automatic for the people

R.E.M. defied expectations and made a dramatic musical downshift with the somber grace of this introspective folk rock masterwork.  After the huge success of 'Out of Time', the band took several months off before going back into the studio. Guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Billy Berry would meet to rehearse, switching instruments, and recording drum-less demos at John Keane Studios in Athens. They recorded more demos at Daniel Lanois' Kingsway Studio in New Orleans before going with co-producer Scott Litt at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York and Criteria Studios in Miami. The final mixing was done at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle. The sessions featured Bill Berry on drums, percussion, keyboards, bass guitar, backing vocals, and melodica; Peter Buck on electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, and bass guitar; Mike Mills on bass guitar, piano, keyboards, and backing vocals; and Michael Stipe on vocals; with Scott Litt on harmonica, clavinet, strings, and oboe; and John Paul Jones on orchestral arrangements.

Mills explains:  "The thing that separates this record from 'Out Of Time' is that we have some of the weirdest songs in the world on there. We knew they were weird from the beginning. It wasn't hard to tell...We were just as surprised as anybody that the album turned out like this. We wrote fast songs. But it's funny: Fast songs are easier to write, but is seems like it's harder to write good ones. This time, the slow ones sounded better."

Buck says:  "I think the plan for this one was to write these songs that were more rockin' live to DAT. And we end up with this body of spare, really moody songs. So that's right out the window. We just kind of intuitively follow...You don't want to be too precious about this: the best stuff we come up with is like `Where the hell did we get that from?'...if Michael had picked twelve other songs, it would've been a different record. But early on you realize which songs mean something to you."

Stipe considers:  "By the time they’re run through the machine...Peter will bring in an idea, then it goes through Mike, and then it comes out the other end a completely different piece of music. Then it goes through me, and apparently, oftentimes, in the place where someone would naturally sing, I don’t sing. I sing around that. I’ll start a chorus before it’s supposed to start, or I’ll come in three beats late or two beats early, or something like that. The other guys still talk about this, and I’m still not sure what they mean. I guess I’m more of a circular writer, and my melodies are more circular. Even if they present me with something that’s kind of normal, or a standard chord progression, apparently I take that and change it a lot. It’s just the way I hear stuff."

'Automatic For The People' takes its title from the motto of Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods in Athens, Georgia. The album cover is a photo of the star ornament that was part of the sign for the Sinbad Motel in Miami, near Criteria Studios. 'Automatic For The People' went to number four in Norway; three in Austria, Canada, and Switzerland; two in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US; and number one in New Zealand and the UK. It has sold over twenty-five million copies worldwide. Stipe says of their success:   "I think we were ready for it. What it really provided for us, though, was an ability to get even weirder stuff on the radio. And that was really fun, you know?"










http://www.remhq.com/









"Drive" went to thirty-four in Australia, twenty-eight on the US pop chart, thirteen in Germany and the Netherlands, eleven in Austria and the UK, seven in Canada and Switzerland, five in New Zealand, three in Norway, two on the US hot mainstream rock tracks chart, and number one on the US alternative chart.







"Man on the Moon" launched to fifty-four in the Netherlands, thirty-nine in Australia, thirty-four in Germany, thirty on the US pop chart, twenty-four in Austria, eighteen in the UK, eight in New Zealand, four in Canada and on the US hot mainstream rock tracks chart, and number two on the US alternative chart.

 






"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" wound its was to ninety-nine in Australia, sixty-one in Germany, sixty in Canada, twenty-nine in Norway, twenty-eight on the US hot mainstream rock tracks chart, and twenty-four on the US alternative chart.

 






"Everybody Hurts" hit twenty-nine on the US pop chart, twenty-one on the US alternative chart, twelve in New Zealand, eight in Canada, seven in the UK, six in Australia, and number four in the Netherlands.







"Nightswimming" drifted to number ninety-three in Germany, seventy-one in Australia, forty-eight in New Zealand, and number twenty-seven in the UK.  Mills says: "It's basically one piano piece that goes around and around-- I would sit there and play it for 20 minutes straight because it was just so perfect. But I didn't expect Michael to write to it because there was no song structure. So when he heard it and was inspired, I added the intro and the two breaks, and it became a song. I didn't expect that. Sometimes Peter and I would finish a song and Michael just wouldn't be inspired by it-- we have a lot of songs sitting around that are recorded musically but never got lyrics or melody put on them. We gave him options."

 






"Find the River" found its way to number fifty-four in the UK. 

 

'Automatic For The People'
full album:



All songs written by Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry.



Side one – "Drive side"
"Drive" – 4:31
"Try Not to Breathe" – 3:50
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
"Everybody Hurts" – 5:17
"New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" – 2:13
"Sweetness Follows" – 4:19
Side two – "Ride side"
"Monty Got a Raw Deal" – 3:17
"Ignoreland" – 4:24
"Star Me Kitten" – 3:15
"Man on the Moon" – 5:13
"Nightswimming" – 4:16
"Find the River" – 3:50