First of all I'm a HUGE R.E.M. fan since early '85. This is REM at their weakest. I am still stunned at how people can call this a masterpiece. After the so-so "Green" album , I was highly anticipating this release back in '91. I had heard "Losing my religion" beforehand on the radio which I think is a good (but not great) song. So I thought there was some promise there. How wrong was I? The first track on this cd "Radio song" is downright scary!! I almost felt embarrased for the band. The rest of this cd wonders down the road of mediocrety at best. If you're wanting to taste the "True" R.E.M., I suggest trying "Life's Rich pageant" and "Document". Those are good starters. If you want the best R.E.M. album, (in most people's opinion including mine) try out "Murmur". Luckly, after this "Out of time" disappointment, "Automatic for the people" came out and restored my faith in R.E.M. once again. Don't get this!