R.E.M. - In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003
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Music CD Cover Artist: R.E.M. Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2003-10-28 Music Label: Warner Bros / Wea Soundtracks:
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Free Music Notes for In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 Album
Free Music Review: 1/2 career retrospective from one of the most enduring bands
Hit: 5 Stars
This collection starts with the quientessential R.E.M. track 'Man on the Moon'. The band's relevence is made apparant within the first pluckings of Mike Mills' bass line. What follows are some of the best songs recorded by an American band in the past 15 years. The folk-pop incandescence of 'Losing My Religion' is here as is the sonic charge of 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?'. The oddly straight forward lyrics of 'Everybody Hurts' chime in near the finale and the mid-tempo sway of 'Daysleeper' lays comfortably between the overlooked 'Imitation of Life' and the new raucious cut 'Animal'. ... But one cannot help to notice some of the holes inherent in any 'best of' collection. The album, Out of Time, that brought them world wide acclaim, makes only one appearance with the before mentioned 'Losing My Religion'. The absence of 'Shiny Happy People' is understandable due to the band's voiced distaste for the song but where is 'Country Feedback'? Or even 'Radio Song'? And why was Automatic for the People's chipper'The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite' chosen over 'Drive'? The 1994 sonic soundscape that is 'Monster' is represented only by 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?', leaving out such moments of brilliance as 'Tongue' and 'Strange Currencies'.
In the end these gaps work as testiment to the breadth and integrity of R.E.M.'s work. It's just too difficult to put everyone's favorite song from the past 15 years on one album.
This collection is apparently making a case for the newer material, which has been virtually ignored by the American public who currently are more interested in the artifice of disposable bubblegum pop and the slick posturings of contemporary hip hop. But there seems to be a hope that, with this collection, maybe we'll start to get this band all over again; we'll remember the innovation and intelligence of their older songs and be introduced to sublime craftings of their newer works. With a few listens one might be surprised to find out that many of the strengths of this band ARE the more recent songs. 'The Great Beyond' is a minor classic filled with a contagious melody and fierce chorus, 'All the Way to Reno' is a rolling lounge number all sad and effervescent at once and the rare lyrical intimacy of 'Ebow the Letter' is a reminder of where a song can transport us.
The two new singles are both fresh, begging to be put on repeat. On 'Bad Day' Peter Buck's jangly guitar reinvents Document era R.E.M. while Michael Stipe delivers a prickly social critque of corporate media and carbon copy public leadership. 'Animal' is a visceral, ragged song that shows that brawn and brains can merge in the same song.
In the end, what we have here is a great collection of songs by one of America's most prolific and important bands chronicling their heights of popularity to their comfortable plateau of success. The timelessness of their music is demonstrated by the fact that there is no chronological sequence to this collection and yet the songs flow into each other flawlessly.
This collection is a fantastic retrospective, lets hope the public realizes it.