r.e.m.

in time

'The first question any true R.E.M. fans should ask him- or herself is: "How can you create a best-of record when it does not include the group's best material, the pre-WB years?"

Easy, you slap a timeframe and "Losing My Religion" in the mix and don't look back. Besides, if you want a more accurate best-of, you probably already own "Eponymous," which does a much better job at staying true to its name.

"In Time" sort of picks up were that record left off. It focuses on the band's more recent material, including two new songs that show that R.E.M. still has the potential to do what they do best - write safe music under the guise of being edgy.

Owners of this album will find that the selections made for this compilation are the radio-friendly singles, most of which the band has played and continues to play on tour. It's not the band's "best" material but it is bound to appease any listener. This is the collection that draws heavily upon the "Man on the Moon" and "Everybody Hurts" sects of the R.E.M. archives. Still, the archives are vast, which makes the ability to guess what tracks the band considers to be at the top of their lists nearly as difficult as deciphering Stipe's lyrics.

Of course, a greatest-hits album that does not include the pre-WB material is still a worthy record. The fact of the matter is that the creative spark does tend to dim after such an extensive career.

At both their age and with their wealth, they have no need to continue writing music or touring. Yet, they still do so. Also, over their career that spanned two-plus decades, this is only the second time the band has attempted to release a greatest-hits record, both of which were only single discs. ("Eponymous" features tracks from their I.R.S. years.) These are signs of their dedication to their craft.

This is a good road-trip record, something to take for long drives and potential sing-alongs. It's somewhere above ambient but below art, missing the points marks where R.E.M. showed off either their experimental side or shed light on their fun, drunken nights in the studio. It is neither their most dense nor their most complex material. Rather, it is their most agreeable.