R.E.M. - OUT OF TIME (3LP) ((Vinyl))

R.E.M.: Bill Berry (vocals, piano, drums, congas, percussion); Mike Mills (vocals, organ, harpsichord, bass); Michael Stipe (vocals, bass melodica); Peter Buck (guitar, mandolin).

Additional personnel includes: KRS-One, Kate Pierson (vocals); Peter Holsapple (guitar, bass); John Keane (pedal steel guitar); David Kampers, David Braitberg, David Arenz, Ellie Arenz (violin); Paul Murphy, Reid Harris (viola); Andrew Cox, Elizabeth Murphy (cello); Kidd Jordan (bass clarinet, alto, tenor & baritone saxophones); Cecil Welch (flugelhorn); Ralph Jones (acoustic bass).
Recorded at Soundscape Studios, Athens, Georgia.
Before Nirvana's NEVERMIND closed out the year with the unexpected commercial triumph of grunge rock, R.E.M.'s OUT OF TIME was the sound of alternative music circa 1991. The smash singles "Losing My Religion"--perhaps the only Top Five US single ever to feature the mandolin as its lead instrument--and "Shiny Happy People" were the commercial face of the album. Elsewhere, however, R.E.M. makes a point of moving away from expectations, resulting in intriguing experiments like the surprisingly funky "Radio Song" (featuring rapper KRS-One), the spoken-word ambient chill-out "Belong," and the self-explanatory "Country Feedback." Interestingly, the songs most immediately identifiable as "R.E.M. songs," the jangly rockers "Texarkana" and "Near Wild Heaven," are both sung by bassist Mike Mills. Though it was quickly overshadowed by AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE during the following year, OUT OF TIME remains a fascinating portrait of R.E.M. at a pivotal point in the group's career.

• RSD Release Date: n/a
• Genre: Pop