Speaking of strings, they pop up in more places than ever before: the cheesy-but-fun "Shiny Happy People" (also with Katie singing - but you knew that already), the sublimely sweet "Endgame," and the stunning ballad "Half a World Away." If there was any justice in this world, THAT track would have been the smash hit that won the band a heaping armful of Grammys. It's been my single favorite song on the album for close to ten years now, and considering how much I love every minute of sugary perfection offered here.. that's really saying something.

You may have noticed me using the word "sweet" more than is common, and.. well.. when talking about the quiet beauty of Out of Time, it's the adjective that comes to mind the most. "Near Wild Heaven" builds one simple riff into something that's positively endearing. "Belong" shows bassist Mike Mills speaking some vaguely hopeful words while a background chorus soars to the sky. He also takes a vocal turn on "Texarkana" (also with more of those beautiful strings), turning a regretful lament into one of the most driving tunes on the album. I guess it's inevitable that "Country Feedback" should seem a little out of place, since it's a sad half-dirge dropped amid a string of bright hopeful tunes. The earlier "Low" is saved from the same ill-fittingness: it's not dark so much as.. well.. just low. It's carried by a quiet organ and a vaguely disjointed batch of Stipe ramblings before a semi-harsh guitar burns things up for a brief moment.

I could take well over my allotted thousand words describing how much listening enjoyment Out of Time has given me in the past decade, but I'd only end up repeating myself. It's simply classic; not because it sold loads of copies and contained a couple singles everybody now knows by heart, but because it's a strong, solid offering that hasn't aged or dated at all since its release. It's a treasure.


Out Of Time,Just in Time   February 10, 2000
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Out Of Time is the double edge sword for REM.It brought them to superstar status yet it brought the wrath of longtime fans who thought they'd sold out.In retrospect it seems a little extreme since at the time,there was nothing like it.In the time that hairbands were soon to become an endangered species,and Nevermind was just around the corner,REM released an album that took chances when most acts at the time(heck even today)ran a formula into the ground. Losing My Religion led the way with its delicatly picked mandolin and understated string arrangement.But for those who played only the aformentioned track 2(and sometimes track 7)were missing out on a great album.Near Wild Heaven,Shiny Happy People,and Radio Song are bouncy pop songs that improve on the peppy tracks on Green.But songs like Low,Half a World Away & Texarkana have an air of melencholy about them.Country Feedback build in intensity as Michael Stipe sing the most personal pre-AFTP song,and Honey In Me brings both sad & happy together on the final track.Old fans could yell sell out all the want,but OOT came out at the right time which also helped pave the way for more daring music to be embraced by the mainstream and make the 90's a memorable decade in music


Right Up There   January 11, 2000
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a great album. Right off the bat there are three great songs: "Radio Song" is catchy and quirky in its own way, "Losing My Religion" is, well, deservedly ubiquitous, and "Low" is just subtly delecable. Although I don't favor the songs where Stipe's vocals aren't too prominent, "Near Wild Heaven" is still a cheery and lively tune. "Endgame" is another of the band's keen instrumentals, helped by Stipe's odd yet beneficial vocal additions. I can't offer an unbiased opinion on "Shiny Happy People" ever since an... altered version of it appeared on Sesame Street, complete with Stipe and the band jumping around with a bunch of Muppets. I guess it shows that they're not ashamed to do that, but it still burned a strange image into my head. I've heard complaints about "Belong," but although I cannot in the least comprehend the lyrics, it's still one of my favorite songs due to the great (if lyricless) refrain and the kickin' background beat. "Half A World Away" is great. Period. Hauntingly beautiful and over far too quickly. "Texarkana" is... ok. I miss Stipe's voice, although the strings are keen. I've never really liked "Country Feedback." I dunno why. Too twangy. Or something. But I can tolerate it, and it's still better than a LOT of songs I've heard. "Me In Honey" is another upbeat, cool song that is above average in every respect.

Overall, this album is vastly superior to at least a few of R.E.M.'s others, and also to a lot of the crud that's coming out nowadays...


Losing My Lunch   July 23, 1998
 7 out of 13 found this review helpful

Am I the only R.E.M fan that HATED "Losing My Religion"? Whenever it started in, I'd quickly switch to another radio station. And the critics all praised Peter Buck's use of a mandolin. What, for playing about four stupid notes on it? The rest of the album is definitely a very mixed bag, with a lot of low points like, well, "Low": a long, boring clinker which doesn't even rate up there with most R.E.M. B-sides. "Radio Song" merely sounds embarrassing now. Thank God they only did one song with KRS-One. "Shiny Happy People" is fun on the first few listens, but quickly gets annoying. "Endgame" is a weak instrumental experiment -- someone should have told them that they're not up to creating "Pet Sounds"-like orchestral numbers. "Belong" would have been a catchy 2:30 minute song (albeit with weird lyrics), but unfortunately it goes on for about 2 minutes longer. "Me In Honey" is OK, b! ut we've heard this type of thing before from them. "Texarkana" is a good showcase for Mike Mills, and is pretty catchy, unlike his other vocal, "Near Wild Heaven," which is way too fluffy. "Country Feedback" is mournful country excess that bores me to death. "Half A World Away" is Stipey trying to be the sensitive balladeer, only half-succeeding. This album should have been called "Out Of Ideas," with the hit song "Losing My Touch."


stipe is a genius   December 15, 1999
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Ok funny story behind this one. My mom got me this album in 1991, I was 12 years old. I listened to Losing My Religion, and Shiny Happy People twice, amd then it ended up in a box for the next few years. Being 12 years old i wasnt a very good judge of brilliance. I forgot about the album until I found it in a suit case a few years ago. I kind of needed some money so I thought Id try and sell it. However, the CD was badly scratched, so no one would buy it. I decided to take it home and listen to it. Since I had matured a little, the lyrics started making sense, and I loved it! I bought Green and Automatic For the People soon after. Stipe is a true artist, And He is priceless in this day of Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Stipe shows that music can be fun and still convey a message at the same time.