Thirty years ago, R.E.M. dropped an album called Out of Time — and nobody was prepared for it. “Losing My Religion,” “Half a World Away,” “Country Feedback,” “Near Wild Heaven” — these were the most ...

NEW YORK — Twenty-five years ago, an R.E.M. album arrived that didn't sound like a typical R.E.M. album. “Up,” the band's 11th album which dropped in the fall of 1998, was a curious and challenging ...