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Automatic for the People is the eighth album by R.E.M., released in 1992 on Warner Bros. Records. Upon release, it reached number two on the U.S. album charts and yielded six singles. The album has sold 18 million copies worldwide and is widely considered one of the best records released in the 1990s. It was released 10 years after their debut in 1982.

“Turning away from the sweet pop of Out of Time, R.E.M. created a haunting, melancholy masterpiece with Automatic for the People. At its core, the album is a collection of folk songs about aging, death, and loss, but the music has a grand, epic sweep provided by layers of lush strings, interweaving acoustic instruments, and shimmering keyboards. Automatic for the People captures the group at a crossroads, as they moved from cult heroes to elder statesmen, and the album is a graceful transition into their new status.”
– Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)

R.E.M. – Find The River (live):

I followed R.E.M. from the beginning to the end, and I think this is one of their three best albums. Intimate, sincere and deep. Yes, deep, this is music that makes you think. Great album!

R.E.M. biographer David Buckley wrote, “Automatic for the People is regarded by Peter Buck and Mike Mills, and by most critics, as being the finest R.E.M. album ever recorded.”

Highlights: Find The River, Everybody Hurts and Nightswimming

R.E.M. – Automatic For The People (Spotify):

– Hallgeir