In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 | Best MP3 Music Review

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In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003

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List Price : $18.98 Price : $5.50

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003

Album Description

SPECIAL EDITION: The two-CD set adds a 16-selection CD of rarities, including live and acoustic versions of some of R.E.M.'s most popular songs, and a 40-page booklet.

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How do you condense 15 years of music down to 76 minutes? In the case of this survey of the second phase of R.E.M.'s career, the answer is: Exceptionally well. The dangling carrot for diehards is two new songs; the rapid fire "Bad Day" hurtles along like the kissing cousin of "It's the End of the World as We Know It," while "Animal" is anchored by a majestic drone reminiscent of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." In a surprising, but gratifying move, the rest of the program shortchanges the band's breakthrough, Out of Time (no "Shiny Happy People"), to better accommodate movie soundtrack contributions, and spotlight gems from the less commercial, post-Bill Berry albums Reveal and Up; with its baroque piano and multi-tracked vocal harmonies, the Beach Boys homage "At My Most Beautiful" is particularly gorgeous, while the burbling keyboards and slightly dazed singing of "All the Way to Reno" will appeal to Flaming Lips fans. --Kurt B. Reighley

R.e.m. - In Time - The Best Of Brazil Import

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

How can you go wrong?, November 8, 2003

By

Robert T Edwards (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Special Edition) (Audio CD)

I'm tapping this out as the demo version of "The Lifting" plays in the background. This song alone could make this a 5 star album--one of the most beautiful rock song versions I've ever heard. And that's track 11 on the second CD...

Any "best of" type album from a band worthy of putting one out is going to be sniped at for leaving off personal favorites of the reviewer. That is the main criticism levelled here, and although I could do the same, it seems pointless. The first disc, the actual best of, is selected and sequenced brilliantly. The juxtaposition of "Kenneth" with "All The Way to Reno" is just brilliant. Similarly, the closing three songs (Everybody Hurts, At My Most Beautiful, Nightswimming) in sequence sound....perfect. The two new songs (Bad Day and Animal) are both good, though neither measure up to their best. As for the rest, it's hard to argue with the band itself when they say it is a "best of" and not a... Read more

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

Not Quite The Best Of REM, July 26, 2005

By

Michael Schoenborn (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Audio CD)

Whenever any band (especially a band with the breadth of music and talent that REM possess) releases a "Best Of", it is bound to disappoint fans and casual listeners alike. Generally speaking, it is more likely to disappoint fans when their favourite non-single tracks are passed up for the more mediocre but commercially successful singles. And casual listeners tend to bemoan the inclusion of songs that they have never even heard of.

Moreover, this collection faces the added handicap of not covering some of REM's best work, pre-1988 (that having already been covered by their 1988 Best Of, "eponymous"). So you won't find "End Of The World", "The One I Love", "Driver 8", "Superman" (which didn't make "eponymous" either) or "Radio Free Europe", etc. on this album. (Which is ashame given that people have the option of making their own Best Of albums via downloading).

But even considering these handicaps, this CD still fails in its mission of covering REM's Best of... Read more

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

Cherry Mash and Tinfoil Tiaras, November 5, 2003

By

Scott Smith (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Audio CD)

Quite a number of interesting selections on this BEST OF (read: NOT Greatest Hits) album. As the band has said, these songs represent their favorites since the release of their previous best of cd, Eponymous. Although I do suspect that their label had something to do with adding 2 previously unreleased tracks. I was most surprised at the addition of Nightswimming, just because it happens to be my favorite REM tune. All the Way to Reno, Sidewinder and Electrolite are also surprises. I like the fact that these are the songs that the composers enjoy. Any fan of this band will be sure to enjoy this album. There's not a bad song in the bunch.

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In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003