Out Of Time - R.E.M.

R.E.M. are one of the most important bands of the last quarter-century. This album proves why. 1991's "Out of Time", their second for Warner Bros., was by far the band's most commercially successful to date. Home to megahit "Losing My Religion", it spent - literally - years in the UK Album Chart top 75 and sold over ten million copies worldwide. But as we all know, chart success is not everything - after all, it's debateable whether Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez will go down with the greats, but they've sold millions of albums. Thankfully, however, in this case the popularity was completely justified. "Out of Time" is one of ...  Read the complete review

American rock has always been the stuff of legend - somehow so much more authentic than our own home bred mimics. The US had Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochrane, Britain had Cliff Richard and (perish the thought) Tommy Steele (remember Little White Bull). We had The Motors and The Jags and they had REM, 'nuff said. Ah well, we've had our share of high spots, but the band from Georgia who named themselves after the acronym for Rapid Eye Movement have always been honorary Brits, with their thoughtful, uplifting, earnest, consideration, like the Smiths but with a singer who wasn't a joke and melodies which flowed rather than chugged (sorry, Mozza and Johnny, but ...  Read the complete review

Out Of Time was REM's seventh studio album (and second under Warner Bros) and to this day remains one of my favourites. In its armoury is possibly the single greatest song of all time, Losing My Religion. The album is quieter and has a more folky feel than their predecessing album, Green, reaching back to some of their first albums under the IRS label. The album opens with 'Radio Song', featuring guest vocals by KRS-1. The song can be immediately recognised as a statement against the utter crap that was (and still is today) constantly on the radio. "Now our children grow up prisoners, all their life radio listeners." The ...  Read the complete review

After releasing a succession of great but largely unappreciated records over the course of a decade, REM finally achieved world domination with OUT OF TIME. Yet curiously it toned down the political sentiment and abrasive rock that had marked much of their previous work. OUT OF TIME is all lush strings and ethereal harmonies, very much in the vein of the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and sun-soaked west coast American pop. Kate Pierson (of fellow Athens, Georgia band the B-52s) even provides folk-pop backing vocals on some key tracks. The album contains numerous REM classics: the Mike Mills-vocalled 'Near Wild Heaven', the summer-of-love throwback 'Shiny ...  Read the complete review

Along with 'Automatic For The People', 'Out Of Time' (released in 1991) is R.E.M.'s most well known album to date. The album is arguably the groups strongest and probably just has the edge over 'Automatic For The People' as my own personal favourite R.E.M. album. 'Losing My Religion' put R.E.M. on the pedestal they deserved and cannot be doubted as one of the songs of the decade. Still, in my opinion, one of their very best, it has both a depressing and uplifting feel at the same time and is the highlight of an excellent album. The other 'big time' song on the album is not typical of R.E.M. but its commercial appeal ...  Read the complete review