CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › R.E.M.--"Accelerate" track listing
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

R.E.M.--"Accelerate" track listing - Page 2

post #51 of 258
3/16/08 at 10:51am
I've listened to it 4 times straight. You can't trust my opinion, flat out. I think the sun rises and sets on this band...

but I think this might be their best album yet.
Reply
post #52 of 258
3/16/08 at 11:50am
Man, you've turned around a little, huh?
Reply
post #53 of 258
3/16/08 at 12:03pm
[De Niro]Little bit. A little bit.[/De Niro]
Reply
post #54 of 258
3/17/08 at 4:52am
Accelerate has been on constant play for me since yesterday morning and I'm really loving it. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say it's their best just yet, but it's definitely the best post-Berry album.

I'm so glad I bought that ticket to see them play in Helsinki in September. These songs must sound awesome live. Can't wait!
Reply
post #55 of 258
3/17/08 at 10:45am
Are you guys listening illicitly or is this available to law-abiding citizens yet?
Reply
post #56 of 258
3/17/08 at 10:47am
Thread Starter 
Illicit is such a harsh, if accurate, word...
Reply
post #57 of 258
3/17/08 at 11:17am
Indeed.
Illicit but great nonetheless.

My favorite so far is the track "accelerate", followed closely by "hollow man"

Good fun.
Reply
post #58 of 258
3/17/08 at 12:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by The13th View Post
My first impression is that it starts really strong and loses a little steam near the end. Still a really good album. Easily their best in a really long time. Hopefully the couple of songs near the end that didn't grab me will grow on me over time.
Right on the money. Very, very strong at the start, then gets a little muddled for me, but it wraps up really well with the one-two punch of "Horse to Water" and "I'm Gonna DJ." Easily their best since New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I'm very glad to hear Mills' harmonies all over this thing.
Reply
post #59 of 258
3/17/08 at 12:29pm
I don't really agree with that. I think the slower numbers (of which there's really only 2, maybe 2 and a half with "Houston") are terrific songs on their own. And "Sing For The Submarine" is terrific, although I think it's an album ender. To me it feels like the last song R.E.M. ever writes. It's a closer.

I don't see any weak tracks on the whole album, to be honest. It's been a long time since I could say that about one of R.E.M.'s albums.
Reply
post #60 of 258
3/17/08 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 
You shut your dirty mouth.

Nordling? Sorry about that "you shut your dirty mouth" thing. This is all based on my impressions after my first few listens. The ones that don't grab me immediately may turn out to be growers, they may not. I'll still recommend this record to any and all that will listen.
Reply
post #61 of 258
3/17/08 at 1:02pm
Not too much of a fan of I'm gonna dj, sing for the submarine or until the day is done right now. Yesterday at this time I couldn't stand Mr Richards, either, but now I'm kinda liking it so we'll see if these others end up growing on me, too.
Reply
post #62 of 258
3/17/08 at 1:04pm
You guys are all going to hell.
Reply
post #63 of 258
3/17/08 at 7:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan "Nordling" Cerny View Post

but I think this might be their best album yet.
Ha ha. I've made that mistake before. With low expectations, you hear a pretty good album by a band you love after years of crap and/or nothing, and after a day or two of heavy listening you make the heady proclamation of "best album ever". Then the high wears off, and you realize you were just vomiting hyperbole all over your carpet. And then you realize Pearl Jam is okay, but not even as good as Binaural.

All in all, 3 listens in, I can say with absolute certainty it is better than the last album. That's all I'll say at the moment, though, since I like most of Reveal and really like parts of Up (and admit parts of Up suck hard).
Reply
post #64 of 258
3/18/08 at 4:29pm
There's a series of video interviews with Michael Stipe at the recent SXSW Music Festival here.

http://mog.com/indiepixie/blog_post/149263

On a somewhat related not, this past weekend, I watched an older episode of Iconoclasts from the Sundance Channel with Stipe when he was paired with his friend, celebrity chef Mario Batali. It was a great episode and he had some really interesting things to say.
Reply
post #65 of 258
3/18/08 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan "Nordling" Cerny View Post
I think this might be their best album yet.
Take it back.
Reply
post #66 of 258
3/18/08 at 5:42pm
Too late, he's already changed his avatar.
Reply
post #67 of 258
3/18/08 at 6:09pm
This seems like as good an occasion as any to rank the albums. For me:

Reckoning
Automatic for the People
Lifes Rich Pageant
Murmur
Accelerate
Document
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Fables of the Reconstruction
Out of Time
Monster
Up
Green
Around the Sun
Reveal

I can't believe that I'm calling Accelerate better than Document. I've always felt that the latter was deeply flawed because it plays masterfully until "The One I Love" and then crashes and burns; "King of Birds" is the only good song in the second half, while the rest is junk. Accelerate seems much more consistent now, but maybe that will change after repeat listens.

And as for my other rankings, I have to say that it's only the last three albums that I would say are significantly weaker than the rest. Even Up has some great tunes and doesn't deserve the coal-raking it saw on its release.
Reply
post #68 of 258
3/18/08 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Highway 61 View Post
I can't believe that I'm calling Accelerate better than Document. I've always felt that the latter was deeply flawed because it plays masterfully until "The One I Love" and then crashes and burns; "King of Birds" is the only good song in the second half, while the rest is junk.
Nah, Document was their last gasp as far as odd, Southern-tinged soundscapes go. I love that shit.
Reply
post #69 of 258
3/18/08 at 6:29pm
I agree completely, and I love the album to death. I would kill for R.E.M. to go back to their Southern roots. My problem is that the album is perfect for the first seven tracks. You can sense the band's unshakable confidence in their talent, and then they slip a little. If the band had ordered the songs differently, that hiccup in their confidence probably wouldn't be so noticeable, and I couldn't say anything bad about the album. In the end, I value the strongest songs on Document more than the strongest songs on Accelerate, but looking at the sum of their parts, Accelerate is the more consistent album.
Reply
post #70 of 258
3/18/08 at 6:33pm
Damn. I wanted to take the high road and wait, but now...well, I'm lazy and my PC is fucked, so I'll probably still wait.
Reply
post #71 of 258
3/18/08 at 6:49pm
So Phil, without having heard the new album, how do you rank the band's work? I'm guessing the IRS years are top for you, no?
Reply
post #72 of 258
3/18/08 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Highway 61 View Post
I agree completely, and I love the album to death. I would kill for R.E.M. to go back to their Southern roots. My problem is that the album is perfect for the first seven tracks. You can sense the band's unshakable confidence in their talent, and then they slip a little. If the band had ordered the songs differently, that hiccup in their confidence probably wouldn't be so noticeable, and I couldn't say anything bad about the album. In the end, I value the strongest songs on Document more than the strongest songs on Accelerate, but looking at the sum of their parts, Accelerate is the more consistent album.
I haven't heard Accelerate yet, but no love for "Oddfellows Local 151?" Love that song. The only hiccup I can hear on Document is "Fireplace," but even that's so much better than the weak stuff on, say, Green.

Incidentally, Green strikes me as not their worst (it's better than any of the post-Berry stuff and Monster, for that matter), but their least consistent. It seems like they didn't quite know what to do with their pop instincts, so they just channeled all of that energy into "Pop Song 89," "Get Up," and "Stand," all of which now sound dated, overly cheeky, and crammed on to an album that doesn't accommodate them very well.

"Turn You Inside Out" sounded like their big guitar rock move at the time, but now it just sounds like "Finest Worksong"'s dumber brother. But, then, the quiet, acoustic stuff, "Orange Crush," "I Remember California," and "World Leader Pretend" are all pretty fantastic.
Reply
post #73 of 258
3/18/08 at 7:20pm
I've never warmed to Green. I don't dislike any of it the way I dislike material on Reveal or Monster, but I don't love anything on it either; it's an unremarkable album, plain and simple. And even though I agree that it's better than the first three post-Berry albums, I'm embarrassed to admit that I like certain songs on Up, Reveal, and even Around the Sun more than I like anything on Green. But unlike those albums, Green doesn't bury its few good songs in pile of crap, so objectively it wins out.

My theory with Green is that R.E.M. needed to offer something for everyone for their first major label effort. In the IRS years, the band had a distinct direction or a specific theme to work with on each album, but Green is all over the map, and it suffers as a result. Out of Time is just as disjointed, but the quality of the songs makes up for it.
Reply
post #74 of 258
3/18/08 at 9:17pm
Automatc For the People will always be the closest to my heart; got me through some tough times emotionally.
Reply
post #75 of 258
3/18/08 at 11:47pm
My top ones change all the time. I'm wildly inconsistent when it comes to R.E.M. but I will say that "The Flowers of Guatemala" is bar none my favorite song of theirs.
Reply
post #76 of 258
3/19/08 at 3:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Highway 61 View Post
So Phil, without having heard the new album, how do you rank the band's work? I'm guessing the IRS years are top for you, no?
They really are. I'm just less in love with Spokesman Stipe than I am with the mumbling, ethereal shit. I like the way his voice was more of a piece with the arrangement, and his voice had a more Southern languor to it. That said, I'm one of the only people who thought "Imitation Of Life" was as good as any of their post 1992 singles, and I love the shit out of New Adventures in HiFi, though I have to admit to not having listened to it in a number of years. I also agree with DaveB on some of Green's better tracks.

Today REM mostly turns up on mixes or playlists for me, and usually it's from Lifes Rich Pageant or earlier. I just gravitate to that the most.
Reply
post #77 of 258
3/19/08 at 10:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
That said, I'm one of the only people who thought "Imitation Of Life" was as good as any of their post 1992 singles, and I love the shit out of New Adventures in HiFi
A fuckin' men, Phil!
Reply
post #78 of 258
3/25/08 at 3:03am
Mills and Berry come out.

Interview with Stipe.
Reply
post #79 of 258
3/25/08 at 10:55am
Listening to it on Ilike.com today and enjoying it a helluvalot.

This is really great.
Reply
post #80 of 258
3/25/08 at 11:40am
I get one line of text (saying "It works!") when I try to go to that site...
Reply
post #81 of 258
3/25/08 at 12:11pm
The site keeps going up and down.

just keep trying.

http://www.ilike.com/rem
Reply
post #82 of 258
3/25/08 at 10:15pm
That link worked. Thanks.

Look at all of us falling in line. Faint praise to say this picks up where HiFi left off, but man, what the hell happened? I'm still affectionate toward parts of Reveal, but this actually sounds like the band again.
Reply
post #83 of 258
3/25/08 at 11:34pm
Thread Starter 
I remember a bunch of us leaving high school the afternoon that Monster came out and hauling ass over to the record store to get it. I tore the wrapping off on the way to the car. This record reminds me of that feeling.
Reply
post #84 of 258
3/25/08 at 11:36pm
Did you ever get to see them play in Athens, or is that too far? I didn't pay attention in Geography class.
Reply
post #85 of 258
3/25/08 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
No, but they played an unannounced show a few months after I moved out of Athens, of course. All the shows I've seen them play have been in Atlanta. Used to see Stipe in the downtown coffee shop all the time, though.
Reply
post #86 of 258
3/27/08 at 11:04am
I'll have a review forthcoming on my blog sometime before Monday, if anyone's interested.
Reply
post #87 of 258
3/27/08 at 12:59pm
http://chud.com/articles/blogs/305/A...ATE---REM.html
Reply
post #88 of 258
3/27/08 at 1:24pm
I hate to repeat what everyone said already. But it's really a terrific album.
It starts incredibly strong, has a few rough patches near the end, but the last two tracks are excellent.

I love the short tracks. Glad to have the band back in form.
Reply
post #89 of 258
3/27/08 at 1:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan "Nordling" Cerny View Post
Shout-outs to Rieflin and McCaughey, but not Ken Stringfellow? Granted, I haven't seen R.E.M. live, so I don't know how much he brings to the table, but, given R.E.M.'s output of the last decade compared to his own, the guy's practically been slumming.

I still have yet to hear anything more than the single, which I liked. I'm looking forward to an R.E.M. album, and that hasn't happened since before Up.

Also, speaking as a drummer who has written and co-written a fair share of songs (none of which have prompted a band breakup that I know of), it's good to see Berry recognized in that capacity. It's not just the lack of his playing the made the band rethink their direction (for the worse), but the fact that they lost a songwriting contributor, as well.
Reply
post #90 of 258
3/27/08 at 2:27pm
Thread Starter 
When the articles were coming out about Berry leaving the band and it turned out he'd written "Perfect Circle," "Everybody Hurts," and "Man on the Moon," the "oh, shit" alarm went off in my head. Sucks that it took them so long to find their footing again, but I'm just glad they did.
Reply
post #91 of 258
3/27/08 at 2:46pm
Forgot about Ken Stringfellow, dammit. Sorry.
Reply
post #92 of 258
4/1/08 at 9:01am
British music magazine Uncut reviewed Acclerate track by track.

1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge *****
2. Man-Sized Wreath ****
3. Supernatural Superserious ***
4. Hollow Man ***
5. Houston ***
6. Accelerate ***
7. Until The Day Is Done ****
8. Mr. Richards ****
9. Sing For The Submarine ***
10. Horse To Water ****
11. I'm Gonna DJ **

The review itself says a lot of the same things that have come up in this thread. Going back to their roots, angrier, Return To Form(tm), etc. "Their most straight-forwardly enjoyable album since 1996's New Adventures In Hi-Fi". The rating for the album as a whole is ***.
Reply
post #93 of 258
4/1/08 at 9:47am
I really hope this album sells. If any band deserves a "come-back," it's R.E.M. And yes I'm biased when I say that (i.e. like Nordling, they're my favorite band!)
Reply
post #94 of 258
4/1/08 at 9:58am
Time magazine has a 2 page article about REM's return and rates each album in order of importance. Its worth checking out.
Reply
post #95 of 258
4/1/08 at 10:08am
Thread Starter 
Hey, there's a new R.E.M. album out today.

It's pretty good.
Reply
post #96 of 258
4/1/08 at 10:34am
Really? What's the name of the album so I can go buy?
Reply
post #97 of 258
4/1/08 at 10:54am
Thread Starter 
It's called Boston's Greatest Hits.
Reply
post #98 of 258
4/1/08 at 11:21am
I'm glad it finally came out. It ends my streak of thinking it came out but it didn't for the past few weeks.
Reply
post #99 of 258
4/2/08 at 11:09am
I just bought my tickets for the R.E.M./National/Modest Mouse concert on June 14th out on Long Island. Helloooo tax benefit.
Reply
post #100 of 258
4/2/08 at 11:36am
Yeah tickets go on sale for the Raleigh show on friday.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Music
CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › R.E.M.--"Accelerate" track listing