Around the Sun

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Around the Sun
Around the Sun cover
Studio album by R.E.M.
Released 4 October 2004
Recorded Early 2003 – early 2004
Genre Alternative rock
Length 55:21
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Pat McCarthy, R.E.M.
Professional reviews
R.E.M. chronology
Reveal
(2001)		 Around the Sun
(2004)		 Accelerate
(2008)

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

Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] Commercial performance

Around the Sun generally received lukewarm critical praise 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.[1] 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 has not had 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Track listing

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

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

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Year Chart Position
2004 The Billboard 200 13 (7 weeks on the chart)
2004 UK album chart 1 (7 weeks on the chart)

[edit] Singles

Release date Single Chart Position
2004-09-27 "Leaving New York" UK Singles Chart 5
2004-11-29 "Aftermath" UK Singles Chart 41
2005-02-28 "Electron Blue UK Singles Chart 26
2005-07-11 "Wanderlust" UK Singles Chart 27

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ R.E.M.: A 25-year rockin' role - USATODAY.com
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