Automatic for the People

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Automatic for the People

Automatic for the People is the eighth album by the American

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as Grunge music, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop....
band R.E.M.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. is an American Rock music band formed in Athens, Georgia, Georgia , in 1980 by Michael Stipe , Peter Buck , Mike Mills , and Bill Berry ....
, released in 1992. The album was a critical and commercial success, with three top 40 hits in the United States and UK. It was the band's first widespread popular album in the UK - placing at number 1 for four non-consecutive weeks (1992 and 1993) - and on the album charts for 179 weeks. In America it reached number 2 and remained on the album charts for 75 weeks.

utomatic for the People continues the folk

Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
/country rock

Country rock

Country rock is a musical genre formed from the fusion of Rock music with country music, with its country origins being initially referenced to the rockabilly music of the 1950s....
/classical pop elements of Green
Green (album)

Green is the sixth album by the United States band R.E.M. It was their debut major label release for Warner Bros., released in November 1988....
and Out of Time
Out of Time (album)

Out of Time is the seventh album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on Warner Bros. Records in 1991. With Out of Time R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act....
but with fewer pop elements and a generally more sombre tone overall.

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Encyclopedia

Automatic for the People is the eighth album by the American

United States

Alternative rock

R.E.M.

Details

Automatic for the People continues the folk

Folk music

Country rock

U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
's Bono

Bono

Paul David Hewson , also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Ireland rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2....
called it 'the greatest country record never made.'

The album name refers to the motto of Athens, Georgia

Athens, Georgia

Athens-Clarke County is a Consolidated city-county in Georgia , United States, in the northeastern part of the state, at the intersection of U.S....
eatery "Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods." The photograph on the front cover is not related to the restaurant: it shows a star ornament that was part of the sign for the Sinbad Motel on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, near Criteria Studios, where the bulk of the album was recorded. The motel is still there, but the star is gone. The slanted support where it was once attached is still there on the roof of the Sinbad. The interior jacket shows a two - three story circular platform that was the sign for the old Bon Aire Motel on the former Motel Row on Miami Beach. The Bon Aire and other motel row establishments have mostly been demolished for new high rise condominiums. The album was also recorded in New Orleans.

Arriving on the heels of the previous year's breakthrough album, Out of Time
Out of Time (album)

Out of Time is the seventh album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on Warner Bros. Records in 1991. With Out of Time R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act....
, Automatic for the People entered the U.S.

United States

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
as well. Despite not having toured after the release of Out of Time, R.E.M. again declined to tour in support of this album. In the UK, it was the second-best selling album of 1993 behind only Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf

Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, is an United States rock music musician and actor of theatre and film. He is noted for the Bat out of Hell album trilogy that he created consisting of Bat out of Hell, Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell and Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, and several fa...
's comeback album Bat Out of Hell II.

Automatic for the People had six singles

Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
released, tied with Monster for the most from any R.E.M. album. Many of Automatic for the Peoples songs proved to be very popular: "Drive
Drive (R.E.M. song)

"Drive" was the lead single and first track from R.E.M.'s eighth studio album Automatic for the People in 1992. Although it was not as successful as previous lead singles "Losing My Religion," "Stand ," or "The One I Love " in the United States, it became R.E.M.'s then second biggest hit on the UK Singles Charts, peaking at #11....
," "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a song by R.E.M. . It was influenced by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", both in the title of the song and through the song's opening refrain....
," "Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts

"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993....
," "Nightswimming
Nightswimming

"Nightswimming" is a song by the United States alternative rock band R.E.M. It appears on their 1992 album Automatic for the People, and was released in 1993 as the fifth single off of that album....
," "Find the River
Find the River

"Find the River" is a song by R.E.M., released as the sixth and final single from their eighth album Automatic for the People. It was the twelfth and final track on this critically acclaimed release....
," and the Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman

Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman was an United States entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one....
tribute "Man on the Moon
Man on the Moon (song)

"Man on the Moon" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from its 1992 album Automatic for the People....
", which would become the title of the comedian's 1999 biographical movie starring Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey

James Eugene Carrey , best known as Jim Carrey, is a two-time Golden Globe Award-winning Canadian-American actor and stand-up comedian. He is probably best known for his manic and slapstick performances in comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber, The Mask , Liar Liar, and Bruce Almighty....
. "Drive," the album's opening track and first single, was not included on the band's hits
Greatest hits

A greatest hits album is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band. To increase the appeal of the album – especially to people who already own the previously released material – it is common to include remixes or alternate takes of popular songs or new material, with new son...
collection In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003

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....
, nor was final single (and final track) "Find the River." However, four tracks from Automatic for the People were included, more songs than from any of their other albums.

John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)

John Paul Jones is an England musician, composer, orchestration, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist musician.Best known as the bass guitarist, keyboardist and, less often, mandolin player for Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a successful Solo career, and is widely respected as both a musician and a producer....
, the bassist of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
, in his string arrangement role, scored the strings for "Drive," "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," "Everybody Hurts" and "Nightswimming."

In 2005, Warner Bros. Records issued a two-disc edition of Automatic for the People which includes a CD, a DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio

DVD-Audio is a digital audio format for delivering very high-fidelity audio content on a Digital Versatile Disk. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and should not be confused with DVD-Video containing concerts and music videos....
disc containing a 5.1-channel surround sound
Surround sound

Surround sound, using multichannel audio, encompasses a range of techniques for enriching the Sound recording and reproduction quality, of an audio source, with additional audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers....
mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Scheiner

Elliot Scheiner is a record producer and record engineer. Scheiner has received 23 Grammy Award nominations, 6 of which he won, and he has been awarded two Emmy nominations and three TEC Awards nominations....
, and the original CD booklet with expanded liner notes
Liner notes

Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes....
.

Critical acclaim
Mostly acoustic and typified by its dark lyrics (many of which ruminate on mortality, death and those departed), Automatic for the People is generally considered to be among R.E.M.'s best albums, and one of the finest popular music releases of the 1990s. It was nominated for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year

The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer....
at the Grammy Awards of 1993
Grammy Awards of 1993

The 35th Grammy Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Eric Clapton was the nights big winner winning 6 awards....
.

In 1997 Automatic for the People was named the 18th greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by HMV
HMV

His Master's Voice is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up phonograph....
, Channel 4
Channel 4

Channel 4 is a UK Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television broadcaster which began transmissions on 2 November 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the #Channel Four Television...
, The Guardian

The Guardian

Sorry, no overview for this topic
and Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)

Classic FM is one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasting European classical music in a popular and accessible style....
. In 2006, Q magazine readers placed it at number 7. In 2003, the album was ranked number 247 on Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles:* The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums....
.

Packaging and artwork
The front cover of the album shows a greyed-out photograph of a Miami motel sign placed over an emboss
Embossing

Embossing is the process of creating a three-dimensional image or design in paper and other ductile materials. It is typically accomplished with a combination of heat and pressure on the paper....
ed image, which is also included inside the album's booklet distorted on a white background. The back cover features a photograph of an old building with the track listing written over at the same angle that the building is viewed from. Other photographs, taken by Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is a photographer and Music video director from Strijen, the Netherlands. He is well known for directing music videos, including Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" and Nirvana 's "Heart-Shaped Box" , as well as directing the Ian Curtis biopic Control ....
, feature the band members on a beach.

Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry
Bill Berry

William "Bill" Thomas Berry is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer in alternative rock band R.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming a farmer....
, Peter Buck
Peter Buck

Peter Lawrence Buck is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, of the alternative rock band R.E.M.....
, Mike Mills
Mike Mills

Michael Edward Mills is the bass guitar player of the band R.E.M. Though known primarily as a bassist, piano player and background singer, his musical repertoire includes many other keyboard, guitar, string, wind and percussion instruments....
and Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe

John Michael Stipe is an United States singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surrealism lyrics, as well as his social and political activism....
.

"Drive
Drive (R.E.M. song)

"Drive" was the lead single and first track from R.E.M.'s eighth studio album Automatic for the People in 1992. Although it was not as successful as previous lead singles "Losing My Religion," "Stand ," or "The One I Love " in the United States, it became R.E.M.'s then second biggest hit on the UK Singles Charts, peaking at #11....
" – 4:31
"Try Not to Breathe" – 3:50
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a song by R.E.M. . It was influenced by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", both in the title of the song and through the song's opening refrain....
" – 4:06
"Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts

"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993....
" – 5:17
"New Orleans Instrumental No.1" – 2:13
"Sweetness Follows" – 4:19
"Monty Got a Raw Deal" – 3:17
"Ignoreland
Ignoreland

"Ignoreland" is the eighth track from R.E.M.'s studio album Automatic for the People. The song was not released as a single, but had chart positions on the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts....
" – 4:24
"Star Me Kitten" – 3:15
"Man on the Moon
Man on the Moon (song)

"Man on the Moon" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from its 1992 album Automatic for the People....
" – 5:13
"Nightswimming
Nightswimming

"Nightswimming" is a song by the United States alternative rock band R.E.M. It appears on their 1992 album Automatic for the People, and was released in 1993 as the fifth single off of that album....
" – 4:16
"Find the River
Find the River

"Find the River" is a song by R.E.M., released as the sixth and final single from their eighth album Automatic for the People. It was the twelfth and final track on this critically acclaimed release....
" – 3:50

Personnel

Bill Berry
Bill Berry

William "Bill" Thomas Berry is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer in alternative rock band R.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming a farmer....
– drums
Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
, percussion instrument
Percussion instrument

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration....
, keyboards, bass, vocals
Peter Buck
Peter Buck

Peter Lawrence Buck is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, of the alternative rock band R.E.M.....
– electric guitar
Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickup to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker....
, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar

An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which depend on electronic amplification to make their sound audible....
, mandolin
Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It is descended from the Mandora, a soprano member of the lute family. It has a body with a teardrop-shaped soundboard, or one which is essentially oval in shape, with a soundhole, or soundholes, of varying shapes which are open and are not decorated with an intricately carved grille lik...
, bass
Mike Mills
Mike Mills

Michael Edward Mills is the bass guitar player of the band R.E.M. Though known primarily as a bassist, piano player and background singer, his musical repertoire includes many other keyboard, guitar, string, wind and percussion instruments....
– bass
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
, keyboards, vocals
Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe

John Michael Stipe is an United States singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surrealism lyrics, as well as his social and political activism....
– vocals
Singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....

Additional personnel

Scott Litt
Scott Litt

Scott Litt is an United States record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M....
– harmonica
Harmonica

The harmonica is a free reed aerophone wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes....
, clavinet
Clavinet

Not to be confused with clarinetA Clavinet is an electrophone keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar....

John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)

John Paul Jones is an England musician, composer, orchestration, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist musician.Best known as the bass guitarist, keyboardist and, less often, mandolin player for Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a successful Solo career, and is widely respected as both a musician and a producer....
– orchestra
Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
l arrangements
All of the musicians below play on tracks 1, 3, 4 & 11
George Hanson – conductor
Conducting

Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
Knox Chandler – cello
Cello

The violoncello is a bowed string instrument. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist. The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra....
Kathleen Kee – cello
Daniel Laufer – cello
Elizabeth Murphy – cello
Denise Berginson-Smith – violin
Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
Lonnie Ditzen – violin
Patti Gouvas – violin
Sandy Salzinger – violin
Sou-Chun Su – violin
Judy Taylor – violin
Paul Murphy – viola
Viola

The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range , and nearly identical playing position....
(lead)
Reid Harris – viola
Heidi Nitchie – viola
Deborah Workman – oboe
Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy"....

Technical personnel

Scott Litt – producer, mixing engineer
Clif Norrell – recording engineer, mixing engineer
George Cowan – second engineer (Bearsville)
Andrew Roshberg – second engineer (Miami)
John Keane – recording engineer (Athens)
Mark Howard – second engineer (New Orleans)
Ted Malia – second engineer (Atlanta)
Ed Brooks – second engineer (Seattle)
Tod Lemkuhl – second engineer (Seattle)
Stephen Marcussen – mastering engineer (Precision Mastering)
Mark "Microwave" Mytrowitz – technical assistance

Charts
Album
Year Chart Peak
Position
1992 Billboard 200
Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling Albums and extended play in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine....
2
1992 UK Album Chart 1

Singles
Year Song Chart Peak
Position
1992 "Drive" Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 1
1992 "Drive" Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
1992 "Drive" Billboard Top 40 Mainstream
Top 40 Mainstream

Top 40 Mainstream Chart is an airplay chart from Billboard Magazine and is featured in both sister publications Billboard and R&R . It is often mistaken for and confused with the Pop 100 Airplay charts ....
23
1992 "Drive" Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
28
1992 "Drive" UK Singles Charts 11
1992 "Ignoreland" Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 5
1992 "Ignoreland" Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 4
1992 "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 24
1992 "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 28
1992 "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" UK Singles Charts 17
1993 "Everybody Hurts" Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 21
1993 "Everybody Hurts" Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 13
1993 "Everybody Hurts" Billboard Hot 100 29
1993 "Everybody Hurts" UK Singles Charts 6
1993 "Man on the Moon" Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 2
1993 "Man on the Moon" Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 4
1993 "Man on the Moon" Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 9
1993 "Man on the Moon" Billboard Hot 100 30
1993 "Find the River" UK Singles Chart 54

Certifications

Organization Level Date
BPI
British Phonographic Industry

The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade group. Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four 'major' record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies representing literally thousands of labels....
– UK Gold
BPI – UK Platinum
CRIA
Canadian Recording Industry Association

The Canadian Recording Industry Association is a non-profit Industry trade group that was founded in 1964 to represent the interests of Canadian companies that create, manufacture and market sound recordings in Canada....
– Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
Gold
CRIA – Canada Platinum
RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America

The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of a large number of private corporate entities such as record labels and distributors, which the RIAA claims "create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recor...
– U.S. Gold
RIAA – U.S. Platinum
RIAA – U.S. 2 X Platinum
RIAA – U.S. 3 X Platinum
BPI – UK 2 X Platinum
CRIA – Canada 2 X Platinum
BPI – UK 3 X Platinum
BPI – UK 4 X Platinum
BPI – UK 5 X Platinum
RIAA – U.S. 4 X Platinum
BPI – UK 6 X Platinum
CRIA – Canada 7 X Platinum