COLLAPSE INTO NOW: ALL THE BEST

For all the talk of a departure from Accelerate, only two of these songs are over 4 minutes, and one only just makes it.  However, the songs are more lush and arranged and dare I say better written.  For all the detractors of the new R.E.M. since Monster and even those who made it as far as Reveal, the Peter Buck chord structures have not really changed since Reckoning.  It's the same old tricks with different tone and lyrics.  The rockers on this album are less urgent than when R.E.M. were younger because the desires of the band are less urgent.  They are older and this song kind of points that out ... on purpose ... its sort of a grieving for the death of rock--and in retrospect the band itself.  Stipe is essentially saying: we showed you how to do it, here's the blueprint, you kind of failed, but good luck in the future ... don't overstay your welcome.  I read one critic say that they wish the band were still rocking like U2, to which I say first ... I don't particularly like U2, I think their recent stuff is uninteresting (I wrote this before Songs of Innocence/Experience and whoops ... I'm rethinking the U2 thing), and R.E.M. on sheer originality alone completely blow them away ... second, I always thought the R.E.M. vs U2 thing was like Beatles vs. Elvis, two great tastes that you either lean one way or another ...



ALL THE BEST
So over me
So pie in my face
So talk to me
Tell me where to place this in my
Quasimodo heart
That's where I slipped and fell
I rang the church bell ‘til my ears bled
Red blood cells

I think I'll sing and rhyme
I'll give it one more time
I'll show the kids how to do it
fine, fine, fine

I hold the mirror up
You tell me what is what
You tell me which part of my story baby
Stuck, stuck, stuck
I'm in a part of your dreams
That you don't even understand
It's just like me to overstay my welcome man

Let's sing and rhyme
Let's give it one more time
Let's show the kids how to do it
fine, fine, fine, fine

I just had to get that off my chest
Now It's time to get on with the rest
All the best
All the best
All the best
All the best, best, best
It's just like me to overstay my welcome, bless

Let's sing and rhyme
Let's give it one more time
Let's show the kids how to do it
fine, fine, fine, fine

Let's sing and rhyme
Let's give it one more time
Let's show the kids how to do it
fine, fine, fine, fine


The coolest part of this song is how the ending is a subtle Discoverer reference.  Oh, and it rocks pretty hard.

ALL THE BEST

Intro/Verse

Tune Up ½ Step

Guitar 1

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B|---------0---0---0---0---|

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Guitar 2

e|-777777777777777710-1099999999----|

B|-00000000000000000000000000000----|

G|----------------------------------|

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A|----------------------------------|

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Chorus

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A|-2----------2----------2----------7---5---|

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Middle Bridge

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A|-5---10---5---10----8---10---|

E|-0----8---0----8----0----0---|

e|-----------------------|

B|-----------------------|

G|-7-7-5-7-7-9-----------|

D|--7-----7---8-7-10-12--|

A|---------------8-----10|

E|-----------------------|

End

Guitar 1

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B|-0--|

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D|-4--|

A|-0--|

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Guitar 2

e|--0---|

B|--0---|

G|-11---|

D|--9---|

A|--0---|

E|--0---|