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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Their Best In Years!, May 15, 2001
After the release of Automatic For The People,R.E.M. were probably considered along with U2 to be one of the premier rock acts in the world.Three subsequent albums and they found their place had been taken by harder hitting rock acts and a world taken over by dance music.Very much like U2's last release this album will see R.E.M. gaining the ultimate triumph-they've seen off the 90's pretenders and are now set to return to the top of the rock tree.For this is easily their best work in nearly a decade. On reading the first reviews of this c.d. I sort of had the impression that it was going to be their most commercial work yet.The first magnificent single Imitation Of Life had an instant appeal for me and I expected each subsquent album track to be the same.Well I was totally wrong.There are no other tracks with that sort of instant appeal-but give this c.d. a few listens and you discover tracks of great depth,songs that have an upbeat almost summer feel to them and yes their most accesible work in years.Yeah I think this album will be huge and the main reason for this is that there are no dud tracks,no over-indulgent experiments-just good quality songs that epitomised R.E.M.'s early work and that you'd get on 50% of the tracks on Monster,New Adventures... and Up! Track one starts this c.d. off in great style-the most immediate thing to notice is the use of swirling synths and Stipe sounding in great form.It's the sort of song that makes you think "oh this is a return to what they do best".Track 2 is a really beautiful atmostpheric track-people have compared this to Massive Attack or Portishead.Once again there is very little guitar here-synths and drum machines give this ballad a mininmalist feel .The guitar returns spectacularly in track 3-the riff dominates and sounds like deep country sounds.Lyrically it's quite funny-and vocally it's one of the albums highlights.So after 3 tracks you realise that this is going to be a great album.Track 4 starts off with an acousitc guitar and this song initially has a bit of a folk-ballad sound.Then the chorus kicks in and you get all sorts of Wurlitzer effects-it's one of these songs that really takes a while to grow before you realise how good it is.The contrast between the low key start to the instrumental section with full strings section is incredible.Track 5 Disappear with it's references to Tel Aviv and Agadir is really like something taken from Automatic ... without the multi-layered harmonies. Saturn Return is another amazing track.At first I thought it sounded very like Airportman from Up.Piano chords,feint guitar and a myriad of distorted background effects added to Stipe doing falsetto-it's a darker more atmostpheric track then the majority of songs on this c.d.Beat A Drum has a complete change of mood-it's a real summer song with nature seemingly painted in all it's glory-this song will cheer you up no matter what sort of day you've had.Then we have the amazing and most commercial song on the c.d. Imitation Of Life-my God what a chorus.It's got to be the best R.E.M. single in ten years.The summer feeling continues with the next song that has a real Beach Boy feel to it. The summer feeling goes for the next song Chorus And The Ring-few keyboards on this song.It's mostly gentle electric guitar and sounds very like early R.E.M.The next song is a beautiful sentimental ballad,the chorus is a real sing along strong chorus and like most of the songs on this c.d. it's a pretty slow tempo song.The last song has once again got an upbeat feel to it,with certain Latino influences,a brass interlude and a full string compliment again.A great way to end this wonderful c.d. I've had this c.d. for nearly a week now and I haven't stopped listening to it.This is just a great c.d. and the best return to form of one of the best rock bands in the world.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Creative Offering (3 STARS), June 14, 2001
This album marks 20 years since the release of the EP "Chronic Town," and 18 since "Murmur" started the career of some the finest musicians the world would ever see. They accomplished a lot along the way; taking new paths, going against the grain, changing styles.With their niche in the music scene well-worn, you would think it's time to give it a rest; just give the fans what they expect to hear and they'll buy it anyway, because it says REM on the label. But Stipe and the boys show what true musicianship is. I, for one, expected a repeat of the epic "New Adventures in the Hi-Fi" or the somber style of "Up." But they are changing themselves again. "Reveal" could be played start to finish on an elevator or in a grocery store. And despite the fluffy, mellowness of the tracks, they mesh with REM's unique style. Otherwise it could become quite boring, but REM shows how adventerous quiet can be. "The Lifting" (opener) is one of the greatest tracks in years for the band. Stellar and creative, with the patented Micheal Stipe vocals. "All the Way to Reno" smells like a single, and sounds a little like REM of the past; would fit on "Hi-Fi." "Imitiaions of Life," almost left off because of its unwillingness mesh with the rest of the record, is one of the best singles the band has released in the last decade. Soft but exciting, and with OUTSTANDING lyrics (Stipe's poetic ability is sadly overlooked). The last track, "Beachball" has got some attention from critics, saying it sounds like it's influenced by the Beach Boys. I disagree. I think they are BECOMING the Beach Boys; but it sounds so good that I don't care. They can go lighter, fluffier, more pop and accessable, and I STILL consider them the best band in America right now. This album is great, but probably not what you expect. Not, their best ("Automatic for the People," "Murmur," and "Up" are superior) but still in the upper half of REM releases. Despite the "new" sound, you won't be dissapointed.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
REM fans can be a stubborn breed, May 25, 2001
I can't believe there are people out there who consider themselves "hardcore" REM fans and think this album is horrible. Their unwillingness to let go of the past scares me. Look, people, it will never be 1986 again, you will never be a sophomore in high school, etc. Frankly, very few people possess the insight and the knowledge to judge an album accurately right out of the box. Time needs to pass. REM are smart musicians who live in the present and continue their explorations in music. This is where they are, this is the kind of album they wanted to make. So it doesn't rock, so what? Right now, REVEAL sounds like a great album to me-it's beautiful, articulate, and cohesive. (We'll see in 5 years if it's a classic.) There are some gorgeous pieces of melody here: "I've been high", "All the way to Reno", "Imitation of life", "The Lifting", the list goes on. A couple of songs "revealed" themselves to me only after several listens. I find "The Chorus and the ring" in particular to be an effective, haunting song with strange "medieval" overtones to it. I can't think of another song quite like it. It's too bad REM's time as the "it" boys has passed, because it means that radio will wholeheartedly ignore this album, and most people out there will not be really exposed to it. Oh, and the Bill Berry dilemma. Similar situation is currently plaguing another resilient band Depeche Mode (in that case, long time fans mourn the absence of Alan Wilder the "sound architect", in REM's case Bill was the "soul of the band"). To an extent, I can see the point in both cases. But I have to ask again, why not let go of the past and enjoy both bands' current vision? REVEAL is the music for now-connect with it, make new memories. In the year 2015 some of you will criticize the new REM album and remember the good old days of REVEAL. Relax, please and enjoy. I do.
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