During the sessions for the album "Out Of Time" in 1990 at Paisley Park Studios R.E.M. started working on demos for songs that would make it on their next album. These demos are "Drive", "Try Not to Breathe" and "Nightswimming". For the next album they wanted to do more faster rocking songs than on "Out Of Time" but these plans changed.
Promo for single release of "Man On The Moon"
The band (guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry) recorded about 30 songs while lead singer Michael Stipe wasn't around. At the start of 1992 they gave Stipe the finished demos and from there they would start recording the finished result of what would become their most famous album ever. In February R.E.M. recorded another set of demos at Daniel Lanois' Kingsway Studios in New Orleans. They made the definitive recordings with co-producer Scott Litt at Bearsville Studios in the town Woodstock (New York).
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite - single cover
The album dealt with themes of loss and moving on after tragic events. Very emotional. They were getting older and the music of there childhood has disappeared just like the whole world was changing. Something that is very obvious on the song "Man On The Moon". That song refers to the late comedian/actor Andy Kaufman best known for his role in the NYC-based sitcom "Taxi".Stipe was certainly getting older himself because he became bald and tried to hide it for example in the video of "Shiny Happy People" wearing a baseball cap. Also on the videos for "Automatic For The People" he's hiding it with a hat or cap. "Try Not To Breathe" refers to the physician Jack Kevorkian (aka “Dr Death”) who was later arrested and tried for his role in a case of voluntary euthanasia. "Everybody Hurts" became the biggest hit from the album but all songs that were released as a single sound familar to the world nowadays.
Everybody Hurts - single cover
The effect on their music was positive. The music was more mature then their previous albums and was released at the end of 1992. The band from Athens (Georgia) that started as a cult band are now a famous world act since the release of "Out Of Time". "Automatic" For The People" remains a classic bestseller and the best of their career. All the songs on the album are brilliant except for "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" which is simply an instrumental filler.
Original album cover
Automatic For The People Drive / Try Not To Breathe / The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite / Everybody Hurts / New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 / Sweetness Follows / Monty Got A Raw Deal / Ignoreland / Star Me Kitten / Man On The Moon / Nightswimming / Find The River
