99. OUT OF TIME by R.E.M.

Today is election day in the United States, so I thought I’d cover a record that played a pretty important role in US politics back when it was released in 1991. Without getting too much into the weeds, the reason “Out of Time” is considered so critically important has to do with the petition that was included on the longbox cardboard packaging of every single copy of the compact disc. The petition was part of the Rock the Vote campaign that encouraged support of the Motor Voter Act, the goal of which was to allow voters an easier process of registration via their local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The reader/listener is encouraged to listen to this episode of the podcast, 99% Invisible, for a deep dive on this topic. Getting back to the music, this album contains: R.E.M.’s biggest hit - ‘Losing My Religion;’ one of lead singer Michael Stipe’s favorite R.E.M. songs - ‘Country Feedback;’ and, one of the band’s most loathed songs - ‘Shiny Happy People.’ A couple of my personal favorites off this record are ‘Belong’ and ‘Me in Honey.’