- This article is about the album by R.E.M.. For other uses of the term, see Out of Time.
Out of Time is R.E.M.'s seventh album, and their second major label release for Warner Bros., released in 1991. It was their international breakthrough album. The album spawned three Grammys in 1992, two for the first single, "Losing My Religion," and one for Best Alternative Music Album. It debuted at number 1 in the U.S. and returned to the position several weeks later.
Details
A lush pop album, Out of Time combines certain aspects that had remained more separate on their Green album, namely pop, folk and the classical, but with a new concentration on country elements, that would continue on 1992's Automatic for the People. Preceded by the idiosyncratic "Losing My Religion," which became R.E.M.'s biggest U.S. hit, Out of Time gave them their first U.S. and UK #1 albums, earning them many new fans and worldwide renown. The band decided not to tour to support the release, nor the following one. Out of Time also birthed a further smash in "Shiny Happy People" (featuring an appearance from The B-52's Kate Pierson). The overtly bubble-gum styling of the song has divided fans over the years as to its virtues. R.E.M. have never played it live, though this may be due to a lack of female vocalist to accompany Michael; they did play it on Saturday Night Live with Kate Pierson on April 13 1991. A second cameo appearance arises in the form of rapper KRS-One who makes a memorable appearance on the minor hit "Radio Song." Bassist Mike Mills handles lead vocal duties, aided by frontman Michael Stipe, on "Near Wild Heaven" and "Texarkana." While hits, neither "Shiny Happy People" nor "Radio Song" were included on In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003. The album was R.E.M's biggest-selling to date, going quadruple-platinum in the U.S. and selling in excess of ten million copies worldwide. At the 1992 Grammy Awards ceremony, Out of Time won the newly-launched "Best Alternative Album" award. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Out of Time the 38th greatest album of all time; in their 2006 follow-up list it rose one place to 37. In 2006, the album was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time. [1] In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of Out of Time which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes. The song "Half a World Away" was recently played on an episode of Scrubs (The name of the episode was "My Fishbowl"). The CD (as with all in this series) is not remastered.
Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.
- "Radio Song" – 4:13
- "Losing My Religion" – 4:26
- "Low" – 4:55
- "Near Wild Heaven" – 3:17
- "Endgame" – 3:48
- "Shiny Happy People" – 3:45
- "Belong" – 4:05
- "Half a World Away" – 3:26
- "Texarkana" – 3:37
- "Country Feedback" – 4:07
- "Me in Honey" – 4:06
Personnel
- Bill Berry – drums, percussion, bass, piano, vocals
- Peter Buck – guitars, mandolin
- Mike Mills – bass, organ, piano, harpsichord, vocals
- Michael Stipe – vocals, bass melodica
Additional personnel
Charts
Album
Singles
| Year |
Song |
Chart |
Position |
| 1991 |
"Losing My Religion" |
Billboard Hot 100 |
4 |
| 1991 |
"Losing My Religion" |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks |
1 |
| 1991 |
"Losing My Religion" |
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks |
1 |
| 1991 |
"Losing My Religion" |
Billboard Adult Contemporary |
28 |
| 1991 |
"Shiny Happy People" |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks |
3 |
| 1991 |
"Shiny Happy People" |
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks |
8 |
| 1991 |
"Shiny Happy People" |
Billboard Hot 100 |
10 |
| 1991 |
"Texarkana" |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks |
4 |
| 1992 |
"Texarkana" |
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks |
7 |
| 1992 |
"Radio Song" |
UK Singles Chart |
28 |
Awards
Certifications
View More Summaries on Out of Time (album)
