Baby's Got Some New Rules

Out of Time - 1991

Has it really been seventeen years since this album was released? My, my, my, how the years go by! Half my life ago, this little record came along and would be very instrumental in me falling in love with R.E.M. and alternative/indie rock. With that new love affair would come a desire to create music myself. In other words, this is a very important album for me personally, so my opinion of it will probably reflect that. Not that I'm too worried. Out of Time is loved by many people, not just R.E.M. fans.

If Document opened the door to mainstream success and rock 'n' roll stardom, then Out of Time had R.E.M. moving into the house. With Out of Time, R.E.M. entered the third stage of the band's career in which they became universally hailed as one the most important bands of their generation, if not rock music in general. It apparently was the right album at the right time, because it sounded like nothing else on the radio at the time, or like anything that R.E.M. had ever done before.

The most evident change for R.E.M. on Out of Time is their overall sound. It isn't immediately noticeable on the first track "Radio Song", which is funky rocker that wouldn't be out of place on the last record Green (even with KRS-One supplying some well-placed emphasizing). But once the strings and mandolin kick up on the second song, "Losing My Religion", it's pretty evident that this is a very different R.E.M. record. While the tempos and instrumentation varies throughout the album, there is a serene mood sustained. Even the more up beat songs feel somewhat relaxed. The instrument swapping that occurred on some of tracks on Green continues on the bulk of this record, especially with drummer Bill Berry on the bass and bassist Mike Mills on keyboards, adding to the change in sound. The uses of strings and pedal steel guitar on various tracks help unify the album as a whole, too.

Lyrically, Michael Stipe tries something that he had never attempted before: write love songs. These aren't all love songs about romantic relationships, either. "Shiny Happy People" is about love towards those in your community or the world at large. "Belong" centers on a mother's love for her child. Stipe isn't alone when it comes to providing the lyrics for Out of Time, either. Mike Mills, who has always supplied backing vocals and even wrote the lyrics to "Don't Go Back To (Rockville)" from Reckoning, helps out with "Near Wide Heaven" and "Texarkana". As a result, Mills sings the lead on both tracks, something he hasn't done since the cover of "Superman" on Lifes Rich Pageant.

Mills and Berry (who has done some backing vocals on past R.E.M. records) aren't the only other voices that joins Stipe on Out of Time. The aforementioned KRS-One playfully emphasizes throughout "Radio Song" and provides a quick rap at the end of the song. Fellow Athens, GA alt-rock singer Kate Pierson of the B-52s helps out on three songs. She duets with Stipe on "Shiny Happy People" and "Me in Honey", and sings some back up at the end of "Country Feedback". Though she isn't credited on the song, I swear it sounds like her on "Near Wild Heaven". Her performances are so exquisite, that there was a brief time that I hoped Pierson would join R.E.M. full-time.

Somehow, all these element come together and create a truly great record. R.E.M. ran the risk of alienating their fans, old and new, by attempting something so different from the college radio rock that they cultivated throughout the '80s. In doing so, they made a classic album that has and will continue to stand the test of time.

10 out of 10