140: R.E.M. - Automatic for the People (1992)

May 14, 2024 / Amanda Rodgers

“The world that we had been involved in had disappeared, the world of Husker Du and the Replacements, all that had gone, all those bands were broken up or in the process of breaking up. … We were just in a different place, and that worked its way out musically.”

–Peter Buck

R.E.M. spent the decade after Murmur growing steadily more successful, their popularity cresting with the 1991 #1 album Out of Time and its inescapable hit single “Losing My Religion.” But instead of going on an exhausting world tour like most bands would, R.E.M. went right back into the studio and recorded Automatic for the People, an album that defies rock star excess at nearly every turn. You probably know “Everybody Hurts” and “Man on the Moon,” which are still radio standards to this day, and with good reason. But even those songs were much more downcast and introspective than one would expect from a band at the height of their popularity. Automatic for the People is the sound of R.E.M. entering their thirties and taking stock of their place in both music and the world, and though it may take some time to sink in, John, Phil, Rich, and special guest Jeff Blehar all consider it one of their best albums. So join us for part 2 of a band that cannot be contained by one episode, and calluswhenyoutrytowakeherup.

Miscellany

Jeff is co-host of the discography-oriented music podcast Political Beats, and previously joined us to discuss Wowee Zowee by Pavement and our super-sized double feature of A Trick of the Tail and Invisible Touch by Genesis.
“Everybody Hurts” has become associated with tragedy almost to the point of cliche, and was particularly inescapable on the radio following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But if you have any doubt whatsoever about Michael Stipe’s sincerity, he was literally on the streets of Manhattan that morning giving people his cell phone so they could contact their families.
Rich’s “Here I come to save the day” was a reference to Andy Kaufman’s classic Mighty Mouse bit from the first episode of Saturday Night Live, re-created by Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon.
R.E.M. were thinking in terms of sides to such an extent that, for the vinyl and cassette versions of Automatic for the People, they gave each side its own title. Side one was called Drive and side two was called Ride.
Some promotional copies of the album were sent to record stores with an accompanying bag of roasted peanuts.

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call

Rich Bunnell (moderator)
Phil Maddox
John McFerrin
Jeff Blehar (special guest)

Automatic for the People tracklist

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

Other clips used

R.E.M.:

Furry Happy Monsters
Pop Song 89
These Days
The One I Love
Orange Crush
Losing My Religion
Drive (Rock Version)
Untitled
Strange Currencies
Low
King of Birds
Star Me Kitten (with William S. Burroughs)
Suspicion
The Great Beyond
Man on the Moon (live)
Radio Song
Texarkana
It Happened Today
Belong
Hope
Walk Unafraid (John Peel Studio Session)
New Orleans Instrumental No. 2

Others:

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Spam
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Polka Your Eyes Out
"Weird Al" Yankovic - The Alternative Polka
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Frank's 2000" TV
Takeshi Tateishi - Level Start
Jeff Wayne - Brave New World
INXS - Never Tear Us Apart
Genesis - Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats
Yo La Tengo - Autumn Sweater
Yes - Changes
Billy Joel - We Didn’t Start the Fire
10cc - I’m Not in Love
Hoobastank - The Reason

Band/album personnel

Bill Berry – drums, percussion, keyboards, bass guitar, backing vocals, melodica
Peter Buck – electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, bass guitar, bouzouki
Mike Mills – bass guitar, piano, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals, double bass
Michael Stipe – lead vocals
Scott Litt – harmonica and clavinet (8)
John Paul Jones – orchestral arrangements (1, 3, 4, 11)
George Hanson – conductor (1, 3, 4, 11)
Denise Berginson-Smith, Lonnie Ottzen, Patti Gouvas, Sandy Salzinger, Sou-Chun Su, Jody Taylor – violin (1, 3, 4, 11)
Kathleen Kee, Daniel Laufer, Elizabeth Proctor Murphy – cello (1, 3, 4, 11)
Knox Chandler – cello (6, 7)
Reid Harris, Paul Murphy, Heidi Nitchie – viola (1, 3, 4, 11)
Deborah Workman – oboe (1, 3, 4, 11)
Ed Brooks – second engineer (Seattle)
George Cowan – second engineer (Bearsville)
Adrian Hernandez – second assistant engineer (Hollywood)
John Keane – recording engineer (Athens)
Mark Howard – second engineer (New Orleans)
Tod Lemkuhl – second engineer (Seattle)
Ted Malia – second engineer (Atlanta)
Stephen Marcussen – mastering engineer (Precision Mastering)
Clif Norrell – recording engineer, mixing engineer
Andrew Roshberg – second engineer (Miami)

Credits

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:

Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste
The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
Herbie Hancock - Hornets
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen
R.E.M. - Monty Got a Raw Deal (this episode only)

You can buy Automatic for the People and other albums by R.E.M. at your local record store, and you can also listen to it at the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Instagram @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Rich Bunnell, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.

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