The series of deluxe edition releases of the R.E.M. catalog continues in November with Automatic For The People. This 1992 album featured classics like “Everybody Hurts” and “Man On The Moon,” but was also a bit of a turning point for the band. Although they released seven more albums after Automatic, their popularity as a pop radio/MTV band had reached its peak. Grunge music arrived, and Nirvana became the new poster boys of alt-rock. The Athens sound was no longer “in.” Now rock fans were focused on Seattle.
Nevertheless, Automatic For The People is a pretty great album. The deluxe edition expands it across four discs. In addition to the original album, we get a disc of demos, as well as a live concert from 1992. The fourth disc is a bluray containing music videos and promotional clips, as well as a surround mix of the album. The packaging looks to continue the booklet style used on the previous Out Of Time special edition last year. Personally, I prefer the mini box format that was used for all their earlier special editions.
Automatic For The People comes out on November 10. Here is the complete track list:
Disc 1- Original Album:
01. Drive
02. Try Not To Breathe
03. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
04. Everybody Hurts
05. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
06. Sweetness Follows
07. Monty Got A Raw Deal
08. Ignoreland
09. Star Me Kitten
10. Man On The Moon
11. Nightswimming
12. Find The River
Disc 2- Live at the 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA, 11/19/92:
01. Drive
02. Monty Got A Raw Deal
03. Everybody Hurts
04. Man On The Moon
05. Losing My Religion
06. Country Feedback
07. Begin The Begin
08. Fall On Me
09. Me In Honey
10. Finest Worksong
11. Love Is All Around
12. Funtime
13. Radio Free Europe
Disc 3- Demos:
01. Drive (Demo)
02. Wake Her Up (The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite) (Demo)
03. Mike’s Pop Song (Demo)
04. C To D Slide 13 (Man On The Moon) (Demo)
05. Cello Scud (Sweetness Follows) (Demo)
06. 10K Minimal(Find The River) (Demo)
07. Peter’s New Song (Demo)
08. Eastern 93111 (Demo)
09. Bill’s Acoustic (Demo)
10. Arabic Feedback (Fruity Organ) (Demo)
11. Howler Monkey’ (Ignoreland) (Demo)
12. Pakiderm (Demo)
13. Afterthought (Demo)
14. Bazouki Song (Try Not To Breathe) (Demo)
15. Photograph (Demo)
16. Michael’s Organ (Everybody Hurts) (Demo)
17. Pete’s Acoustic Idea (Demo)
18. 6-8 Passion & Voc (Monty Got A Raw Deal) (Demo)
19. Hey Love (Star Me Kitten) (Demo)
20. Devil Rides Backwards (Big Talk) (Demo)
Disc 4- Bluray:
Surround Mix:
01. Drive (Dolby Atmos Mix)
02. Try Not To Breathe (Dolby Atmos Mix)
03. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (Dolby Atmos Mix)
04. Everybody Hurts (Dolby Atmos Mix)
05. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 (Dolby Atmos Mix)
06. Sweetness Follows (Dolby Atmos Mix)
07. Monty Got A Raw Deal (Dolby Atmos Mix)
08. Ignoreland (Dolby Atmos Mix)
09. Star Me Kitten (Dolby Atmos Mix)
10. Man On The Moon (Dolby Atmos Mix)
11. Nightswimming (Dolby Atmos Mix)
12. Find The River (Dolby Atmos Mix)
13. Photograph (Dolby Atmos Mix)
Videos:
01. Drive
02. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
03. Everybody Hurts
04. Man On The Moon
05. Nightswimming (British Version)
06. Find The River
07. Nightswimming (R Version)
08. Automatic For The People Press Kit
