Oh hell yes. This is how you do a live record for the fans.
To prepare for the recording of its excellent 2008 album Accelerate, R.E.M. convened in Dublin at the Olympia theater for a five-night residency. Over the five shows, the band played new material that would end up on Accelerate, as well as a wide selection of previous songs.
Note that I did not say “hits.”
Pretty much the entire double-disc set – 39 songs in all – are deep cuts from the band’s vast discography, with a heavy emphasis on the first five classic I.R.S. records as well as the Chronic Town EP, of which four songs make the list. There is nothing here from Green or Out Of Time, only one song from Automatic For The People (“Drive”), two unreleased tracks, and “Romance,” which only ever appeared on the early hits comp Eponymous.
The transition between the band’s eras is seamless, linking a raucous rocker like “Living Well Is The Best Revenge” to the melancholy Reckoning track “Harborcoat” without fail. They hit fan favorite after fan favorite along the way without stooping to the pressure of nostalgic beer-drinking casual fans hoping for “Losing My Religion” or something. Won’t happen, but you do get “Little America,” “Welcome To The Occupation,” “Maps And Legends,” and “Circus Envy,” a forgotten cut from 1994’s Monster.
For the trio comprising R.E.M. at this time, the move back to being a rock band revitalized them. This showed in the material written for Accelerate but also in the performances here. In writing the new songs, the guys went back to what had made them great in the first place, to what they loved, and it wasn’t “Shiny Happy People.” It was jamming to “Letter Never Sent” and “1,000,000” in that abandoned church in Athens, Georgia. It was reconnecting with their roots without being nostalgic and connecting with appreciative fans who liked hearing “The One I Love” on the radio (which is not here) but secretly felt “Driver 8” and “So. Central Rain” were better songs (which are both here).
That electric energy is present in pretty much every song here, imbued with 25 years of performances and musical growth. Michael Stipe, in particular, is no longer mumbling the vocals of his youth; instead, he sings with confidence and a clarion voice of authority. Peter Buck’s guitars are as deft and jangly as ever – and in the Accelerate tracks, louder – and Mike Mills remains solid in his bass role. Stipe also banters a bit on stage, mostly poking fun at the lyrics of those older songs, but I’m sure many people regret some of the things they said or did when they were 22. Not to worry, sir.
Some critics said the album was a little too polished and professional, nowhere near the level of R.E.M. Live but not befitting the sometimes-ragged source material. This is pretty stupid. Of course it’s going to sound better than it did in 1983, you twit; these guys have been playing music for nearly three decades, and they’ve learned some stuff about performances and proper miking. Moreover, who at 50 has the energy or innocence they had at 24? That’s not the point. It’s playing the songs that matter, and to a swath of longtime fans, the bulk of the set is an absolute treat. Plus, in the case of “So. Central Rain,” the experience of a life has crept into Stipe’s vocals, so when he wails “I’m sorry,” it clearly comes from a place of genuine emotion, instead of the kinda-whiny woe-is-me approach on Reckoning.
In total, 10 songs from Accelerate make the setlist, nine from the disc and a fantastic unreleased song called “On The Fly” that fans need to hear; why it didn’t make the album, but “I’m Gonna DJ” did, is beyond me. Five songs from Reckoning, two from Murmur, and two from Lifes Rich Pageant make the list, including the energetic, urgent “These Days,” one of the best album cuts from the band’s entire career. Elsewhere, five from Fables Of The Reconstruction are present, including “Kohoutek” and “Maps And Legends” from that 1985 disc, as well as the psychedelic track “Feeling Gravity’s Pull.” Fables is sometimes a hard album to get through compared to the others, but in this setting, the songs all shine better than they ever have. You forget how compelling these guys really were until you hear “Maps And Legends,” for example.
“Disturbance At The Heron House” and “Welcome To The Occupation” make the list from Document, the band’s best album. Meanwhile, the post-Bill Berry era is pretty spotty, with only the dull “Electrolite,” the even worse “The Worst Joke Ever,” and the alright “I’ve Been High” from Reveal making an appearance. Fans will skip these so they can hear “Gardening At Night” and “Wolves, Lower” from Chronic Town, as they should.
To be sure, Accelerate was the band’s best album since at least 1994, so the confidence to mix the old with the new paid off, not least because the newer songs fit so well with the band’s original approach. Hearing “These Days” and “Living Well” back to back, which bookend the first disc, is proof of this. It’s almost as if Automatic For The People never happened.
Sure, there are a couple of dud tracks, and 39 songs is very generous, but few bands deserve it like these guys do. The best R.E.M. live album bar none and a great overview of their album tracks – instead of the hits – that prove the depth and brilliance of the Georgia band.