Title: R.E.M.'s big break.
Product review: Forget "The One I Love," "It's the End of the World as We Know It," or even "Stand"--the world found R.E.M. on Out of Time, via smash singles "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People." These are good songs, but they're the worst songs on the record. Out of Time came in the middle of the Gulf War, and it was exactly what America needed--peaceful, pastoral, and baroque. Songs like "Religion" and "Country Feedback" showed that the world had a dark side, but most of Out of Time is focused on the beauty to be found.R.E.M. accomplish their tasks by leaving electric guitars behind, deciding instead to focus on mandolins, acoustic guitars, and elaborate string arrangements. Bassist Mike Mills takes his first lead vocals since Lifes Rich Pageant on "Texarkana" and "Near Wild Heaven," and his singing style is considerably less angsty than Michael Stipe's.Still, Out of Time is just a warm-up for the band's real acoustic masterpiece, 1992's Automatic for the People.
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