R.E.M. - In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003
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Free Music Notes for In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003
Free Music Review: Good but flawed collection of late 80s-early 90s material
Hit: 3 Stars
This does not claim to be the "all-time best" of R.E.M. That's why you won't find songs like "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" or "Fall on Me" from their time on the I.R.S. records label. It also doesn't claim to be a "greatest hits". Presumably then, this SHOULD be a collection of the best of their radio singles of that time frame that "casual" fans will already know coupled with cherry-picked album material in an effort to convince fringe fans to pick up some more of their albums. This disc is middling when viewed that way.
PROS:
1) The band's generally acknowledged commercial and critical peak (AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE) is well-represented with 3 tracks: "Everybody Hurts","Nightswimming" and "Man on the Moon". (Though "Drive" is also a highlight and frequently played on alternative/modern rock radio and really SHOULD be included as well)
2) "The Great Beyond", though initially only released on the soundtrack to the Andy Kaufman tribute film "Man on the Moon", truly IS one of the band's finest moments between 1988-2003 and was a wise addition.
CONS:
1) "Out of Time" is arguably 1 of the 3 most popular of the band's albums (along with AUTOMATIC and GREEN) but only "Losing my Religion" appears here. "Texarkana" and "Radio Song" should also have made the cut as they're good, sound like the band, and would be "accessible" to casual fans.
2) There's already a special edition 2CD version to drag in completists. (The 2nd disc is nothing but B sides and other rarities) Leaving the 2 new songs ("Bad Day" and "Animal") off this version as well as "All the Right Friends" (from the "Vanilla Sky" soundtrack) would have made room for better material for fringe fans. Those 3 could have been on the special edition. Release a CD single for "Bad Day" if you want casual fans who like the tune to be able to buy it.
3) "Monster" is admittedly not the most popular R.E.M. album among casual fans, but using the catchy "Bang and Blame" might have been a way to attract more interest from those who've thought "I only know 'What's the Frequency' on there!"
BOTTOM LINE:
It's a pretty good collection but the omissions might keep casual fans from buying it. They'll probably try and wait until the day comes that a comprehensive set (including Warner Brothers AND I.R.S. material) of Greatest Hits/best of appears. Medium fans who have an album or two will probably find this meets their needs best.
Free Music Review: R.E.M, what it really means, Real, Expressive Music
Hit: 5 Stars
This was the first R.E.M album I bought, and it didn`t disapoint me. R.E.Ms best of CD consists of 18 wonderful songs, from the years between 1988 and 2003, when they were on the height of their skills. The songs are pretty catchy, with plenty of melody and harmony. All the songs are a pleasure to the ear. Especially I like "Loosing my religion", a wonderful, kinda sad song about miserable love. This song is very deep and moving. It just expresses so much. "Everybody hurts", taken from their classic album "Automatic for the people" also are a quiet and really beautiful song. It`s kinda comfortable in a way. Yes, comfort is what it really is about. It`s a song for the lonely, the miserable, yeah, the ones who really have had enough of this life. "Hold on", Michael Stipe sings in a very passionate way. It is just so strong! But R.E.M don`t only make quiet songs. Faster songs like "Orange Crush", "What`s the freequency Kenneth" and "Imitation of life" also sounds great to me. They`re all catchy, and I promise you: It won`t take long before they`re taking over your brain, and you just want to sing them all day long! That`s just what happened to me! These songs are true music, and I will absolutely recommend it to you all!Free Music Review: Hits and misses
Hit: 3 Stars
Like all compilations, this recent BEST OF REM CD features a mix of hits and misses ... and two new songs (all artists seem to do this now). Some of the classics included are "The Great Beyond", "Orange Crush" and "Stand". Obvious exclusions are "Drive", "Happy Shiney People" and "The End of the World". When the CD was first released, Michael Snipe announced that "Happy Shiney People" was no longer a band favourite and for that reason it was excluded. This CD is a great place to start if you are new to REM becuase it does capture a great portion of their later classics. But if you want to go one step further, you really should purchase the wonderful "Automatic for the People" which is thier finest album. It is almost a greatest hits in itself.Free Music Review: Haunting
Hit: 5 Stars
This compilation sets a high standard for "best of" offerings. R.E.M.'s music has always stood out from other bands in the many genres they can be categorized in. With introspective lyrics and solid music, this band's music over the 15 years these tracks cover, has been nothing but spectacular. Songs such as "Man on the Moon" and "What's The Frequency, Kenneth" are classic R.E.M., and "Losing My Religion" stand out half-way through this CD as one of the best singles of the 1990s. Even more recent tracks such as "All The Way To Reno" and "All The Right Friends" remind us why all the critical acclaim this band gets, really is justified. "Everybody Hurts" only adds to the worth of this CD, rounding out 15 years of haunting and high-caliber music.
Free Music Review: What about the earlier material
Hit: 4 Stars
It's good, but I rather have a greatest hits package spanning their entire career. Wouldn't you?