Live At the Olympia

iTunes Review

R.E.M.’s summer 2007 five-night residency at the Olympia in Dublin served as a road test for the band’s Accelerate album as well as a chance to whip the rest of their catalog into shape. Tracks from lesser-preferred albums, Reveal (“I’ve Been High”) and Around the Sun (“The Worst Joke Ever”), are given a backbeat clearly missing from their studio recordings, while every R.E.M. fan is treated to a generous collection of tunes ranging from their debut Chronic Town EP (“Wolves, Lower,” “1,000,000,” “Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars),” “Gardening At Night”) through the flow of solid singles and album tracks that made them the biggest name on college radio in the early-‘80s and mainstream stars thereafter. “Drive,” “Driver 8,” “Auctioneer,” “Welcome to the Occupation,” “So. Central Rain” sound completely refreshed while tracks from Accelerate such as “Living Well Is the Best Revenge,” “Mr. Richards,” “Houston,” and “Horse to Water” feed off the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd. It’s a great document of a much- underrated live act.