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Accelerate (R.E.M. album)

Accelerate is the 14th studio album by 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.[3] R.E.M. previewed most of the album's tracks during a five-night residency at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, and recorded the album in a nine-week schedule.

Accelerate
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 31, 2008 (2008-03-31)
RecordedJune–July 2007
StudioArmoury Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Grouse Lodge Studios, County Westmeath, Ireland; and Seney-Stonewall Chapel, Athens, Georgia, United States; additional recording in Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, and Mike Mills' home in Athens, Georgia
Genre
Length34:39
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerJacknife Lee and R.E.M.
R.E.M. chronology
R.E.M. Live
(2007)
Accelerate
(2008)
Live from London
(2008)
Singles from Accelerate
  1. "Supernatural Superserious"
    Released: February 25, 2008
  2. "Hollow Man"
    Released: June 2, 2008
  3. "Man-Sized Wreath"
    Released: August 11, 2008
  4. "Until the Day Is Done"
    Released: November 14, 2008

The album was heralded as a return to form for the band, receiving a warm reception from music critics and achieving a 79/100 rating on Metacritic. Reviewers often complimented the aggressive, purposeful sound of the songs, with Q magazine critic Keith Cameron stating that "Accelerate is the sound of a band having enjoyed a good word with themselves—and us." It was their last album to be accompanied by a tour, as the band had decided against touring for their next (and final) album Collapse into Now before disbanding.

Background and recording

 
Seney-Stovall Chapel, in the band's hometown of Athens, Georgia, was one of the recording locations for Accelerate and was also where they recorded two songs for the film Athens, GA: Inside/Out in 1986.

R.E.M.'s previous record Around the Sun (2004) only sold 240,000 copies in the United States and was poorly received by critics.[4] The band members later expressed displeasure with the album. Guitarist Peter Buck told Q, "I personally hated it. [Quickly] No, hated is too hard. I hated the fact that it wasn't as good as it should've been." Buck admitted the band felt pressure to subsequently make a better record; he told Q, "Even Michael [Stipe] was going, 'Y'know, if we make another bad record, it's over.' It's like, 'No kidding.'"[5]

Buck and bassist Mike Mills began working on instrumental demos in winter 2007, assisted by touring members Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey. The music they wrote was faster and more aggressive than other material they had written in years.[6] Mills suggested the band work out its new songs in a live setting before recording them, as it had done in its early years.[6] Between June 30 and July 5, 2007, R.E.M. played a five-night series of shows at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland. In this series of shows—dubbed "working rehearsals" by the band, many songs on Accelerate were debuted, with many of them still as works in progress.[7] These performances would later be released as Live at The Olympia in 2009.

At the urging of The Edge of U2, R.E.M. chose to record the album with producer Jacknife Lee.[8] Following the Olympia Theatre residency, R.E.M. scheduled three-week recording sessions in three different cities in order to keep its focus. The tight recording schedule prevented Stipe from spending too much time working on his lyrics and vocal parts. Stipe told Spin, "I work really well under pressure, and the guys know that all too well... So the pace forced me to kind of spit stuff out."[6] The group mixed the album in a London studio in 10 days. Regarding the recording process, Stipe said, "We spent less time making this record than we have in 20 years."[9]

Music

The members of R.E.M. were reluctant to pin down the style of the new album so as not to create wayward expectations.[10] The new material featured in the Dublin concerts demonstrated a much more stripped-down, guitar-driven sound than had been featured on the band's recent releases, and Mike Mills indicated that the shows gave a good indication of the band's direction. Stipe said his lyrics on Accelerate were inspired by the contemporary state of the nation, saying, "When the empire is going down the toilet, it's easy to write great, angry songs."[6]

Described in sound as "ballyhooed hard rock",[1] Sputnikmusic proclaimed Accelerate "a ballsier return to [the band's] punk roots".[2]

Promotion

On January 1, 2008, R.E.M. launched the website NinetyNights.com, on which a new short clip from Accelerate was posted daily until the album's release.[11] In February, R.E.M. launched the website supernaturalsuperserious.com with eleven videos to promote the album. A week later, R.E.M. launched remaccelerate.com, a web page for promoting and aggregating news about the album itself.

In late March 2008, the band released Accelerate as a digital web streams on iLike six days prior to the American release of its physical album in April. Michael Stipe said R.E.M. wanted to experiment with its distribution system, citing the change in the music industry since the release of Around the Sun.[12] A deluxe edition of the album was released in addition to the standard edition; it includes a DVD featuring filmmaker Vincent Moon's film 6 Days, which includes behind-the-scenes footage and performances of various songs on the album. Two B-side tracks, "Red Head Walking" and "Airliner," are included as bonus tracks, along with a 64-page booklet. The vinyl version consists of two 12 inch discs each running at 45 RPM, and contains the full album on CD.

A brief tour, the last of the group's tenure, took place in 2008. It covered Europe, North America, and Latin America.[13]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
The A.V. ClubB+[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [17]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[18]
The Guardian     [19]
Mojo     [20]
NME8/10[21]
Pitchfork6.7/10[22]
Q     [23]
Rolling Stone     [24]
Spin     [25]

Accelerate was the band's highest-charting release since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 115,000 copies,[26] went on to sell more than 353,000 copies in the United States and became the band's eighth album to top the British album charts.[27] "Supernatural Superserious" was released as the album's first single. The second single "Hollow Man" was released in June 2008, with "Man-Sized Wreath" following in August. According to Billboard, Accelerate stayed 18 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.[28] The vinyl LP edition was re-released in August 2023.[29]

Accelerate received positive reviews from critics noted at review aggregator Metacritic. It has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 33 reviews.[14] Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars, with critic David Fricke praising the group's aggressive sound, writing, "Stipe has not sounded this viscerally engaged in his singing and poetically lethal in his writing since the twilight of the Reagan administration."[24] NME reviewer Alan Woodhouse, similarly applauding the group's return to its previous sound, gave Accelerate an eight out of 10 rating, concluding "Accelerate is by some considerable distance R.E.M.'s best and most cohesive album since [former drummer] Bill Berry left, and crucially echoes a time when they made their best music, if not necessarily their biggest-selling."[21] Q reviewer Keith Cameron wrote that unlike Around the Sun, "Accelerate is the sound of a band having enjoyed a good word with themselves—and us." Cameron described the album's first three songs as "powerful as the first half of 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant," but commented that the album suffers through a "midway dip that afflicts even the best R.E.M. album."[23]

Time reviewer Josh Tyrangiel praised guitarist Buck's "resurgence" and "propulsive riffs," but also wrote, "R.E.M.'s 14th album never quite generates the moody atmospherics of their first 10; it's a little hard to lose yourself in something that doesn't pause long enough for you to get lost."[30] Uncut gave the album 1.5 out of five stars. Reviewer John Mulvey stated, "Accelerate is a simple, pragmatic record built on an uncomfortable truth: sometimes, even the best bands have to retrace their steps, if only to remind themselves what they're really good at."[31]

Accolades

In 2009, Consequence of Sound ranked the album at number 37 in its list of the top 100 albums of the decade,[32] and Under the Radar ranked it at number 193 in its list of the "Top 200 Albums of the 2000s."[33] In 2010, the Kitsap Sun placed it at number 73 in its list of the "Top 101 Albums of the 2000s."[33] It also appeared in at least 24 professional lists of the best albums of 2008.[33]

Track listing

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

  1. "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" – 3:11
  2. "Man-Sized Wreath" – 2:32
  3. "Supernatural Superserious" – 3:23
  4. "Hollow Man" – 2:39
  5. "Houston" – 2:05
  6. "Accelerate" – 3:33
  7. "Until the Day Is Done" – 4:08
  8. "Mr. Richards" – 3:46
  9. "Sing for the Submarine" – 4:50
  10. "Horse to Water" – 2:18
  11. "I'm Gonna DJ" – 2:07

Bonus tracks

  1. "Red Head Walking" (Calvin Johnson) – 2:11
  2. "Airliner" (Buck, Mills, Stipe, Scott McCaughey) – 2:21
  3. "Horse to Water" (Live from Athens) – 2:17
  4. "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" (Live from Athens) – 3:12
  5. "Until the Day Is Done" (Live from Athens) – 4:06
  6. "Supernatural Superserious" (Live from Athens) – 3:25

These bonus tracks were available in digital form from online retailers. The first two are also B-sides to the "Supernatural Superserious" single and the last was only released in the iTunes Store with pre-order copies of the album.

Charts

  • A^ The album also entered the Billboard Digital Albums at No. 2, and topped the Digital Albums and Alternative Albums charts.[64]

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[65] Gold 10,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] Gold 15,000[66]
Germany (BVMI)[68] Gold 100,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[69] Gold 7,500^
Italy
sales in 2008
70,000[70]
Norway (IFPI Norway)[71] Platinum 30,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[72] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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External links

  • Official website  
  • R.E.M.: Six Days, Ninety Nights

accelerate, album, accelerate, 14th, studio, album, american, alternative, rock, band, released, march, 2008, europe, april, north, america, produced, with, jacknife, accelerate, intended, departure, from, 2004, album, around, previewed, most, album, tracks, d. Accelerate is the 14th studio album by 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 3 R E M previewed most of the album s tracks during a five night residency at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin Ireland and recorded the album in a nine week schedule AccelerateStudio album by R E M ReleasedMarch 31 2008 2008 03 31 RecordedJune July 2007StudioArmoury Studios Vancouver British Columbia Canada Grouse Lodge Studios County Westmeath Ireland and Seney Stonewall Chapel Athens Georgia United States additional recording in Olympia Theatre Dublin Ireland and Mike Mills home in Athens GeorgiaGenreAlternative rockhard rock 1 punk rock 2 Length34 39LabelWarner Bros ProducerJacknife Lee and R E M R E M chronologyR E M Live 2007 Accelerate 2008 Live from London 2008 Singles from Accelerate Supernatural Superserious Released February 25 2008 Hollow Man Released June 2 2008 Man Sized Wreath Released August 11 2008 Until the Day Is Done Released November 14 2008The album was heralded as a return to form for the band receiving a warm reception from music critics and achieving a 79 100 rating on Metacritic Reviewers often complimented the aggressive purposeful sound of the songs with Q magazine critic Keith Cameron stating that Accelerate is the sound of a band having enjoyed a good word with themselves and us It was their last album to be accompanied by a tour as the band had decided against touring for their next and final album Collapse into Now before disbanding Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Music 3 Promotion 4 Release and reception 4 1 Accolades 5 Track listing 6 Charts 6 1 Weekly charts 6 2 Year end charts 7 Certifications and sales 8 References 9 External linksBackground and recording Edit Seney Stovall Chapel in the band s hometown of Athens Georgia was one of the recording locations for Accelerate and was also where they recorded two songs for the film Athens GA Inside Out in 1986 R E M s previous record Around the Sun 2004 only sold 240 000 copies in the United States and was poorly received by critics 4 The band members later expressed displeasure with the album Guitarist Peter Buck told Q I personally hated it Quickly No hated is too hard I hated the fact that it wasn t as good as it should ve been Buck admitted the band felt pressure to subsequently make a better record he told Q Even Michael Stipe was going Y know if we make another bad record it s over It s like No kidding 5 Buck and bassist Mike Mills began working on instrumental demos in winter 2007 assisted by touring members Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey The music they wrote was faster and more aggressive than other material they had written in years 6 Mills suggested the band work out its new songs in a live setting before recording them as it had done in its early years 6 Between June 30 and July 5 2007 R E M played a five night series of shows at the Olympia Theatre Dublin Ireland In this series of shows dubbed working rehearsals by the band many songs on Accelerate were debuted with many of them still as works in progress 7 These performances would later be released as Live at The Olympia in 2009 At the urging of The Edge of U2 R E M chose to record the album with producer Jacknife Lee 8 Following the Olympia Theatre residency R E M scheduled three week recording sessions in three different cities in order to keep its focus The tight recording schedule prevented Stipe from spending too much time working on his lyrics and vocal parts Stipe told Spin I work really well under pressure and the guys know that all too well So the pace forced me to kind of spit stuff out 6 The group mixed the album in a London studio in 10 days Regarding the recording process Stipe said We spent less time making this record than we have in 20 years 9 Music EditThe members of R E M were reluctant to pin down the style of the new album so as not to create wayward expectations 10 The new material featured in the Dublin concerts demonstrated a much more stripped down guitar driven sound than had been featured on the band s recent releases and Mike Mills indicated that the shows gave a good indication of the band s direction Stipe said his lyrics on Accelerate were inspired by the contemporary state of the nation saying When the empire is going down the toilet it s easy to write great angry songs 6 Described in sound as ballyhooed hard rock 1 Sputnikmusic proclaimed Accelerate a ballsier return to the band s punk roots 2 Promotion EditOn January 1 2008 R E M launched the website NinetyNights com on which a new short clip from Accelerate was posted daily until the album s release 11 In February R E M launched the website supernaturalsuperserious com with eleven videos to promote the album A week later R E M launched remaccelerate com a web page for promoting and aggregating news about the album itself In late March 2008 the band released Accelerate as a digital web streams on iLike six days prior to the American release of its physical album in April Michael Stipe said R E M wanted to experiment with its distribution system citing the change in the music industry since the release of Around the Sun 12 A deluxe edition of the album was released in addition to the standard edition it includes a DVD featuring filmmaker Vincent Moon s film 6 Days which includes behind the scenes footage and performances of various songs on the album Two B side tracks Red Head Walking and Airliner are included as bonus tracks along with a 64 page booklet The vinyl version consists of two 12 inch discs each running at 45 RPM and contains the full album on CD A brief tour the last of the group s tenure took place in 2008 It covered Europe North America and Latin America 13 Release and reception EditProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingMetacritic79 100 14 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 15 The A V ClubB 16 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 17 Entertainment WeeklyA 18 The Guardian 19 Mojo 20 NME8 10 21 Pitchfork6 7 10 22 Q 23 Rolling Stone 24 Spin 25 Accelerate was the band s highest charting release since 1996 s New Adventures in Hi Fi It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 115 000 copies 26 went on to sell more than 353 000 copies in the United States and became the band s eighth album to top the British album charts 27 Supernatural Superserious was released as the album s first single The second single Hollow Man was released in June 2008 with Man Sized Wreath following in August According to Billboard Accelerate stayed 18 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart 28 The vinyl LP edition was re released in August 2023 29 Accelerate received positive reviews from critics noted at review aggregator Metacritic It has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 33 reviews 14 Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars with critic David Fricke praising the group s aggressive sound writing Stipe has not sounded this viscerally engaged in his singing and poetically lethal in his writing since the twilight of the Reagan administration 24 NME reviewer Alan Woodhouse similarly applauding the group s return to its previous sound gave Accelerate an eight out of 10 rating concluding Accelerate is by some considerable distance R E M s best and most cohesive album since former drummer Bill Berry left and crucially echoes a time when they made their best music if not necessarily their biggest selling 21 Q reviewer Keith Cameron wrote that unlike Around the Sun Accelerate is the sound of a band having enjoyed a good word with themselves and us Cameron described the album s first three songs as powerful as the first half of 1986 s Lifes Rich Pageant but commented that the album suffers through a midway dip that afflicts even the best R E M album 23 Time reviewer Josh Tyrangiel praised guitarist Buck s resurgence and propulsive riffs but also wrote R E M s 14th album never quite generates the moody atmospherics of their first 10 it s a little hard to lose yourself in something that doesn t pause long enough for you to get lost 30 Uncut gave the album 1 5 out of five stars Reviewer John Mulvey stated Accelerate is a simple pragmatic record built on an uncomfortable truth sometimes even the best bands have to retrace their steps if only to remind themselves what they re really good at 31 Accolades Edit In 2009 Consequence of Sound ranked the album at number 37 in its list of the top 100 albums of the decade 32 and Under the Radar ranked it at number 193 in its list of the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s 33 In 2010 the Kitsap Sun placed it at number 73 in its list of the Top 101 Albums of the 2000s 33 It also appeared in at least 24 professional lists of the best albums of 2008 33 Track listing EditAll songs written by Peter Buck Mike Mills and Michael Stipe except where noted Living Well Is the Best Revenge 3 11 Man Sized Wreath 2 32 Supernatural Superserious 3 23 Hollow Man 2 39 Houston 2 05 Accelerate 3 33 Until the Day Is Done 4 08 Mr Richards 3 46 Sing for the Submarine 4 50 Horse to Water 2 18 I m Gonna DJ 2 07Bonus tracks Red Head Walking Calvin Johnson 2 11 Airliner Buck Mills Stipe Scott McCaughey 2 21 Horse to Water Live from Athens 2 17 Living Well Is the Best Revenge Live from Athens 3 12 Until the Day Is Done Live from Athens 4 06 Supernatural Superserious Live from Athens 3 25These bonus tracks were available in digital form from online retailers The first two are also B sides to the Supernatural Superserious single and the last was only released in the iTunes Store with pre order copies of the album Charts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 2008 PeakpositionAustralian ARIA Albums Chart 34 13Austrian Albums Chart 35 2Belgian Albums Chart Flanders 36 1Belgian Albums Chart Wallonia 37 13Canadian Albums Chart 38 1Danish Albums Chart 39 1Dutch Albums Chart 40 2Finnish Albums Chart 41 10French SNEP Albums Chart 42 17German Media Control Albums Chart 43 2Greek Top 50 Chart 44 1Hungarian Albums Chart 45 10Italian Albums Chart 46 2Japanese Oricon Albums Chart 47 29New Zealand Albums Chart 48 5Norwegian VG lista Albums Chart 49 1Portuguese Albums Chart 50 27Scottish Albums 51 1Spanish Albums Chart 52 52Swedish Albums Chart 53 7Swiss Albums Chart 54 1UK Albums Chart 55 1US Billboard 200 38 A 2 Year end charts Edit Chart 2008 PositionAustrian Albums Chart 56 54Belgian Albums Chart Flanders 57 43Dutch Albums Chart 58 63French Albums Chart 59 190German Albums Chart 60 39Swiss Albums Chart 61 34UK Albums Chart 62 113US Billboard 200 63 127 A The album also entered the Billboard Digital Albums at No 2 and topped the Digital Albums and Alternative Albums charts 64 Certifications and sales EditRegion Certification Certified units salesAustria IFPI Austria 65 Gold 10 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 67 Gold 15 000 66 Germany BVMI 68 Gold 100 000 Ireland IRMA 69 Gold 7 500 Italysales in 2008 70 000 70 Norway IFPI Norway 71 Platinum 30 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 72 Platinum 30 000 United Kingdom BPI 73 Gold 100 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone References Edit a b Camire Chris April 24 2008 Stipe loses religion now voice Lowell Times Retrieved February 28 2020 a b De Sylvia Dave May 17 2008 Review R E M Accelerate Sputnikmusic Kelly Rose July 2 2007 R E M Impress Fans U2 Debuting Guitar Heavy New Tracks In Dublin Rolling Stone Archived from the original on August 29 2009 Retrieved September 25 2009 McLean Craig R E M reborn Telegraph co uk March 8 2008 Retrieved on March 28 2008 Doyle Tom R E M The Q Interview Q April 2008 a b c d Azerrad Michael R E born Spin April 2008 Cohen Jonathan R E M Prepares To Accelerate Billboard com January 2 2008 Retrieved on March 28 2008 Inman Davis May 26 2011 U2 And R E M Engineer Talks Universal Audio Gear American Songwriter Retrieved October 16 2013 MacInnes Paul Hey critics get ready to step on REM s Accelerator in April Guardian co uk January 2 2008 Retrieved on January 5 2008 Graff Gary R E M Reluctant To Pin Down New Album Direction Billboard com August 31 2007 September 25 2007 Cashmere Paul R E M To Start 90 Night Countdown To New Album Archived December 22 2007 at the Wayback Machine Undercover com au December 22 2007 Retrieved on March 28 2008 Letkemann Jessica R E M Launching New Album On iLike Billboard com March 10 2008 Retrieved on March 28 2008 R E M Accelerate Tour Total Production tpimagazine com Archived from the original on June 28 2010 Retrieved January 3 2011 a b Reviews for Accelerate by R E M Metacritic Archived from the original on March 29 2008 Retrieved August 28 2012 Erlewine Stephen Thomas Accelerate R E M AllMusic Retrieved August 31 2015 Phipps Keith March 31 2008 R E M Accelerate The A V Club Retrieved August 28 2012 Larkin Colin 2007 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 4th ed Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0195313734 Willman Chris April 4 2008 Accelerate Entertainment Weekly Retrieved April 3 2012 Petridis Alexis March 21 2008 REM Accelerate The Guardian Retrieved August 31 2015 R E M Accelerate Mojo 173 98 April 2008 a b Woodhouse Alan March 28 2008 REM Accelerate NME Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved April 3 2012 Klein Joshua March 31 2008 R E M Accelerate Pitchfork Retrieved April 3 2012 a b Cameron Keith April 2008 R E M Accelerate Q 261 99 a b Fricke David April 3 2008 Accelerate Rolling Stone Retrieved August 28 2012 Modell Josh March 2008 Racing Against Time Spin 24 3 95 Archived from the original on January 4 2010 Retrieved April 3 2012 Hasty Katie Strait Speeds Past R E M To Debut At No 1 Billboard com April 9 2008 Retrieved on April 10 2008 Sexton Paul R E M Earns Eighth U K No 1 Album Billboard com April 7 2008 Retrieved on April 10 2008 Billboard 200 chart history Accelerate Billboard Archived from the original on October 11 2014 Retrieved July 20 2009 Reveal amp Accelerate Vinyl Reissues Coming August R E M June 27 2023 Retrieved June 8 2023 Tyrangiel Josh March 27 2008 R E M Finding Their Religion Time Archived from the original on March 30 2008 Retrieved April 3 2012 Mulvey John R E M s Accelerate Reviewed Here Uncut Retrieved June 29 2021 Zerbe Jeremy November 17 2009 CoS Top of the Decade The Albums Consequence of Sound Retrieved October 27 2016 a b c Accelerate Acclaimed Music December 23 2008 Archived from the original on August 19 2016 Retrieved October 27 2016 australian charts com R E M Accelerate Australian Recording Industry Association Archived from the original ASP on November 8 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 austriancharts at R E M Accelerate Hung Medien in German Archived from the original ASP on September 20 2011 Retrieved January 29 2012 ultratop be R E M Accelerate ASP Ultratop in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved January 29 2012 ultratop be R E M Accelerate ASP Ultratop in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved January 29 2012 a b allmusic Accelerate gt Charts amp Awards gt Billboard Albums AllMusic com Retrieved January 29 2012 danishcharts dk R E M Accelerate ASP danishcharts dk Retrieved January 29 2012 dutchcharts nl R E M Accelerate MegaCharts Hung Medien Archived from the original ASP on March 29 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 finnishcharts com R E M Accelerate Hung Medien Archived from the original ASP on November 13 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 lescharts com R E M Accelerate ASP Hung Medien in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Retrieved January 29 2012 Album Search R E M Accelerate officialchards de in German Media Control Retrieved January 29 2012 dead link Ellhniko Chart Archived from the original on December 17 2008 Retrieved December 17 2008 2008 14 heti Album Top 40 slagerlista in Hungarian MAHASZ Retrieved November 27 2021 italiancharts com R E M Accelerate Hung Medien Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Archived from the original ASP on October 17 2013 Retrieved January 29 2012 Highest position and charting weeks of Accelerate by R E M Oricon Style in Japanese Retrieved January 29 2012 charts nz R E M Accelerate ASP Hung Medien Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Retrieved January 29 2012 R E M Accelerate Hung Medien VG lista Archived from the original ASP on November 12 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 portuguesecharts com R E M Accelerate Hung Medien Archived from the original ASP on October 17 2013 Retrieved January 29 2012 Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved November 19 2021 R E M Accelerate spanishcharts com Hung Medien Archived from the original ASP on October 17 2013 Retrieved January 29 2012 swedishcharts com R E M Accelerate ASP in Swedish Retrieved January 29 2012 R E M Accelerate hitparade ch Hung Medien in German Swiss Music Charts Archived from the original ASP on August 1 2013 Retrieved January 29 2012 The Official Charts Company R E M Accelerate PHP Official Charts Company Retrieved January 29 2012 Austriancharts at Jahreshitparade 2008 Hung Medien Archived from the original on October 11 2011 Retrieved January 29 2012 Jaaroverzichten 2008 Ultratop in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved January 29 2012 JAAROVERZICHTEN ALBUM 2008 Archived from the original on July 16 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 Classement Albums annee 2008 in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Archived from the original on December 4 2012 Retrieved January 29 2012 1 Archived January 18 2010 at the Wayback Machine Hitparade ch Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2008 Hung Medien Retrieved January 29 2012 The Official UK Albums Chart Year End 2008 PDF Retrieved January 29 2012 Billboard BIZ Year end Charts Billboard 200 2008 Billboard biz Retrieved January 29 2012 Accelerate R E M Billboard com Billboard Austrian album certifications R E M Accelerate in German IFPI Austria Album Top 40 Uge 36 2008 Hitlisten in Danish IFPI Denmark Archived from the original ASP on December 17 2010 Retrieved February 17 2012 Danish album certifications R E M Accelerate IFPI Danmark Scroll through the page list below until year 2008 to obtain certification Gold Platin Datenbank R E M Accelerate in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Irish Charts 2008 Certification Awards Gold Irish Recorded Music Association Le Cifre de Vendita Album PDF Musica e dischi in Italian p 8 Archived from the original PDF on January 25 2016 Retrieved June 2 2022 IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993 2011 in Norwegian IFPI Norway The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards R E M Accelerate IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien British album certifications R E M Accelerate British Phonographic Industry External links EditOfficial website R E M Six Days Ninety Nights Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Accelerate R E M album amp oldid 1162315248, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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