R.E.M. - Accelerate Review

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 04.03.2008

Is this the big comeback or the final nail in the coffin for R.E.M.?

My Story
If hype can sell an album, R.E.M.’s Accelerate will be their best selling record in several years. The band has done everything possible to get their name out there in the weeks leading up to the street date, from shooting videos in sex shops to releasing the full album for all who wanted to listen on iLike.com (seriously, was MySpace busy or something). And don’t forget that frontman Michael Stipe finally officially announced that he was gay. Did you know that water is also wet? Amazing!

The point is, R.E.M. has insisted that Accelerate is a high-profile release from a high-profile band and, oh by the way, just forget about those other albums we’ve released this decade, because we’ve totally remembered how to rock. I hope, for their sake, that they’re right. Or it may be another ten years before fans will trust them again.

Their Story
R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, when Georgia natives Bill Berry and Mike Mills hooked up with punk rocker Michael Stipe and insatiable record collector Peter Buck. The band’s first gig (under the name Twisted Kites) was for a friend’s party, and was preceded by weeks of garage rehearsals. The foursome continued to gig together after the party and after a few months had changed their band name to R.E.M.

The band used regional gigs over the next year to gel as a unit (as well as a chance to better learn their craft), living out of a van packed with gear. R.E.M. recorded its first single, “Radio Free Europe”, in 1981 for Hib-Tone Records. Though the cut only had a pressing of 1,000 copies, it became a hit on college rock stations, leading to R.E.M. signing with I.R.S. Records, where they released their debut EP, Chronic Town, in 1982. The EP was hailed by critics, who were intrigued by R.E.M.’s mix of jangly pop rock and underground DIY attitude. The band’s debut full length, Murmur, a much more subtle effort than the rough-edged EP, followed the next year.

Murmur did pretty well for a debut album. It reached the Top 40 and produced a Mainstream Rock hit with a newly recorded “Radio Free Europe”. Rolling Stone named Murmur the best album of 1983. The louder Reckoning followed the next year. The album proved to have longer legs than their debut, and reached #27 on the charts. Reckoning failed to produce another Rock hit, though “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” was big at college radio. As R.E.M. toured in support of their second album, they found their support from the underground growing, as fans appreciated the band’s perceived snubbing of mainstream popularity. They didn’t make videos. They didn’t do guitar solos. And people rarely knew what the hell Michael Stipe was talking about in their songs. R.E.M. was becoming the coolest band in the nation.

Amidst the touring, R.E.M. recorded their third album, Fables Of The Reconstruction. R.E.M. began to explore a new sound with Fables, which was recorded in London with a brand new producer. The set featured much deeper and darker songs, as R.E.M. explored their southern roots. Commercially, Fables topped Reckoning in popularity, continuing R.E.M.’s slow climb to success. The cleaner and more upbeat Lifes Rich Pageant appeared in 1986 and became the band’s first gold record, moving 500,000 copies in just five months. It also produced the band’s first Top 10 Mainstrem Rock hit in “Fall On Me”, which reached #5.

With demand for R.E.M. growing, I.R.S. released the B-sides and rarities compilation Dead Letter Office in 1987, which featured the band’s debut EP in its entirety. The band followed up that year with Document, their first collaboration with producer Scott Litt, which propelled the band into a new realm of success. Document became a Top 10 hit and was certified platinum. The lead single, “It’s the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” was a Top 20 Mainstream Rock hit, but it was the next, “The One I Love”, which struck a nerve with the masses. The single reached #9 on the Hot 100 and #2 Rock.

Document would be R.E.M.’s final studio album with I.R.S., as the band jumped to Warner Bros. in 1988. I.R.S. would go on to release several R.E.M. compilations over the next two decades, form 1988’s Eponymous to 2006’s And I Feel Fine…The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987.

R.E.M.’s first Warner Bros. album was 1988’s Green. The record was again produced by Scott Litt, who would remain behind the boards for the band throughout most of the 90’s. Green would find R.E.M. consciously switching up their songwriting process, in hopes of keeping their sound changing and fresh. Though Green fell just shy of the Top 10 (it reached #12), it was another platinum hit, reaching the milestone in just three months. The set featured another Top 10 hit in “Stand”, which reached #6. It was the band’s first #1 Rock hit, too. The follow-up single, “Orange Crush”, also reached the top of the Rock charts. A successful World Tour followed the release of Green, followed by the band’s first real break in almost ten years. Warner Bros. released a pair of videos in the interim (Pop Screen and R.E.M. Tourfilm), both of which went gold.

R.E.M. returned in 1991 with the genre bending Out Of Time, an album that featured a blend of R.E.M.’s jangle pop and folk. Their extended time away had their fans rabid for a new album, and that fever translated into a huge hit. The lead single, “Losing My Religion”, became the band’s biggest yet, certifying gold and reaching #4 on the Hot 100. It was also a chart topper on both Rock lists. The second single, “Shiny Happy People”, was another Top 10 hit. Out Of Time debuted at #1 on the US charts and was certified 4x platinum in just over a year, despite the fact that R.E.M. decided against a tour to promote the album. Thanks to Time’s success, the band’s first three I.R.S. albums were also certified gold. Another gold video, This Film Is On, was released in 1991, too.

1992 marked the release of Automatic For The People, another lush and dark album of quiet rock. The record fell just shy of #1 (it reached #2) and certified triple platinum, thanks to three more Top 40 singles in “Drive”, “Everybody Hurts” and “Man On The Moon”. R.E.M. once again opted out of a tour, but the next year saw Green go double platinum, making all of their Warner albums multi-platinum affairs.

R.E.M. decided to move back towards their rock nature on Monster, which was released in 1994. Rumors of tensions within the band marred the recording process, but the bad vibes didn’t translate into a bad album. Monster became a tent pole in the early 90’s alternative rock scene, and produced another pair of Top 40 singles in “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” and “Bang & Blame”. Monster was another triple platinum #1 success, prompting the band to head out on their first tour in years. The tour was in constant jeopardy, as both Mike Mills and Michael Stipe were forced to take time off for major surgeries, making for several cancelled and postponed dates. Fans forgave the band for the medical emergencies, though, and the Monster tour was a monster success.

The band released New Adventures In Hi-Fi in 1996. The record debuted at #2 just as the band had signed an unprecedented new $80 million contract with Warner Bros. Unfortunately, Hi-Fi would mark the beginning of a downturn for R.E.M. The set stalled out at platinum and failed to produce any Top 40 hits, despite the singles “E-Bow The Letter” and “Bittersweet Me” being Top 20 Rock hits.

In the years following Hi-Fi, R.E.M. seemed unable to recapture their previous success. In 1997, Bill Berry left the band, retiring from the music business. Stipe, Mills and Buck decided to continue on as a three-piece and went to Hawaii to record the next R.E.M. album with a drum machine and a new producer. The result was the experimental Up, which reached #3 on the charts and was certified gold. Like Hi-Fi, Up would feature no Top 40 hits, but unlike Hi-Fi, none of Up’s singles were Top 10 Rock hits, either. The band rocked out on 2001’s Reveal, but people still weren’t listening. The set peaked at #6 on the charts, going gold and producing only the minor Rock hit “Imitation Of Life”.

Warner Bros. released their first R.E.M. compilation, In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in 2003, and the album (bolstered by a pair of new songs) reached #8 on the US charts and went gold. R.E.M. themselves returned in 2004 with Around The Sun, which they promoted with a large world tour. Sun failed to reach the Top 10 and is the band’s worst selling album to date.

R.E.M. disappeared for a while following Around the Sun. They released a live album, R.E.M. Live, in 2007. The set featured performances from their 2005 world tour. Later that year, frontman Michael Stipe began to talk to the media about the next R.E.M. album, which would feature production by Jacknife Lee. R.E.M. was so excited about the new material, which they were once again calling a return to their rock roots, that they played a few shows which consisted of the entire album. Positive reviews began to roll in for the new songs, and the band began an aggressive promotion for the set, including releasing a full stream of the album on the internet before its street date.

The Album
On April 1, 2008, Warner Bros. released Accelerate, the fourteenth album by R.E.M. and the follow-up to 2004’s Around The Sun. The album is available on CD as well as in the CD/DVD deluxe set, which includes a documentary of its making called 6 Days.


The Band: 8.0
Michael Stipe: vocals
Peter Buck: guitars
Mike Mills: bass

R.E.M. has been promising to rock since the dawn of the 90’s, but have never seemed to make good on that promise, even when they claimed they WERE rocking on stinkers like Reveal. However, with Around The Sun thrusting the R.E.M. dinosaur very close to the edge of extinction, there was a concerted effort on this new album to bring R.E.M. back to what brought them to the dance: a jangly pop that owed more to the punk than classic rock in its attitude. The first step towards completing this goal was hiring uber-producer Jacknife Lee, who brought Snow Patrol to the masses and kept U2 vital on How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Of course, all the producer magic in the world isn’t enough to bring a band back from the dead. Luckily, R.E.M. was more than ready to play too.

On Accelerate, R.E.M. comes off as vital as they ever have, all while stripping their sound down to the bare basics. You have Peter Buck’s ringing guitar sound, Mike Mills haunting background vocals and Michael Stipe, standing in front, fragile and ready to be loved and worshiped. Accelerate may not have the innovation or experimentation we expect from R.E.M. by now (there’s not a mandolin in sight), but it doesn’t need that to succeed in its goal. Accelerate has reminded the band why they played music to begin with, and reminded their fans why they love listening.

At just over half an hour, Accelerate is a stripped down rock album that is all meat. There isn’t a moment where you’ll be bored, a big relief for those who’ve suffered through the band’s meandering projects of the last decade or so. With nice guitar hooks and solos and a palpable energy, Accelerate is like that old discount cassette you find of a band you just got into, discovering a whole set of classic tracks that are new to you.

The Songs: 8.0
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

Accelerate kicks off with “Living Well Is The Best Revenge”, a cut that instantly brings back memories of R.E.M.’s I.R.S. years, brimming with a youthful energy that belies the band’s three decades in the business. That’s followed by the supercharged political and social indictment of “Man-Sized Wreath”. And the album just doesn’t let up from there. The lead single, “Supernatural Superserious”, is a great snapshot of Accelerate, actually, as its pure, timeless R.E.M.

Accelerate is just an album of highlights, really, as each song fades into another that will grab your attention. The proto-college rock of “Horse To Water” is a great candidate for a follow-up single, while the acoustic dirge of “Houston” (“If the storm doesn’t kill me, the government will” – take a shot, it’s a Katrina reference) is sure to please the Out Of Time-era fans.

The album closes with the geeky “I’m Gonna DJ”, which tells of a guy who just believes in the music. It’s a fitting end to the set, as R.E.M. fans will find their faith in this band restored at long last, and anticipating another new album for the first time since the 90’s.

The 411: Accelerate isn’t R.E.M.’s best album, but it doesn’t need to be. While the band lacks in true innovation here, the fact that they’ve really “gotten it together” and put out a classic ROCKING album is enough to bring back fans who had given up hope. The set is lean and full of highlights. Peter Buck rocks harder than he has in a decade here, and producer Jacknife Lee has helped strip R.E.M. to its bare bones essentials. There’s not a moment wasted on Accelerate, which will leave you begging for more.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]