Posts Tagged ‘Live at The Olympia’

R.E.M – ” Houston ” Live At The Olympia Theatre, Dublin Best Live Albums

Posted: March 2, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Live At The Olympia

R.E.M. was as good as dead after 2004’s outta-gas “Around The Sun”, but while testing out new material for what turned out to be two comeback albums, the band played a five-night “rehearsal” in Dublin in 2007. Live At The Olympia whittles those shows down to 39 songs, including almost every track that would end up on 2008’s Accelerate (and a couple of solid ones that didn’t end up anywhere else). Coupled with those very new songs, they rollicked up some very old ones, injecting new life into songs that hadn’t appeared on set lists in many years, tripping through tracks from Reckoning and Fables Of The Reconstruction as if to draw a parallel between the classic band and the current one. From “Living Well Is The Best Revenge” straight through “Gardening At Night” (from the band’s very first EP), it’s a worthwhile history lesson on one of the 20th century’s greatest bands.

“The first time I heard the vocals for ‘Houston’ was the first day we played it in Dublin, which was kind of terrifying. I was kind of afraid that we would start it and Michael just wouldn’t sing it . . . you know, having never actually played it with the vocals before, and when I heard it I was like ‘Wow. That’s kind of amazing.’ I had no idea that that was coming lyrically and melodically.” – Peter Buck

“Houston” from the film This Is Not A Show, as available on R.E.M.’s Live At The Olympia, Dublin

“This is not a show”… Mike Mills, Dublin ‘07
R.E.M. Live At The Olympia was released on October 27th, 2009. The double live set featuring 39 songs, produced by Jacknife Lee, captures the band during their so-called “experiment in terror” as they “rehearsed” new songs and dug deep into their back catalogue for a live audience in Dublin, Ireland over the course of a five-night residency as Dublin’s venerable Olympia Theatre.

R.E.M – ” Live At The Olympia Dublin ” 10th Anniversary

Posted: July 1, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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In the summer of 2007, R.E.M. set up camp for five nights at Dublin, Ireland’s venerable Olympia Theatre to explore new material, test out arrangements, and rehearse songs for their 14th studio album, Accelerate, later released in 2008.

The 39 tracks on the 2-disc set, recorded over the course of the 5-night stint, cover a wide range of material from R.E.M’s back catalogue including deep cuts and fan favorites not performed live in years. In a moment of candor upon entering into unchartered territory, vocalist Michael Stipe dubbed it “an experiment in terror,” but “the terror was for nothing “Live at the Olympia” one of the best non-studio records released this year.”

Select songs from the performances would later be on the 2009 live album Live at The Olympia. The album is a two-CD release, and contains a total of 39 songs. In addition, a DVD with a documentary entitled This Is Not a Show directed by Vincent Moon is included.

All this is to say that if you missed a chance to pick up a copy in 2007, here’s your second opportunity to get what’s been called “the best R.E.M. record you never heard.” This must-have release has just been reissued on Craft Recordings and should suit the tastes of both longtime fans and the uninitiated alike.

The 39 tracks on the 2-disc set, recorded over the course of the residency, cover a wide range of material – digging deep into the band’s earliest tracks, and eschewing the obvious hits. This is a must-have for fans of R.E.M.: Aside from the thrill of hearing a legendary band working through raw material, Live at the Olympia offers the chance to re-live a wealth of deep cuts that R.E.M. rarely performed over the course of their career.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Award-winning band R.E.M. is one of the most revered bands to emerge from the American underground. Singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry helped originate college rock during the post-punk scene of the ’80s. The Athens, GA-based group toured relentlessly for the first decade of their career, refining their idiosyncratic blend of brash tunefulness, poetic lyrics, chiming guitars and evocative vocals. By the early ’90s, R.E.M. had become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed bands in the world. With an extraordinary three-decade-long run of creative vitality, R.E.M. have established a powerful legacy as one of the most enduring and essential rock bands in popular music history.