In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003

Cover art to In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 or simply In Time is a "best of" compilation album released by R.E.M. in 2003 and is the second official compilation album released by the band. In Time contains tracks from the Green to Reveal Warner Bros. era, as well as two new songs, "Bad Day" and "Animal", both released as singles to promote the compilation.

Background

"Bad Day" dates back to the band's I.R.S. years with "Bill Berry". It re-worked and re-recorded for this compilation. "Animal" was a recent song written for an upcoming studio album, and was described as Peter Buck in the liner notes to In Time as "the most spontaneous song on the record". "All the Right Friends" dates back to the very beginning of R.E.M., when Peter and Michael began playing together. The version on this compilation was a re-recorded version for the Vanilla Sky (2001) soundtrack. "The Great Beyond" was written for Miloš Forman's film about Andy Kaufman, Man on the Moon, and was the band's biggest UK hit single in 1999, reaching #3. The version included on In Time is the only available unedited version.

In Time was also issued with a limited edition bonus disc, incluing rarities and B-sides from the same era. The 2-disc edition was issued with expanded liner notes by Peter Buck and a band poster.

The single-disc edition reached #1 in the UK and went gold in the U.S., reaching #8. The limited edition 2-disc release reached #16 in the U.S. and #37 in the UK.

A companion DVD was released, entitled In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, featuring all the promotional music videos to the songs on In Time, except for "Animal" and "All the Right Friends". The video also included bonus music videos from the Warner Bros. era, and three live videos.

Track listing

Tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–8, 12–16, 18 written by Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe; tracks 2, 5, 9–11, 17 written by Buck, Mills, Stipe.

1. "Man on the Moon" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 5:14
2. "The Great Beyond" (from the Man on the Moon soundtrack, 1999) – 5:05
3. "Bad Day" – 4:06
4. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (from Monster, 1994) – 4:00
5. "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" (from Reveal, 2001) – 4:44
6. "Losing My Religion" (from Out of Time, 1991) – 4:28
7. "E-Bow the Letter" (from New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 1996) – 5:24
8. "Orange Crush" (from Green, 1988) – 3:51
9. "Imitation of Life" (from Reveal, 2001) – 3:57
10. "Daysleeper" (from Up, 1998) – 3:40
11. "Animal" – 4:01
12. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 4:07
13. "Stand" (from Green, 1988) – 3:11
14. "Electrolite" (from New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 1996) – 4:06
15. "All the Right Friends" (from the Vanilla Sky soundtrack, 2001) – 2:46
16. "Everybody Hurts" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 5:18
17. "At My Most Beautiful" (from Up, 1998) – 3:34
18. "Nightswimming" (from Automatic for the People, 1992) – 4:18

"Rarities and B-sides" bonus disc

Cover sleeve to limited 2-disc edition of In Time

Tracks 1–9, 14, 15 written by Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe; tracks 10–13 written by Buck, Mills, Stipe.

1. "Pop Song 89" (acoustic) – 2:57
2. "Turn You Inside-Out" (live) – 4:17
3. "Fretless" – 4:50
4. "Chance (Dub)" – 2:34
5. "It's a Free World Baby" – 5:12
6. "Drive" (live) – 4:00
7. "Star Me Kitten" (feat. W.S. Burroughs) – 3:31
8. "Revolution" – 3:05
9. "Leave" (alt. version) – 4:42
10. "Why Not Smile" (alt. version) – 3:01
11. "The Lifting" (demo) – 5:20
12. "Beat a Drum" (demo) – 4:27
13. "2JN" – 3:26
14. "The One I Love" (live acoustic) – 3:24
15. "Country Feedback" (live) – 6:16