Around the Sun

Infobox Album
Name = Around the Sun
Type = studio
Artist = R.E.M.

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Released = 4 October 2004
Recorded = Early 2003 – early 2004
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 55:21
Label = Warner Bros.
Producer = Pat McCarthy, R.E.M.
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|2|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:mztqoauaeijn link]
*BBC (unfavorable) [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/6j3n/ link]
*Blender Magazine Rating|3|5 [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2948 link]
*"NME" (6/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/rem/7595 link]
*Pitchfork (5.2/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/21319/R_E_M_Around_the_Sun 10/5/2004]
*PopMatters (unfavorable) [http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/r/rem-around.shtml 10/18/2004]
* Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau|hm2 [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1140&name=R.E.M. link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/6489093? 10/28/2004]
*"Stylus" (D+) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2387 10/4/2004]
*"Village Voice" (favorable) [http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0443,bruno,57831,22.html 10/25/2004]
Last album = "Reveal"
(2001)
This album = "Around the Sun"
(2004)
Next album = "Accelerate"
(2008)

"Around the Sun" is the thirteenth album by the American band R.E.M., released in 2004.

Description

"The Outsiders" features a guest appearance by rapper Q-Tip, recalling a similar appearance by KRS-One on "Radio Song" from their 1991 album "Out of Time". When performed live, Michael Stipe carries out the rap, as he does on a later b-side release of the song.

"Final Straw" is a politically-charged song, reminiscent in tone of "World Leader Pretend" on "Green". The version on the album is a remix of the original version, which was made available as a free download on March 25, 2003 from the band's website. The song was written as a protest of the U.S. government's actions in the Iraq War.

Commercial performance

"Around the Sun" generally received lukewarm reviews, and despite hitting #1 in the UK, it became their first studio album to miss the US Top 10 (reaching #13 with 7 weeks in the Billboard 200) since 1988's "Green" and is still awaiting a gold record. As of March 2007, "Around the Sun" has sold 2 million copies worldwide and 232,000 units in the U.S. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-03-07-REM-rock-hall_N.htm R.E.M.: A 25-year rockin' role - USATODAY.com ] ] This is less than R.E.M. had previously sold in the first week of an album's release while in their early to mid-1990's commercial peak.

Lead single "Leaving New York" became a UK Top 5 hit, with additional singles "Aftermath", "Electron Blue" and "Wanderlust" becoming minor hits there as well. "Around the Sun" did not have any singles success in the US, however. It is the band's first studio album to fail to have a song chart on the Hot 100 since "Fables of the Reconstruction" in 1985.

After the release of their following album, "Accelerate", Peter Buck called "Around the Sun" unlistenable "... because it sounds like what it is, a bunch of people that are so bored with the material that they can't stand it anymore." [ [http://www.accessatlanta.com/music/content/music/stories/2008/06/11/rem_0615.html Harrison, Shane. "Atlanta Journal-Constitution". Jun 16, 2008.] ]

Reissue

In 2005, Warner Brothers Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of "Around the Sun" which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes. The CD (as with all in this series) was not remastered.

A remix of the song "Final Straw" appeared earlier in 2004 on the compilation album "Future Soundtrack for America".

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.

# "Leaving New York" – 4:49
# "Electron Blue" – 4:12
# "The Outsiders" (feat. Q-Tip) – 4:14
# "Make It All Okay" – 3:43
# "Final Straw" – 4:06
# "I Wanted to Be Wrong" – 4:34
# "Wanderlust" – 3:04
# "Boy in the Well" – 5:22
# "Aftermath" – 3:52
# "High Speed Train" – 5:03
# "The Worst Joke Ever" – 3:37
# "The Ascent of Man" – 4:07
# "Around the Sun" – 4:29

Personnel

* Chris Bilheimer: Packaging
* Oswald "Wiz" Bowe: Assistant Engineer
* Jimmy Briggs: Assistant Engineer
* Peter Buck: Group Member
* DeWitt Burton: Technical Assistance
* Jamie Candiloro: Engineer, Mixing, Musician
* Alex Dixon: Assistant
* Bertis Downs: Advisor
* Thomas Roman Dozol: Photography, Cover Photo
* Bryan Gallant: Assistant
* Ted Jensen: Mastering
* Patrick McCarthy: Producer, Mixing
* Scott McCaughey: Musician
* Kirk McNally: Assistant Engineer
* Q-Tip: Musician
* R.E.M.: Producer, Mixing
* Bill Rieflin: Musician
* Hahn Rowe: Musician
* Michael Stipe: Packaging, Group Member
* Ken Stringfellow: Musician
* Javier Valverde: Assistant Engineer
* Bob Whittaker: Technical Assistance

Charts

Album

ingles

External links

*MusicBrainz album|id=f89a3fa0-8ca4-44ac-ad16-632c8306627e|name=Around the Sun

References

succession box
before = "Mind, Body & Soul" by Joss Stone
title = UK number one album
years = October 16 2004 – October 22 2004
after = "10 Years of Hits" by Ronan Keating