Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Living Well's 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'

Disc 2:

1. 6 Days (48-minute film)
2. Red Head Walking (non album audio track)
3. Airliner (non album audio track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58087 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-31
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition

Amazon.co.uk Review
At this stage in a band's career a Mojo front cover would seem more likely than actually getting their old mojo back. And at 14 albums young, REM's longevity had been taken as a byword for pale compliance--in spite of a melodic obedience, last album Around the Sun lacked the emotional vigour of their key works and was presumed by many to be no more than a footnote in their decline. Here then is where they break all the rules. Accelerate is exceptionally loyal to its title and marks a hefty return to their Document-era heyday, when their Byrdsian post-punk was beefed up to suit the arenas they were then beginning to fill. There's even a new "end of the world" song to back up that assertion--the excitable Stooges/B52s love-in "I'm Gonna DJ" ("Death is pretty final/I'm collecting vinyl/I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world!"). Michael Stipe's voice splinters scattered emotional punctuation, Mike Mills is as ever REM's secret weapon, drilling out bass-lines like rapid CPR and achieving more with a single backing vocal than many lead singers manage over a whole album, while Peter Buck deals out memorable guitar twists a-go-go evoking amongst others The Who, The Small Faces and Neil Young. To summon a cliché, this really does sound like a band--and a band half their age at that--playing live in a room, packed full of all the fire and nuances needed to feel at home in a club or the stadiums they now more regularly inhabit. --James Berry

CD Description
This fourteenth studio album from the veteran indie rockersis the follow-up to 2004's 'Around The Sun' and comes just six months after their 'Live' CD/DVD stopgap. The brusquest,most amped-up and aggressive album they have made in decades, the eleven songs on 'Accelerate' flash by in a scant 34 minutes and mark a return to the harder post-punk sounds of their pre-major label days, whilst not disregarding the infectious melodies that have made their name. Includes the single 'Supernatural Superserious'.

Customer Reviews

Back to past form!
Managed to get hold of an early release copy of this new REM album and from the first listen you could tell this was one of their better more consistent offerings of the last 10 years. Monster style guitars sounds start the album and appear on several tracks but yet more meodic than Monster. Also short and sweet at 11 tracks running approx 35 minutes in length thus not so over produced as Reveal or to long like Up. When it finished you want to just play it again. One for the summer months and festivals this year, glad I will be seeing them at T in the Park in July. With these new songs you can tell that will fit in seamlessly with the older ones, a must have for any true fan!!!

REM - back up to speed
Accelerate, the album, is the best 34 minutes of REM since (insert your favourite previous album here). For me, that's the best since New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Living Well Is The Best Revenge, Accelerate, Man Sized Wreath, I'm Gonna DJ have all captured my imagination, and this album I can listen to without skipping - although Sing For The Submarine may change that after a few more listens... Basically, as many other reviewers have said, the album's great. I'd probably give it 5*

But not this special edition package. The main bonus feature is the documentary - well, I watched it once and I won't again. It takes an interesting subject (the live rehearsals in Dublin and the sessions for the album) and makes them tedious and dull. Although people who enjoyed the Succumbs video way back when may enjoy the artsy imagery, and it doesn't come as a huge surprise to find that in an REM package. Perhaps a couple of live songs from those reheasals or something would have improved the package. Or, like the recent CD+DVD re-releases of the Warner back catalogue, they could have had a 5:1 master of the album on the DVD.

And the booklet is just an oversized lyric sheet, nothing more interesting. And unlike the Automatic, or Out of Time special editions, the packaging isn't particularly special, as it's just a DVD box.

There are also two other songs, but you might as well buy the single of Supernatural Superserious (which I think is actually one of the less interesting songs on the album) in addition to the album and then it'll still fit on your CD shelves. Or, buy the deluxe version from iTunes which comes with three live versions of the album's tracks as well as these b-sides.

To sum up? Well, buy Accelerate. You'll probably like it, especially if you have missed the other side of REM, the side that appears at their live gigs, over the last few records. But perhaps don't buy this version - just get the core music.

SUPER MIDDLE AGED ROCK.
Accelerate has been hyped as a return to form by a long out of sorts REM,and on some levels, although flawed, it does address some of the problems the band have experienced since the departure of Bill Berry.

Sounding like a "Life's Rich Pagaent" played by super rich,middle aged musicians,Accelerate is a fine collection of new songs from a once essential band, and songs like the opening trio of "Living Well is the Best Revenge","Man Sized Wreath" and single "Supernatural Superserious" show REM in a passionate and businesslike light.This time they have something to prove[and tickets to sell],and REM have come out fighting.This approach is generally successful on Accelerate and proves that REM still have some fire in their collective bellies.The upcoming tour should be very interesting indeed if the band continue in this vein.

For this album at least, REM have given their massive fan base the album it has craved.Hooks, riffs, and choruses are plentiful,its just that REM have such a massive history, any album like this will be compared to the bands previous work. The crux of the matter being, that they have been so damn good in the past they are in an almost impossible creative position.Still at least they have tried and maybe the current political situation around the world has galvanised the band, because in reality, they have not sounded this full on for two decades.The fact that this album was recorded quickly after some live preview shows, gives Accelerate an urgency that is most welcome.

The d.v.d. has an interesting film "6 Days" about the development of Accelerate[with some fine black and white live clips from the aforementioned rehearsal shows],but really adds little to the enjoyment of the album,[crappily packaged in a standard dvd case], hinting that a full live show would have been preferable to this vaguely "arty" offering.There are 2 extra tracks [b'sides!], tagged on to the dvd as well.The mutated surf instrumental, "Airliner",and the psych influenced gem "Red Head Walking".Both would have graced most REM albums,but would be out of place in the guitar bombardment of Accelerate

Whilst REM have limped through the last decade, on Accelerate they have at last broken into a sweat,and another album in this positive vein would see the band entering their fourth decade in far better musical shape than when they entered their third!