Accelerate - REM album - March 31 2008

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Accelerate reminds me more of NAIHF than anything, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

One thing that is very much in favour of Accelerate is that while NAIHF had REM classics like E-Bow and Electrolite, and fan faves like Blinky, West and Wake Up Bomb, NAIHF is long-winded. It goes on for too long and couldprobably do with two or three less songs (Zither, Undertow and Low Desert maybe?)

Accelerate is succint, straight-to the point. There's no piss-farting around. It's like REM are saying, "here are the songs, enjoy the fuck out of them". Indeed, the longest track, Sing For The Submarine is deservedly long, unlike some of the bloated stuff on NAIHF.
 
last unicorn said:
Accelerate is constantly growing on me, it might very well be in my top 3 REM albums right now. My current favorites are:

Sing for the submarine (which is amazing)
Accelerate
Hollow Man
Houston
Living Well
Man-Sized Wreath

Horse to water doesn't do much for me, and I'm gonna DJ is still an annoyance and out of place.

Agreed. "I'm Gonna DJ" is not a good last song for the album. I'm very disappointed with the shortness of the album and think that R.E.M. must have had a better closer than "DJ". It's anybody's guess as to why they didn't use it.
 
I think Living Well is the Best Revenge is my favorite song on the record. I love the lyrics, too. Great song. Even with Stipe screaming, I have to hear it everyday. :up:
 
This album is like powerjuice or something. Gets me going in the morning! And the first 3 songs fit in beautifully into my work commute... from the convenience store where I get my morning coffee to the second I pull into the work parking lot! It's less than a 10 min commute! :lol:

... the gospel according to who???!!!

*bass*

:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:
 
I love that Man Sized Wreath, love the lyrics and the sound of it. It wins just for having the words "odious conceit" and "motorcade up benign". Every time I listen to it I think of Bush carrying one.
 
It totally sounds like a reference to Bushie! And only Stipe will use words like odious conceipt, motorcade of benign strength, teleprompt stutters etc. :lol:
 
Zootlesque said:
motorcade of benign strength

Is that what it is? I looked it up online and it said "motorcade up benign". I haven't looked at the CD, if the lyrics are on there. I assumed the first time I heard it that it was about Bush. Of course it could be about any similar leader.
 
I just looked up a bunch of sites and there are a lot of incorrect lyrics floating around. :huh:

These are straight from the liner notes:

Wave the palms, steal the alms,
a fist in the air
A motorcade of benign strength shows
the people that you care - owww!

:drool:
 
Charades...
Pop skill.
Water hyacinth...
Named by a poet.

Imitation of life.

Like a koi in a frozen pond...
Like a goldfish in a bowl...
I don't want to hear you cry.
 
Imitation of Life :love:

I had a chance to get Reveal the other day, used for really cheap. But I didn't cos I was getting a bunch of other stuff too. :slant:
 
Zootlesque said:
Imitation of Life :love:

I had a chance to get Reveal the other day, used for really cheap. But I didn't cos I was getting a bunch of other stuff too. :slant:


By that you mean "other stuff that was better".

A wise decision.
 
And I hate the fucking Eagles, man!

The.Big.Lebowski.1998.Screenshot.1.jpg



I've said it before: I've never been disappointed by an album from a band I love more than with Reveal and ATS. Most of my favorite artists would never put out sub-par crap like that.

As for Coldplay, I can't say I hate the albums because I don't mind Parachutes, and don't own the other ones because everything I've heard from them has been awful.

It's safe to say I hate the band, though!
 
Arrrgh! So, R.E.M. added a date in St. Paul, of course after I bought a ticket to the Chicago show. Now, I don't know what to do...is anyone looking for a good lower level single to Chicago??
 
I love Reveal. Think it's the sunny weather we've been having here but lately I've been listening to it non stop. Perfect album to stick on, on a lazy sunny afternoon. From start to finish, it's just pure lush sounds. Great chill out album.

ATS is poor. Can't believe how poor for R.E.M. Hate when people put Up and Reveal in with it when trying to claim all the post Berry material has been rubbish. ATS yes. The other two are great records IMO.
 
Final Straw said:
I love Reveal. Think it's the sunny weather we've been having here but lately I've been listening to it non stop. Perfect album to stick on, on a lazy sunny afternoon. From start to finish, it's just pure lush sounds. Great chill out album.

ATS is poor. Can't believe how poor for R.E.M. Hate when people put Up and Reveal in with it when trying to claim all the post Berry material has been rubbish. ATS yes. The other two are great records IMO.

Top call on Reveal. It really is a curiously engaging album. It's a very summer-y album, and even the song titles gives that impression (Summer Turns To High, Beachball, I'll Take The Rain). You can also hear it in Imitation, Chorus And The Ring and All The Way To Reno. It's very cruisy and REM's Radiohead-inspired Disappear is very cool....

I've Been High is one of my favourite REM songs.....


The problem with ATS is it's patchy-ness I reckon. I cannot stand Final Straw, though I can see at least some merit in all other the songs. They hint at decency or brilliance yet never seem to get there....for whatever reason....
 
intedomine said:

The problem with ATS is it's patchy-ness I reckon. I cannot stand Final Straw, though I can see at least some merit in all other the songs. They hint at decency or brilliance yet never seem to get there....for whatever reason....

Yeah a lot of it is down to them sucking the life out of the songs in the studio. R.E.M. Live shows how much better the songs were live and raw in the last tour. Final Straw with the drums, Boy In The Well with higher vocals in the chorus, Ascent Of Man sped up and much more energetic.

Even with that though, I don't agree with Stipe saying that the material is strong apart from the fact they ruined the songs in the studio. Songs like Electron Blue, Aftermath, Wanderlust, I Wanted To Be Wrong, Worst Joke Ever just aren't gonna turn into good songs, no matter how raw or live they play them.
 
They'll tour surely.....but we're always last. Probably an '09 tour, and probably one show at Rod Laver in Melbourne.

Just a thought, with Radiohead to tour Japan in October, might there be a chance that they'll be in Australia come November?????

I'm kinda hoping that they'll headline the BDO in January personally....
 
I came oh so close to buying this yesterday, but got Born to Run instead.

Haven't REM not toured in years or soemthing? Or am I thinking of another band.
 
They toured behind their greatest hits compilation in 2003, and they toured after Around the Sun a few years ago.
 
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