Album of the week -- R.E.M. -- Out of Time (1991)

Although I do not consider this one of R.E.M.'s best albums, but it is an important one as it marks the band crossing the major divide from eclectic college rock into the heavy rotation mainstream. Although "Green" was their first major label album, it was still very much the R.E.M. of old and definitely not ready for prime time with exception of the mainstream single "Stand" (that didn't really stand out in a good way).

I named "Out of Time" album of the week because I have recently been listening to it again after many years and have discovered what a strange album it is and one worth re-examining. "Losing my Religion" was first out of the gates, a strong single with a powerful video (and one of the last motion picture documents of Michael Stipe with hair).

I heard the song before I bought the album and liked the direction I thought they were moving into, although the album cover was the worst they ever published. However, after listening to the album the first few times I had no idea what direction they were going and 14 years later, I still don't. This album is like R.E.M. trying to figure out who they are now that the decade that defined them is officially over so they are trying on all kinds of hats. Some work brilliantly like Missy Elliott in a Kangol; They are timeless in nature and further prove the band's amazing musical chemistry. Some are an experiment gone all wrong. Like those 1980's painter's caps with the double flap on the back, you just want to forget it ever happened and hide those photos in a box under a bed.

First the bad, "Radio Song" is an example of a weird R.E.M. experiment gone wrong. Sonic Youth made it work with Kim Gordon and Chuck D. collaborating on 1990's "Kool Thing", but angry KRS-1 and quirky Micheal Stipe together don't mesh.The message is understandable -- mainstream radio sucks, but isn't this the same R.E.M. that is getting major mainstream airplay like never before with this album? "Losing my Religion" went to 4 on the U.S. charts. The lyrics are nothing amazing and their point was missed all together, however I do think they learned to lay off the rap collaborations so maybe something good did come out of the song.

Now for the truly bad -- "Shiny Happy People" . This marks the biggest WTF moment in R.E.M.'s history. The nonsense lyrics with the dippiest chorus ever. What cotton candy crack rock was the band smoking when they came up with this sickly sweet crap? How in the world could this be the same band that created such dark brilliance as "Feeling Gravity's Pull" not six years earlier?

Now I love me some Kate Pierson. She was the spunky flame behind The B-52's fire and I will always love their early '80s weirdness, but mixing her voice with Stipe's in "Shiny" is all wrong like Brittany Spear's middle-age mom wearing velour sweatpants with the word "Brat" printed on the butt -- WRONG! (and yes Lynn Spears did go there). Pierson comes back again for "Me and Honey" and her backing vocals are a metallic moan that again, doesn't work with R.E.M. "Rock Lobster" and "Old Man Kinsey" can't become one -- it should be like one of those crazy math rules like not having radicals in the denominator. R.E.M. seemed forced into the song that they now refuse to play live. At least they got the picture eventually -- just too bad it wasn't before the album was released.

Okay, now for the good -- and there is a lot of it. "Low", "Endgame" and "Country Feedback" is the band back to their good ole dark interesting side, although I guess anything next to "Shiny Happy People" is dark. The arrangements in these three songs have all the elements of the R.E.M. I fell in love with in high school -- dissonant chords and somber without being brooding. I think one of the most brilliant rays of sunshine on the album is "Near Wild Heaven" -- again with the vague lyrics, but who cares with this song's excellent pop arrangement that shows off Peter Buck's amazing guitar skills and Mike Mills backing vocals really complete the package, turning what could have been an ignored track into one of the best on the album. It is songs like these three, along with the rare treat of Mike Mills lead vocal in "Texarkana" that gave me hope that R.E.M. could evolve from art rock obscurity into something paletable in the pop world, but still a band that could maintain intricate, meanful music writing.