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Editorial 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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Interesting and great Really enjoyed this fast-paced exhilerating album. It's actually the exactb album they promised after automatic but they gave us monster instead. Monster would be an interesting avant-guard sort of thing to be doing these days. Instead we get something so good we just don't deserve it. Unbelievably good and so reminiscent of lots of pre-green albums.
REM back on form Rock 'n' roll as it should be - loud, noisy, defiant, aggressive, hook-laden, mysterious, sing-a-long, and above all, it sounds like the band are having fun playing it!
Yeah, I have not paid too much attention to REM's post Bill Berry albums, to the point that I thought that perhaps they should call it a day and move on - it all sounded too nice and polite for my tastes. However Accelerate (and the previous LIVE album) has really reminded me what they used to be like and they sound like they have... more info
Excellent!!! Up there with their best! Absolutely brilliant! In my opinion, the best REM album since Automatic For The People. Highly recommended. It starts with a mighty blast - the first three tracks are on a par with REM's best work. The middle section slows down but the standard barely diminishes, before the album concludes with the rocking Horse to Water and I'm Gonna DJ. Not a dud amongst the 11 tracks. Buy without reservations - this really is a return to form!
Not their best by a long way There are a few tracks on this album I'd rate highly.. but the quality of the recording is awfull. The dynamics are so compressed that the meters on my McIntosh amp just don't move with the beat. I'd enjoy this album much more if the sound quality was better.
