Includes FREE MP3
version
of this album.
or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
More Buying Choices
newbury_comics Add to Cart
$8.99  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
cdgiveaways Add to Cart
$11.60  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Accelerate

R.E.M.Audio CD
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (238 customer reviews)

Price: $7.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
 : Includes FREE MP3 version of this album.
   Provided by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Terms and Conditions. Does not apply to gift orders.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it tomorrow, May 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Complete your purchase to save the MP3 version to Cloud Player.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
MP3 Music, 16 Songs, 2008 $13.49  
Audio CD, 2008 $7.99  
Vinyl, 2008 $48.79  

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge (Album Version) 3:11$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  2. Man-Sized Wreath (Album Version) 2:32$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  3. Supernatural Superserious (Album Version) 3:23$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  4. Hollow Man (Album Version) 2:39$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  5. Houston (Album Version) 2:05$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  6. Accelerate (Album Version) 3:33$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  7. Until The Day Is Done (Album Version) 4:08$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  8. Mr. Richards (Album Version) 3:46$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  9. Sing For The Submarine (Album Version) 4:50$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen10. Horse To Water (Album Version) 2:18$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen11. I'm Gonna DJ (Album Version) 2:07$1.29  Buy MP3 


Amazon's R.E.M. Store

Music

Image of album by R.E.M.

Photos

Image of R.E.M.

Videos

R.E.M. Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011

Biography

R.E.M. marked the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock. When their first single, "Radio Free Europe," was released in 1981, it sparked a back-to-the-garage movement in the American underground. While there were a number of hardcore and punk bands in the U.S. during the early '80s, R.E.M. brought guitar pop back into the underground lexicon. Combining ringing guitar ... Read more in Amazon's R.E.M. Store

Visit Amazon's R.E.M. Store
for 181 albums, 11 photos, videos, discussions, and more.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Buy a CD or a vinyl record, get a $1 Amazon MP3 Credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)
  • Includes FREE MP3 version of this album Here's how (restrictions apply)

Frequently Bought Together

Accelerate + Collapse into Now + Around the Sun
Price for all three: $29.83

Buy the selected items together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product Details

  • Audio CD (April 1, 2008)
  • Original Release Date: 2008
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Warner Bros / Wea
  • ASIN: B0013BNY2Q
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,802 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the decade since the departure of drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. could seem at times schizophrenic. Their albums of the era, which veered from the experimentalism of Up and reaffirmation of Reveal to 2004's more diffuse, reflective Around the Sun, often stood in stark contrast to the vibrancy of their live act. But here the alt-rock godfathers have resolved that dichotomy with their most focused and satisfying album in over a decade; a collection that doesn't so much revisit the bracing ethos of the band's '80s coming-of-age, as boil it down to its essence and supercharge it with the energy of their contemporary stage shows. That sensibility is evident from the opening track, "Living Well's the Best Revenge," where Peter Buck's aggressive, distortion-drenched riffs and Michael Stipe's gruff snarl set the tone for "Mansized Wreath," "Horse to Water," and "Supernatural Serious"; rockers that bristle with the abandonment and aggressive energy of a band half their tenure. Yet it's no mere blast-from-the-past. The inclusion of the band's recent touring musicians (Scott McCaughey on second guitar and drummer Bill Rieflin) into the session mix, as well as working out much of the material live onstage in Dublin, has yielded something more sonically akin to R.E.M. 2.2. Stipe's penchant for the lyrically opaque has been largely supplanted by an edgy, articulate passion that variously explores "Houston'"s displaced Katrina refugees, the bluegrass-tinged "Until the Day is Done," and the more typical, quiet self-examination of "Hollow Man," before exploding in the album's unlikely, upbeat elegy "I'm Gonna DJ," where singer and band find renewed hope in not only music, but themselves. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Accelerate arrives in 2008 as the first studio album in four years from R.E.M. and it finds modern rock's most acclaimed band returning to the stripped down, guitar-driven power that first enraptured fans. Helmed by the band and, for the first time, Jacknife Lee (co-producer of U2's '05 Grammyr Album Of The Year How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, The Hives, and Snow Patrol), Accelerate puts the 2007 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group once again firmly behind the wheel of alternative rock, a genre R.E.M. helped invent.

Customer Reviews

What I will say is that this is the best REM album I've heard since Automatic. Sam Shady  |  43 reviewers made a similar statement
It's too bad as there are some really good songs here. S. Chua  |  22 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
129 of 134 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars "I've got to fall in another direction..." April 1, 2008
Format:Audio CD
This is it. This really is the one: the killer comeback R.E.M.'s long-suffering original fans have been hoping for since the band detoured into electronic introspection in 1998. Peter Buck's guitars are front and centre, driving the tracks rather than decorating their edges. Mike Mills can finally be heard again on bass and backups. Stipe's vocals are as rich and complex and scathing as ever, but for the first time in a decade he sounds like he believes every word. And finally, at long last, it feels like a human being is manning the drums again. It's exuberant, angry, joyous, wild - everything the last three albums, for all their deep and subtle rewards, were not. Superficially, this feels like the true successor to "New Adventures in Hi-Fi", or what that album itself might have been had the band bunkered down in the studio for a month rather than putting down tracks on the road. But in reality it's better. Ten years of studio-based experimentation and tweaking a new line-up have paid off. Tight, rich and consummately professional, the immediate loose-and-live feel of "Accelerate" is deceptive. This really is an exquisitely crafted album that repays close listening, just as the last three did for those of us who bothered. The crucial difference is that it ultimately feels less studied, less worried-over, less cautious - because it doesn't need to be. The band sound present, engaged, completely confident in their direction and abilities. Best of all, they sound like they're enjoying themselves again. And that joy is irresistible. No matter what your view of the last three albums (I liked them all), you've got nothing to complain about here. This kind of music really is what R.E.M. do best, and they deliver it in spades.

(P.S. Make sure you grab the non-album track "Redhead Walking" from iTunes: a great novelty song and surely destined for a Tarantino film soundtrack.)
Was this review helpful to you?
143 of 153 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The improbable but triumphant return of REM April 1, 2008
Format:Audio CD
After the last album, 2004's "Around the Sun", I have to admit I had given up on REM as that album marked the lowest and most disappointing point yet in their rich and illustrious career yet. When word came out last year that REM was yet again prepping a new album to be released in 2008, I kinda rolled my eyes. Then a funny thing happened: I heard the first single "Supernatural Superserious" and boy that song just rocked! Now comes the new album.

On "Accelerate" (11 tracks; 35 min.) REM attacks with a vigor not heard since "Monster" and "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" (the last album with original drummer Bill Berry). From the opening sounds of "Living Well's the Best Revenge", REM sounds completely reinvigorated and rejuvenated, and what a joy it is to hear. The album goes from one highlight to the next. The songs are short and to the point, they make their point and move on. Track 4 "Hollow Man" is when you think you'll catch your breath, and you do for about 15 seconds, before that songs also crashes in to your speakers. "Houston" follows and is the only weak track on the album, in my opinion. The second half kicks off with the rousing title track, and we're off to the races again: "Until the Day Is Done" and "Mr Richards" are superb. "Horse to Water" is one of my favorites with an irresistible sing-along chorus of "I'm not that easy/I am not your horse to water/I hold my breath I come around") sing-along, and "I'm Gonna DJ" is a killer track to close this set (with such choice lines of "Death is pretty final/I'm collecting vinyl/I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world"). It truly is remarkable that some how REM has rediscovered its musical focus and muse. Peter Buck's guitar work is among the best he's ever done, Stipe sounds like he's actually enjoying the songs, and Mills' harmonizing back vocals are really great (check out "Living Well", for example, but surely some credit of this resurgence must go to producer Jacknife Lee.

I can't emphasize enough how pleasantly surprised I am by this album, even shocked. I truly didn't think that REM had another great album in them, but I am more than happy to say that I was flat wrong and in my book "Accelerate" brings REM back to relevance, after so many disappointing years. I had the opportunity to see REM headline the Langerado Music Festival in early March in South Florida, and they play a bunch of songs from "Accelerate", and it all sounded fantastic. Welcome back REM, we've missed ya! "Accelerate" is one of the early favorites for top album of the year. Highly recommended!
Was this review helpful to you?
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Being counted out is possibly the best thing that could have happened to this band, as 28 years into their illustrious career, when R.E.M. had been relegated to being called a 'great band' in the past tense, the band have come out swinging on Accelerate. NEVER has a band this long in the tooth made such an angry, vital, and totally contemporary and relevant record. This is album is indeed a complete 180 turn from Around the Sun. It clocks in at half the time of the previous record; the drums are FINALLY back and in full force, Peter's guitar is fully plugged in, and Mike Mills' is finally harmonizing again. And lest I forget, Michael Stipe's voice sounds utterly fantastic. Just listen to him 'wow' and 'ow' on Man Sized Wreath and yoyu can tell, Michael's playful sarcasm is in full swing, and he sounds absolutely energized, whereas he sounded tired on the last record.

The songs are short and hit like a ton of bricks. If anyone remembers the anger on The Final Straw from the last record, well this album is like a full album's worth of that song with the amps turned way up and the songs at full speed. Living Well Is The Best Revenge is the best and loudest opener since Whats the Frequency Kenneth or maybe even Finest Worksong. Man-Sized Wreath is an unconventional but totally catchy rocker and Michael sounds absolutely fantastic and pissed off and Mike Mills backing vocals are terrific! 'Supernatural Superserious' sounds like the closest thing to a classic R.E.M single on this record. It may not be the best song here, but it is definitely the most conventionally catchy song to be found here. Hollow Man follows and sounds like a total piano ballad until suddenly, the guitars come in. What a great fake out on the band's part and it sounds like it would be a great single. 'Houston' sounds like it would fit perfectly on Automatic for the people; very folksy...reminds me a lot of Try Not to Breathe musically. "Until The Day Is Done' is another folksy ballad that sounds like it would have been perfect on Automatic...it also sounds a lot like Swan Swan H from Lifes Rich Pageant. Its one of my favorites on the record and if it weren't so openly political, it would make for a great single. 'Horse To Water' is just pure adrenaline and definitely one of the best full on rockers the band has made in a long time. I know it sounds like repetition but its very angry, and definitely a bruiser. Im Gonna DJ is a full on glam stomper that the band played on the last tour. Its a really fun post apocalyptic that not quite as Its the End of the World, but almost as fun and inspired nonetheless and its a perfect closer to the record.

Anyone accusing the band of making this record to satisfy record company execs, would be absolutely wrong. On the contrary, the majority of the songs are so openly political, that Top 40 will not likely touch them at all (if U2 cant get on the radio, R.E.M. wont either). R.E.M. seems to be reaching back into the ire and anger of their indie IRS days, as this sounds more like an updated 'Lifes Rich Pageant' and 'Document' than it does any of their Warner Brothers records (with Monster being the exception) as it rocks aplenty, and it is a very righteously angry album except now the anger is placed in the Bush administration and not the Reagan administration as it was in their indie days. But, rest assured, this is not a nostalgic record. It is definitely firmly placed in the here and now. Also like Lifes Rich Pageant, this album is a solidly good album all the way through, without there necessarily huge singles waiting to be plucked out. There is nary a bad track on here. It is not QUITE classic album in the vein of Murmur or Automatic...but it is indeed a necessary and much needed addition to their discography and their best album since at least New Adventures in Hi Fi. R.E.M. are back and they're coming out swinging!
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A great REM album
Accelerate a great album from REM a great rock band.This guitar driven rock album is one of their finest.Each and every song is a classic and this album is very highly recommended.
Published 28 days ago by Rohit R
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice try, but...
This is not one of their best efforts, but not bad. Would not spent more than $1 on a used copy.
Published 1 month ago by James R Patterson
5.0 out of 5 stars They are back!
I drifted away from REM for some time after Bill Berry left because I thought their sound became to electronic and over produced. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Melissa C. Jurgensen
3.0 out of 5 stars 3 of 5
REM return from their sauntering trip Around The Sun at godspeed. The songs are faster in tempo, conceptually edgier and, thanks to the help of grunge producer Jacknife Lee, more... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Marcel Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars New Adventures in HiFi meets Lifes Rich Pageant
This album is OK. Haven't followed the band too much since their original drummer left. Got this CD, which includes a DVD/short movie. I like the single Supernatural Superserious.
Published 20 months ago by MadMiguel
5.0 out of 5 stars "WOW!"
Now that's what I'm talking about! This cd has the energy and excitement that's been missing from their last 3 recordings. Read more
Published on March 12, 2011 by kramark
5.0 out of 5 stars Best since AFTP
THIS CD ROCKS!! It is also the best work they've done since automatic. I liked reveal but thought that none of the others during this period was very good. Hifi was ok. Read more
Published on November 27, 2010 by Mel
2.0 out of 5 stars Below expectations
Despite the negative reviews about this product I decided to go ahead with its purchase.

Now that I have watched the accompanying DVD ('6 days' by French... Read more
Published on October 27, 2010 by Jorge Reyes
4.0 out of 5 stars R.E.M. Makes a Comeback
R.E.M. has made a comeback of sorts with this album. A few of the songs recall the energy and faster pace of their earlier play during the 80s. Read more
Published on October 23, 2010 by DjC
1.0 out of 5 stars Are the mastering techs and bands completely deaf?
This release is one of the worst recordings I have ever listened to. The music really could be amazing if they would not have turned it up so loud during mastering. Read more
Published on June 6, 2010 by TL
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
Best R.E.M. album since "Automatic For The People" or no?
I really like it, but I also like New Adventures in Hi Fi really well. I won't say it's better than NAHI, but it's certainly more concise, a good thing. I've been streaming it online for the past few days. I'll definitely be picking it up Tuesday.
Mar 30, 2008 by J. Simon |  See all 31 posts
So everybody doesnt like Automatic For The People
I've honestly never heard of anyone NOT liking that album. Whenever Automatic is mentioned, it's usually mentioned as one of their best albums. I've yet to run across anyone who doesn't think it's one of their best.
Jul 6, 2008 by Ian Roegels |  See all 6 posts
You know you should quit when...
well, it sells here for 9.99. New. Not sure about shipping though. I bought mine at the store for about that much. If you go out to dinner, you might get some so-so food for about twice that much. You can also pay that much and get a book, which you could just as well read from the library for... Read more
Apr 16, 2008 by Mindless Drifter |  See all 8 posts
This album is shockingly good
I agree wholeheartedly. I own every single studio R.E.M. release and have taken the entire ride with them. Advance word on this record has been carrying the message of a "return to form" whatever that is supposed to mean with a band as adventurous as R.E.M. However, given the electronic... Read more
Mar 24, 2008 by Rick Busby |  See all 15 posts
Accelerated Lines
There are lines on Man-Sized Wreath that chill me.

"Look at what I've found (stern voice: look at what I've found)
Everybody look around (repeated in stern voice)
Everybody lookin' like they just don't care!"

Don't those lines summarize the whole of the last seven years in America?
I... Read more
Apr 20, 2008 by Patrick Gowdy |  See all 2 posts
question
You people are ridiculous! Why would you tell one of the greatest bands in history to stop when they are still capable of making wonderful music? Who cares if the individual albums don't live up to some of their past triumphs. Every single work has at least two amazing songs, and that's reason... Read more
Mar 18, 2008 by Dr. Philgood |  See all 37 posts
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 





What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?



Look for Similar Items by Category