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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Out Of Time

R.E.M.

1991

Out Of Time

Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

Out of Time is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 12, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. With Out of Time, R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act. The record topped the album sales charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom, spending 109 weeks on U.S. album charts, with two separate spells at the top, and spending 183 weeks on the British charts, including one week at the top. The album has sold more than four and a half million copies in the United States and more than 18 million copies worldwide and was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA. Out of Time won three Grammy Awards in 1992: one as Best Alternative Music Album, and two for its first single, "Losing My Religion".

Wikipedia

Rating

3.94

Votes

72

Genres

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Reviews

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Jun 16 2025
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5

Any of their first 8 albums could have been included on the list. I feel like the one you hear first tends to have the most personal impact, so it's different for everyone.

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Jun 21 2025
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4

Good album of R.E.M., but certtaintly not their best. Still great songs Losing My Religion, Near Wild Heaven, Country Feedback and some forgettable ones Belong, Radio Song, Low, Endgame.

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Jun 15 2025
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4

This feels like one that could be on the main list so I’m glad it’s here. A solid rem album.

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Jun 16 2025
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5

How was this not in the original list?

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Jun 20 2025
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5

In defence of the original list, it's very difficult to choose which REM albums should be included bhecause they're all consistently good. This one does feel like a big oversight though.

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Jun 20 2025
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5

This is, for me, a stone cold classic. One of the 1st CDs I bought, and I still absolutely love it. One of my 2 favorite REM albums (Monster being the other one - and they couldn't be further apart in sound). They were in a groove here, and some of it may have aged a little poorly (Radio Song, Shiny Happy People) but they are catchy as anything, and they are held up by the absolutely beautiful melancholy of some of the other tracks. And that bass in Belong - yes please!

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Jun 21 2025
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5

The beginning of their hot period

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Jun 24 2025
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5

I got into the older stuff from REM and even though a lot of the guys who turned me on to that in college thought this inferior I loved it from the start. Fantastic album!

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Jun 24 2025
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5

I really enjoyed this album and it's one of my favorites from R.E.M. For the record, I love "Shiny Happy People" and loved Kate Pierson's participation in this.

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Jun 24 2025
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5

This is a fantastic album. I actually have it saved offline on my Spotify already. 5/5.

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Jun 14 2025
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4

Alternative rock, folk rock, chamber pop. 2 megahits. Un 4.

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Jun 16 2025
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4

Only knew their big singles, this was a good album overall

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Jun 17 2025
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4

I had forgotten how much folksier this album sounded than their other albums.

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Jun 18 2025
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4

This LP surprised me with how much personality the band showed on each track, the hits are the hits for a reason of course but there’s a stronger artistic sense of self that hasn’t registered for me on other R.E.M. albums. The slower parts did drag out somewhat, but overall this was a great listen from a band who I mistakenly thought I knew back to front.

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Jun 19 2025
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4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Radio song, Losing my religion, Near wild heaven, Shiny happy people, Texarkana

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Jun 21 2025
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4

Why wasn't this on the original list?

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Jun 21 2025
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4

R.E.M. is one of my favorite artists, but I feel like this album hasn't aged as well as their others. Radio Song is probably the worst blending of rap into a rock song. The track warrants a skip every time. Though it suffers from being overplayed, Losing My Religion is still stellar. Favorite track is Texarkana.

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Jun 23 2025
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4

R.E.M. already had 4 albums on the original list and I agree with all the other comments saying it is tough to choose. I think 4 is maybe a little too many, but still they have bangers and even being a surface level fan I'm know they have a ton of good albums you could argue about which should be included. I have no real strong preference. I personally think this isn't as good as the other ones, but it's not like I felt bad about having to listen to it. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No. Can replace one of the other albums and I wouldn't complain.

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Jun 25 2025
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4

Losing My Religion is still a monster hit. Shiny Happy People is also a great tune. The non singles are not super impressive.

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Jun 14 2025
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3

All time classic. But just a bit too much of the same all the time

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Jun 16 2025
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3

I feel like I might be repeating myself (occupational hazard of these lists, and I can't be bothered to look up past reviews) but my REM fandom peaked at Life's Rich Pageant and the last thing I actually purchased was Green on cassette. I don't dislike this, but my interest in the band had pretty well waned at this point and revisiting it now I feel the same way. After being bombarded by radio play and the videos at the time I sure don't feel a need to ever hear Shiny Happy People or Losing My Religion again. I'd also forgotten they'd turned in a fine example of that awkward 90s phase epidemic "we don't have any idea how to integrate hip hop into our white rock" numbers in Radio Song. Adequate but not inspiring.

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Jun 16 2025
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3

Prior to doing this list of wasn’t a big fan of REM. It was a little bit before my time and I always felt their music was a tad depressing but I like some melancholic music. They just never stuck with me. It took Out of Time for me to finally come around on them. Which makes sense as this had their most popular song but overall the whole album is more upbeat than their previous entries on the list. This one I could revisit. A lot of the negatives I’ve had on their previous albums get set aside here for a more commercial album that is easier to enjoy. 6.7/10

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Jun 20 2025
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3

Not a fan of R.E.M really. I get that "Losing My Religion" is a massive track, but it's incredibly overplayed. "Shiny Happy People" and "Near Wild Heaven" are pretty good, but otherwise the rest is a bit bland. Maybe a greatest hits would be better.

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Jun 23 2025
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3

I love R.E.M. but this is not one of my favorites by them. Still good, but just feels a little flat to me. 3 stars.

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Jun 16 2025
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2

No. This has to be on the original list. 3 2

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