to hear that they have produced a solid CD.
The songs average about three minutes in length and the entire CD is short at approx only 35 minutes.
I don't there is a bad track on this CD.
Recommended if you are at all a fan of their past work.
Accelerating away from Around the Sun August 19, 2008
Andrew Kruczek (Dearborn, MI)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
crap sound notwithstanding, this album is not only a return to form, but it rocks! and theres not one song to skip in the bunch. a top album from beginning to end. the band can't let an album go by without some political whining. surprised will they be that hurricanes will hit during the mccain administration too. but it's not overbearing. the album flies by so quick, you don't realize how good it is until you realize you've spun it a few times in a row.
my top three: living well is the best revenge, until the day is done, hollow man.
too bad the lyrics aren't included. welcome back r.e.m.
we missed you.
Stepping On The Gas.... August 12, 2008
Brian Kious (Saint Charles, Missouri United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
So when we last left the boys they had just given us AROUND THE SUN, a somber, lackluster, lackadaisical trudge through synthesizer/overproduction hedes. Welcome the polar opposite, or shall we say, classic mode of R.E.M.. Don't have your volume up too high, as the mastering of this album is LOUD! Rightly so, as it's 90% electric! While the lyrics that Michael and the gang recite aren't the greatest in their catalogue, they also aren't their worst and are pretty good. "Supernatural Superserious" is a great song and a rightful tune for pop radio overplay. "Houston" flaunts a bit of high-powered organ that only comes up to breathe every few beats, but it adds to the humidity of the song. "Mr. Richards" is destined to become a forgotten classic. The downside on ACCELERATE is "Until The Day Is Done." It's a protest song, and it's unfortunate because you can tell 10 seconds in that it's a protest song. Aside from "...day is done", this is a mighty fine highway listen (or a workout soundtrack). Welcome back to the late 80s, R.E.M..
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