It is easy to forget how many great songs R.E.M. wrote. Forty years on from their formation and a full decade after the band called it a day, the band’s legacy as one of the most successful indie bands of all time is assured. That legacy is in full view on In Time 1988-2003: The Best of R.E.M.
Those dates in the album title are important. They tell us that this two LP compilation does not start at the beginning of the R.E.M. story, but half a dozen albums in. There had been significant success previously, with early singles like “Radio Free Europe” (1981, remixed in support of press freedom in 2025) and the glorious “Fall On Me” (1986) both popular on American college radio and rising up the alternative charts. In fact, R.E.M. had been knocking at the door of mainstream success for a number of years. That door swung with 1987’s Document and was wedged open after Green was released in 1988. Green had two excellent singles, “Stand” and the super catchy “Orange Crush”, both present on this collection.
R.E.M.’s first album of the Nineties was Out Of Time, boasting the memorable “Losing My Religion”. The stripped back sound and strummed mandolin pointed to a new, reflective approach by the band. It was the path to Automatic For The People, a wistful, autumnal record released to great acclaim in the second half of 1992. Surprisingly, since Automatic is perhaps the best known R.E.M. album, it missed out on the #1 spot in the US and Australia (stalling at #2 in both countries) though it reached the chart pinnacle in the UK and New Zealand. Huge global success came on the back of four startlingly good singles, all of which featured Michael Stripe’s plaintive vocals to the fore. “Man On The Moon” (which almost missed the album’s deadline), “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight”, “Nightswimming”, and the heartfelt “Everybody Hurts” soundtracked many a young adult journey through the first half of the Nineties. They have continued to do so in the years following and all are included here for either discovery or remembrance.
The band from Athens, Georgia were not done. Monster followed. This murky sounding album with distorted guitars and a much rockier sound confused many, but the single on In Time is certainly an accessible track… “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” has a unique yet infectious groove that still sounds great.
New Adventures In Hi-Fi (1996) and Up (1998) contribute two songs each, as does Reveal (2001). Add in “All The Right Friends” from the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film Vanilla Sky and it is clear this collection provides a good introduction to the albums after Automatic For The People for those who drifted away, or perhaps were simply satisfied with that great work.
And this double album is not done yet. In Time 1988-2003: The Best of R.E.M. includes two new songs, “Bad Day” and “Animal”. These were both released as singles in support of the compilation, making this something of a ‘must’ for R.E.M. fans.
Put this set together with 1991’s The Best of R.E.M. and you have a thorough survey of the best work of a memorable band, who retained credibility and respect while crafting dozens of outstanding songs rich with sparkling melodies and elusive, touching lyrics. More than twenty years after its release, In Time 1988-2003 shows that R.E.M. are still not out of time.
First published at Discrepancy Records. Reposted with kind permission.
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I go back to Murmur, their debut. Catapult…Radio Free Europe…Perfect Circle. It’s a very approachable album, but–to me–its generosity scarifies no artistry. They were the proto type of alternative mainstream excellence.
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Murmur is a terrific debut, no mistake about that. I have an IRS comp of the early material. It’s great! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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I love IRS years, even, Green and Automatic but I fell away a bit after that.
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You have got me yearning to hear that voice again.
Thank you, Bruce,
DD
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A voice steeped in yearning, DD.
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Too true.
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Well, R.E.M. was just student music. Back then, I thought the songs were kind of okay, but also random. Today, I quite like them. And anyone who has ever witnessed the audience closing their eyes and humming along at a concert knows that R.E.M.’s songs are anything but superficial.
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They were the ultimate College to World crossover band, weren’t they? With a fine talent for memorable choruses. Cheers, HF.
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I listen to their albums pretty frequently, especially “Murmur,” and every so often, I need to hear some songs “Wolves, Lower,” Radio Free Europe” and “It’s The End of the World…” at high volume, highly energizing.
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The people have spoken. Murmur cued up for the morning.
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Bruce! Was glad to see this. I’m one of those fans of the early material. I think Green was their last great album. Funny what fame came do. I hear such a marked difference between the pre-88 albums and post. I understand why they did what they did completely but I’ve often thought about how different the sense of urgency is in their playing with those early albums. And what a funny phenomenon about Stipe’s singing kind of blooming as he became more confident. All those early albums deserve your time and attention when able! Ditch the IRS comp. 😝 when they split Stipe said something like “you need to know when it’s time to leave the party.” I admire him for that.
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Murmur was one we did in the 33 ⅓ book group, I think? So I’ve extracted the CD for a reacquaintance spin tomorrow.
I guess Automatic for the People was the one that really put them on my radar. Still really enjoy it; fabulous collection of songs. But I have Green too, so maybe an ‘early’ REM day awaits.
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Yes that was the one and that was a really good book that delved into the Southern Gothic influence. The sound quality, production, Stipe’s coherence with the lyrics and singing all blooms record by record through Green. I’m a fan of most of those songs on Green but for the prior records, they are all really solid too. Document for example, where they had an MTV hit with “The One I Love.” And of course It’s the end of the world as we know it, which signaled the fact they knew they were going mainstream. Kind of funny and meta, huh? I also like that they snuck some cool covers into their albums too. One by Pylon for example, such a good but lesser-known band.
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I’d never thought of ‘End of the World’ as autobiographical. That’s rather cool.
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Yeah like the partition between who they used to be and who they were about to become, kind of cool. Can’t imagine they regretted it. 😜
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’Twould seem churlish to cavil.
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Bruce, I’m in catch-up mode yet again. REM was a significant presence on the soundtrack of my medical school, residency and fellowship training years. I played my three favorite releases (Murmur, Life’s Rich Pageant and Automatic For The People) over and over and over, yet never bought any others. And interestingly, their biggest US hit, “Losing My Religion”, is my least favorite of their songs that got airplay. Murmur is a classic: one gem after another.
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Always delighted to see your avatar appear, JDB. Do hope you are well and surfing the waves of madness.
You know, I think I knew you were an R.E.M. fan. Or maybe I made that up. 😉
In the face of several endorsements of Murmur I have pulled the CD out for a spin to remind myself of its energy. A bit late now, for it’ll be a Saturday booster.
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Your post inspired me to pull up Murmur on YouTube (I know, I know, not the ideal way to listen to music….!) and I’m traveling back in time as I listen to Laughing and Sitting Still. Despite its rather impenetrable lyrics, the latter is, I think, my all-time favorite REM song. I love the ending: after six declarations of “I can hear you”, Stipe’s plaintive “Can you hear me?” packs an emotional wallop (for me, anyway!)…
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I’ll sit down with the morning coffee and listen in!
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I didn’t know this compilation and just looked at the track list. If you like R.E.M., I can see no way you don’t enjoy this collection. I also agree it nicely complements 1991’s “The Best of R.E.M.”
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Nicely put. It offers good coverage!
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I kind of think they were a better singles band in the 1990s, so a compilation makes sense for that era. Still think most of their top albums come from the IRS years.
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Came on board with ‘Fables’. The album grabbed me so I went back to the previous albums and then went for their musical ride for a while. ‘Fables’ is still embedded in my cranium. Sucker for a train songs “Driver 8 take a break”
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