Live at The Olympia
Encyclopedia
Live at The Olympia is a live album
by American alternative rock
band R.E.M.
. It is a recording of five-night residency the band held at Dublin, Ireland's Olympia Theatre
between June 30 and July 5, 2007, and released on October 27, 2009. In this series of "working rehearsals" many songs on Accelerate
were debuted, with many of them still as works in progress. 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. A special edition box set containing the album on 4 LPs as well as the two CDs and the DVD is also available.
To promote the album, R.E.M.'s Dublin website has full streaming clips of "Driver 8", "I've Been High", and "Harborcoat", along with videos for "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" and clips from the Reckoning EP. The video for "Drive" is available on R.E.M.'s Myspace page. On October 22, 2009, National Public Radio began streaming
the entire album for free.
and other distributors. It contains "Harborcoat", "Letter Never Sent", "Second Guessing", and "Pretty Persuasion", songs found on the band's 1984 studio album Reckoning
, hence the title.
, Peter Buck
, Mike Mills
, and Michael Stipe
, except where noted
Disc one
Disc two
Additional musicians
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by American alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
. It is a recording of five-night residency the band held at Dublin, Ireland's Olympia Theatre
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre is a concert hall/theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located in Dame Street.-History:Built in 1879, it was originally called the "Star of Erin Music Hall". Two years later in 1881, it was renamed "Dan Lowrey's Music Hall" and was renamed again in 1889 to "Dan Lowrey's Palace of...
between June 30 and July 5, 2007, and released on October 27, 2009. In this series of "working rehearsals" many songs on Accelerate
Accelerate (R.E.M. album)
Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
were debuted, with many of them still as works in progress. The album is a two-CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release, and contains a total of 39 songs. In addition, a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with a documentary entitled This Is Not a Show directed by Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
is included. A special edition box set containing the album on 4 LPs as well as the two CDs and the DVD is also available.
To promote the album, R.E.M.'s Dublin website has full streaming clips of "Driver 8", "I've Been High", and "Harborcoat", along with videos for "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" and clips from the Reckoning EP. The video for "Drive" is available on R.E.M.'s Myspace page. On October 22, 2009, National Public Radio began streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
the entire album for free.
Reckoning Songs from The Olympia
A digital EP containing songs from the album—Reckoning Songs from The Olympia—was released on July 7, 2009, through the iTunes StoreITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and other distributors. It contains "Harborcoat", "Letter Never Sent", "Second Guessing", and "Pretty Persuasion", songs found on the band's 1984 studio album Reckoning
Reckoning (R.E.M. album)
Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
, hence the title.
Track listing
All songs written by Bill BerryBill Berry
William "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
, Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
, Mike Mills
Mike Mills
Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
, and Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, except where noted
Disc one
- "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 4:07 - "Second Guessing" (from ReckoningReckoning (R.E.M. album)Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
) – 2:58 - "Letter Never Sent" (from ReckoningReckoning (R.E.M. album)Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
) – 3:51 - "Staring Down the Barrel of the Middle Distance" (Previously unreleased) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 4:11
- "Disturbance at the Heron House" (from DocumentDocument (album)Robert Christgau praised the album, and called "It's the End of the World as We Know It " an "inspirational title." Stephan Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that "Where Lifes Rich Pageant sounded a bit like a party record, Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made...
) – 3:41 - "Mr. Richards" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 4:17 - "Houston" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 1:54 - "New Test LeperNew Test Leper"New Test Leper" is a song by R.E.M. It is included on their tenth studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which was released in 1996. It wasn't released as a single; its only non-album issue was on a 1996 Germany-only-released Warner Bros. Records promotional CD....
" (from New Adventures in Hi-FiNew Adventures in Hi-FiNew Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia and the following day in the United States...
) – 5:26 - "Cuyahoga" (from Lifes Rich PageantLifes Rich PageantLifes Rich Pageant is the fourth album by the American band R.E.M., released in 1986. Intended as an upbeat reaction to the sobering and historical Fables of the Reconstruction, R.E.M...
) – 4:22 - "ElectroliteElectrolite"Electrolite" is a song by R.E.M., released as their third single from their tenth studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi. The song is a piano-based ballad to Los Angeles, Hollywood icons and the closing 20th century...
" (from New Adventures in Hi-FiNew Adventures in Hi-FiNew Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia and the following day in the United States...
) – 4:03 - "Man-Sized WreathMan-Sized Wreath"Man-Sized Wreath" is the second track and third single from R.E.M.'s fourteenth album Accelerate, released on August 11, 2008 in the UK. The single was announced after the band's Madison Square Garden show on June 19, 2008, where footage of the upcoming music video was shown. The single is...
" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 3:09 - "So. Central Rain" (from ReckoningReckoning (R.E.M. album)Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
) – 3:44 - "On the Fly" (Previously unreleased) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 5:01
- "Maps and Legends" (from Fables of the ReconstructionFables of the ReconstructionFables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on the I.R.S...
) – 3:10 - "Sitting Still" (from MurmurMurmur (album)Murmur is the debut album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic...
) – 3:42 - "Driver 8Driver 8"Driver 8" was the second single from R.E.M.'s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction. Released in September 1985, the song peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart...
" (from Fables of the ReconstructionFables of the ReconstructionFables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on the I.R.S...
) – 3:44 - "Horse to Water" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 2:45 - "I'm Gonna DJ" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 2:16 - "Circus Envy" (from Monster) – 4:27
- "These Days" (from Lifes Rich PageantLifes Rich PageantLifes Rich Pageant is the fourth album by the American band R.E.M., released in 1986. Intended as an upbeat reaction to the sobering and historical Fables of the Reconstruction, R.E.M...
) – 4:53
Disc two
- "DriveDrive (R.E.M. song)"Drive" was the lead single and first track from R.E.M.'s eighth studio album Automatic for the People in 1992. Although it was not as successful as previous lead singles "Losing My Religion," "Stand," or "The One I Love" in the United States, it became R.E.M.'s then second biggest hit on the UK...
" (from Automatic for the PeopleAutomatic for the PeopleAutomatic for the People is the eighth album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1992 on Warner Bros. Records. While R.E.M...
) – 4:49 - "Feeling Gravitys Pull" (from Fables of the ReconstructionFables of the ReconstructionFables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on the I.R.S...
) – 5:10 - "Until the Day Is DoneUntil the Day Is Done"Until the Day Is Done" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their fourteenth studio album Accelerate. It was debuted on Anderson Cooper 360° to promote the Planet in Peril special and was released as a single on November 14, 2008, as a two-track download-only single...
" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 4:07 - "Accelerate" (from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 3:35 - "Auctioneer (Another Engine)" (from Fables of the ReconstructionFables of the ReconstructionFables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on the I.R.S...
) – 3:38 - "Little America" (from ReckoningReckoning (R.E.M. album)Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
) – 3:11 - "1,000,000" (from Chronic TownChronic TownChronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
) – 3:28 - "DisguisedSupernatural Superserious"Supernatural Superserious" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M.. It is the first single and third track from the band's fourteenth album Accelerate and was first released on February 11, 2008 as an MP3, and February 25, 2008 on CD...
" (early version of "Supernatural Superserious" from AccelerateAccelerate (R.E.M. album)Accelerate is the 14th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 31, 2008 in Europe, and on April 1 in North America. Produced with Jacknife Lee, Accelerate was intended as a departure from the 2004 album Around the Sun. R.E.M...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 3:20 - "The Worst Joke Ever" (from Around the SunAround the SunAround the Sun is the 13th studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 2004.-Description:"The Outsiders" features a guest appearance by rapper Q-Tip. When performed live, Michael Stipe carries out the rap, as he does on a later b-side release of the song."Final Straw" is...
) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 3:42 - "Welcome to the Occupation" (from DocumentDocument (album)Robert Christgau praised the album, and called "It's the End of the World as We Know It " an "inspirational title." Stephan Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that "Where Lifes Rich Pageant sounded a bit like a party record, Document is a fiery statement, and its memorable melodies and riffs are made...
) – 2:47 - "Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars) (from Chronic TownChronic TownChronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
) – 4:09 - "Harborcoat" (from ReckoningReckoning (R.E.M. album)Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
) – 4:16 - "Wolves, Lower" (from Chronic TownChronic TownChronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
) – 4:33 - "I've Been High" (from Reveal) (Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 3:40
- "Kohoutek" (from Fables of the ReconstructionFables of the ReconstructionFables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on the I.R.S...
) – 4:12 - "West of the Fields" (from MurmurMurmur (album)Murmur is the debut album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic...
) (Jerry Ayers, Berry, Buck, Mills, and Stipe) – 4:13 - "Pretty Persuasion" (from ReckoningReckoning (R.E.M. album)Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984...
) – 4:23 - "Romance" (from EponymousEponymous (album)Eponymous is the first greatest hits and the second compilation album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1988. It was their last authorized release on I.R.S. Records, to whom they had been contracted since 1982, having just signed with Warner Bros. Records...
) – 3:31 - "Gardening at NightGardening at Night"Gardening at Night" is a song by R.E.M. It was recorded in 1982 for the band's EP Chronic Town.The song is said to have been written on a mattress in the front yard of the Oconee Street church in Athens, Georgia...
" (from Chronic TownChronic TownChronic Town is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1982 on I.R.S. Records. Chronic Town is the first illustration of R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and obscure lyrics.-Background and recording:After...
) – 4:16
Personnel
R.E.M.- Peter BuckPeter BuckPeter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Mike MillsMike MillsMichael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Michael StipeMichael StipeJohn Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
on "Harborcoat"
Additional musicians
- Scott McCaugheyScott McCaugheyAs a singer and songwriter, Scott McCaughey is the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5.He is also bassist for Robyn Hitchcock's most recent touring band, The Venus 3, along with Bill Rieflin and Peter Buck....
– guitar, keyboards, background vocals - Bill Rieflin – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....