In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 is the second official compilation album released by R.E.M. Issued in 2003, it includes tracks from their Warner Bros. Records era, from 1988's Green to 2001's Reveal, as well as two new recordings and two songs from movie soundtracks. The album was the tenth-best-selling album of 2003 in the UK, and the 50th-best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK.[8]

For the 1991 album, see The Best of R.E.M.

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
Greatest hits album by
R.E.M.
ReleasedOctober 27, 2003 (2003-10-27)
Recorded1988–2003
GenreAlternative rock
Length76:15
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerScott Litt, Pat McCarthy, R.E.M.
R.E.M. chronology
Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes
(2003)		 In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
(2003)		 In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
(2003)
Singles from In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
  1. "Bad Day"
    Released: September 29, 2003
  2. "Animal"
    Released: January 5, 2004
R.E.M. compilations chronology
R.E.M.: In the Attic – Alternative Recordings 1985–1989
(1997)		 In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
(2003)		 iTunes Originals – R.E.M.
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
NME6/10[3]
Pitchfork Media7.5/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
RTÉ.ie[6]
Stylus MagazineA[7]

Background

"Bad Day" was a demo version in 1986, a Life's Rich Pageant outtake when Bill Berry was still in the band, and was re-recorded for this compilation. "Animal" was a recent song written for their upcoming studio album. Similarly, "All the Right Friends", originally written in the early 1980s, had been re-recorded by the band for use in Cameron Crowe's 2001 film Vanilla Sky. Finally, "The Great Beyond" was initially issued in 1999 as part of Miloš Forman's film on Andy Kaufman, Man on the Moon. It ended up becoming the band's biggest UK hit, with a No. 3 peak, in early 2000. This, the third inclusion of the song on an official release, is the only unedited version. On the Man on the Moon soundtrack, there is some dialogue from the movie at the end of the track; the single version is a radio edit, with the bridge omitted.

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 was also issued in a limited two-disc edition that included a "Rarities and B-Sides" disc from the same era, with liner notes by Peter Buck. The single-disc edition of the album reached No. 1 in the UK, while going platinum in the U.S. and peaking at #8. The limited-edition two-disc release managed to reach No. 16 in the U.S. and No. 37 in the UK. There is also a vinyl edition which consists of two LPs inside a gatefold cover and a limited CD box-set edition featuring all eighteen tracks on their own individual one-track CDs, with cover art from the original singles.

A notable omission from the album is the song "Shiny Happy People" which was deliberately left out by the band despite it being one of their biggest hits.[9]

A companion DVD, entitled In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, was released at the same time. In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued an expanded two-disc edition of the compilation which included a CD, a DVD-Audio disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes. The "Rarities and B-Sides" bonus disc from the limited edition is not included in this package.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe except as indicated.

  1. "Man on the Moon" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 5:12
  2. "The Great Beyond" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from the Man on the Moon soundtrack, 1999) – 5:04
  3. "Bad Day" (previously unreleased) – 4:05
  4. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (from Monster, 1994) – 3:58
  5. "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal, 2001) – 4:43
  6. "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time, 1991) – 4:26
  7. "E-Bow the Letter" (from New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 1996) – 5:22
  8. "Orange Crush" (from Green, 1988) – 3:50
  9. "Imitation of Life" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Reveal, 2001) – 3:56
  10. "Daysleeper" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Up, 1998) – 3:37
  11. "Animal" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (previously unreleased) – 4:00
  12. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 4:06
  13. "Stand" (from Green, 1988) – 3:09
  14. "Electrolite" (from New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 1996) – 4:04
  15. "All the Right Friends" (from the Vanilla Sky soundtrack, 2001) – 2:45
  16. "Everybody Hurts" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 5:17
  17. "At My Most Beautiful" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) (from Up, 1998) – 3:33
  18. "Nightswimming" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 4:16
Bonus disc 'Rarities and B-sides'
  1. "Pop Song 89" (acoustic) – 2:56
  2. "Turn You Inside-Out" (live) – 4:16
    • although listed on the cover as being from the live video Tourfilm (which version was also released as B-side of "Losing My Religion" "Collector's Editions" CD 1), this recording is actually from the radio broadcast of the Orlando show from April 30, 1989, previously included on a "Get Up" promotional CD-single.
  3. "Fretless" – 4:49
  4. "Chance (Dub)" – 2:33
  5. "It's a Free World, Baby" – 5:11
    • B-side of "Drive" "Collector's Edition" Single UK & the Coneheads soundtrack; 1992
  6. "Drive" (live, November 19, 1992) – 3:59
  7. "Star Me Kitten" (featuring William S. Burroughs) – 3:29
  8. "Revolution" – 3:02
  9. "Leave" (alternate version) – 4:40
  10. "Why Not Smile" (Oxford American version) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 2:59
  11. "The Lifting" (original version) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 5:19
  12. "Beat a Drum" (Dalkey demo) (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 4:25
  13. "2JN" (Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 3:24
  14. "The One I Love" (live from the Museum of Television and Radio, June 8, 2001) – 3:23
    • previously unreleased
  15. "Country Feedback" (live from Wiesbaden, Germany, 2003) – 6:15
    • previously unreleased

Later pressings of the collector's edition have the second disc enhanced with the "Bad Day" video.

Charts

Certifications and sales

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Sales certifications for In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] 4× Platinum 280,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[23] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[24] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Czech Republic — 10,000[25]
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[26] 2× Platinum 80,000^
Germany (BVMI)[27] 2× Platinum 400,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[28] Platinum 20,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[29] 7× Platinum 105,000^
Italy (FIMI)[30]
sales in 2003 		Platinum 100,000*
Italy (FIMI)[31]
sales since 2009 		Gold 30,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[32] Gold 40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Portugal (AFP)[34] Gold 20,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[35] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[36] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[37] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] 5× Platinum 1,697,004[39]
United States (RIAA)[40] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[41] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003". Allmusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  2. Sinclair, Tom (October 31, 2003). "In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  3. Dalton, Stephen (October 30, 2003). "NME Album Reviews – REM : In Time: The Best Of REM 1988–2003". NME. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  4. Idov, Michael (October 28, 2003). "R.E.M.: In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  5. Puterbaugh, Parke (November 4, 2003). "In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  6. Grealis, Tom (November 25, 2003). "REM – In Time: The Best Of REM 1988–2003 – RTÉ Ten". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  7. Passantino, Dom (November 19, 2003). "R.E.M. – In Time: The Best of REM 1988–2003 – Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  8. "Radio 1 to reveal best-selling singles and albums of the Noughties". Press Office. British Broadcasting Corporation. December 14, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  9. "2003 interview with R.E.M. explaining the omission". Archived from the original on April 26, 2007.
  10. "Australiancharts.com – R.E.M. – The Best of R.E.M. In Time 1988–2003". Hung Medien.
  11. "Austriancharts.at – R.E.M. – The Best of R.E.M. In Time 1988–2003" (in German). Hung Medien.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – R.E.M. – The Best of R.E.M. In Time 1988–2003" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  13. "Norwegiancharts.com – R.E.M. – The Best of R.E.M. In Time 1988–2003". Hung Medien.
  14. "Charts.nz – R.E.M. – The Best of R.E.M. In Time 1988–2003". Hung Medien.
  15. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – R.E.M. – The Best of R.E.M. In Time 1988–2003". Hung Medien.
  17. "{{{artist}}} | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  18. "R.E.M. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  19. "2003 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  20. "2009 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  21. "2003 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  22. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  23. "Austrian album certifications – R.E.M. – In Time - Best of R.E.M." (in German). IFPI Austria.
  24. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2007". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  25. Vlasák, Vladimír. "Králi roku jsou Bílá, Nohavica a Kabát: NEJPRODÁVANĚJŠÍ ALBA" (in Czech). iDNES.cz. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  26. "Album Top-40 - Uge 12 2004" (in Danish). Hitlisterne.dk. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013.
  27. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (REM; 'In Time: The Best of REM 1988 - 2003')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  28. "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  29. "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  30. "Musica: Classifica, REM conquistano il primo posto" (in Italian). Adnkronos. November 3, 2003. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  31. "Italian album certifications – REM – In Time" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 17, 2020. Select "2013" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "In Time" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  32. "Dutch album certifications – REM – In Time" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved March 17, 2020. Enter In Time in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  33. "Chart #1398 - Sunday 14 March 2004 - Top 50 Albums Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013.
  34. "Portuguese album certifications – R.E.M. – In Time - Best of R.E.M." (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  35. "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select Albums under "Chart", enter 2008 in the field "Year". Select 43 in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts".
  36. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2003" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  37. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (R.E.M.; 'In Time - The Best Of')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  38. "British album certifications – REM – In Time: The Best of REM 1988 - 2003". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type In Time: The Best of REM 1988 - 2003 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  39. "UK Album Chart Analysis: Buble outsells JLS by just 569 units". Music Week. Intent Media. November 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
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  41. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2003". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.