R.E.M.
Live at the Olympia

THE REVIEW

After the disastrous "Around the Sun," a record so flat that I bet it ranks among Simona Ventura's favorites (a renowned music connoisseur), R.E.M. found themselves at a crossroads: either join Bill Berry in farming the Georgian countryside or return to writing decent songs.

The live performance in question, recorded in 2007 during the rehearsals for what would become the decent (but not miraculous, as many have claimed) "Accelerate," demonstrates that Stipe and company are not yet comfortable with shovels and tractors.

Summing up 5 nights in Dublin during which the former youthful heroes did not play "Man on The Moon" or other trivialities even once (my exhausted ears thank them), the double album offers 39 songs that draw from the band's distant past; in fact, almost all of "Chronic Town" and many from "Fables of The Reconstruction," the underrated 1985 record, including a superb and never too celebrated "Kohoutek". As for the new era, post-Berry, the spotlight is on "Accelerate" and little else. Enhancing the appeal are two unreleased tracks: the dreamy "On The Fly" and the fun yet predictable "Standing on The Barrel".

Granite performances, the best Michael Stipe ever (enough to make one think of some studio touch-ups) with the words from the early albums comprehensible but not any less enigmatic (after all, Stipe himself often jokes about his lyrics saying he doesn't know what they're about). No murmuring, some forgotten words despite the lectern, a few slip-ups from Buck and drummer Rieflin, and no concessions to improvisation.

Benefiting from the workout treatment are especially the few recent tracks that seem to draw new energy from the fury with which they are played. Even the soporific "Worst Joke Ever" doesn't fall short here between "Welcome to the Occupation" and "Carnival Of Sorts".

R.E.M. as we knew them, after such a long time.