Andrei Mihai
[tag]R.E.M.[/tag] is the kind of band which could bring people together. Their music has this weird and lovely ability to transform the plainest feelings and moods into poetry; they make music for the heart and mind. But they there are people who stopped listening to their music since Stipe made lyrics about politic. That is not the topic here. Politic is of no real interest and politic related tracks are not going to be discussed here.
But there remain a lot of lovely tracks; they are a 2007 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is their first live album. It shows performances in February 2005 at The Point indoor venue in Dublin, Ireland. They spend a lot of time there and the city is probably a home to them. Live offers the “greatest hits” on stage and should be an anticipation of the studio album in Spring 2008. They sing beautiful music. You should just listen to it and roll with it.
It could have been edited better but that is not a big problem. The first disc has 17 songs, the second only five. This is because it features performances from a two-night stand in Dublin, 22 songs which are relevant for most of their carreer; “Sweetness Follows,” “Seven Chinese Brothers,” “Electrolite,” are not here and they probably should have but that is not that bad. The sound is excellent and Michael Stipe gets into the music better than the Perfect Square DVD release which was not so bad but it was a bit strange. Michael Stipe is a wonderful singer but he is probably a bit afraid of the scene. He loves to be center stage but sometimes he just wants to get away from there; that is how it looks at least. His voice is warm and powerful but he does sing a bit out of tune sometimes. Those are pretty rare and you have to listen closely to hear that. Peter Buck gives the tracks a bit more energy and his guitar sounds a bit more lively than with previous shows. Those tracks which the band was promoting at the time are not bad but the oldies are by far better.
This release is a good listen but some of their work is not here. It is very high energy and high emotion and shows REM in their glamour; crank up the volume as loud as you can sing and find happiness in the music.
Disc 1
01. I Took Your Name
02. So Fast, So Numb
03. Boy In The Well
04. Cuyahoga
05. Everybody Hurts
06. Electron Blue
07. Bad Day
08. The Ascent Of Man
09. The Great Beyond
10. Leaving New York
11. Orange Crush
12. I Wanted To Be Wrong
13. Final Straw
14. Imitation Of Life
15. The One I Love
16. Walk Unafraid
17. Losing My Religion
Disc 2
1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
2. Drive
3. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
4. I’m Gonna DJ
5. Man On The Moon
Disc 3 DVD
1.I Took Your Name
2.So Fast, So Numb
3.Boy in the Well
4.Cuyahoga
5.Everybody Hurts
6.Electron Blue
7.Bad Day
8.Ascent Of Man
9.The Great Beyond
10.Leaving New York
11.Orange Crush
12.I Wanted To Be Wrong
13.Final Straw
14.Imitation Of Life
15.The One I Love
16.Walk Unafraid
17.Losing My Religion
18.What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
19.Drive
20.(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
21.I’m Gonna DJ
22.Man On The Moon
