For the Georgia-based alternative rock group R.E.M., AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE...my #6 all-time favorite album...was the 1992 follow-up to Out of Time (#21 for me) and the immediate predecessor to Monster (#16), at the apex of that great band's long run. My first exposure to it, appropriately, was its first track, Drive, played on my local station Rock/104. Later on, Man on the Moon came out and blew me away...they're both all-time favorite songs of mine, as is the album's closer Find the River. In all, Automatic for the People is comprised of twelve tracks that, for the most part, present a mood of melancholia and a coming to terms with aging and death in their different manifestations. So, it's not exactly a rocker, and former Led Zeppelin keyboardist/bassist John Paul Jones even contributed string arrangements for several of the tracks (including Drive). I was surprised reading how lead guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry worked out and recorded much of the tracks' instrumental sections and then presented them to singer/lyricist Michael Stipe to bring out the lyrics, surprised especially when his words seamlessly fit with the music. Below are listed the album's tracks in order, along with a little commentary from yours truly...
DRIVE--Whatever Stipe's intentions when writing this, I keep thinking of a rebellious kid down the street from me when I was growing up who thought he was so cool because of his impulsiveness and surly demeanor.
TRY NOT TO BREATHE--One of several songs at least on the surface dealing with impending death (or drastic change).
THE SIDEWINDER SLEEPS TONIGHT--To me this is about a cute little baby/toddler and the wonder of childhood...
EVERYBODY HURTS--A strong anti-suicide song, to urge those in desperate straits to form a broader perspective about their plight...
NEW ORLEANS INSTRUMENTAL NO. 1--Pretty, no words obviously, I though Endgame from Out of Time much better.
SWEETNESS FOLLOWS--Very gently sung, about overcoming adversity.
MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL--Very somber tribute to actor Montgomery Cliff, disfigured in an auto accident at the height of his career and victim of persecution for his homosexuality.
IGNORELAND--Strongly political, anti-Republican it seems, Stipe didn't care for the then-recent and ongoing Reagan/Bush administrations and was clearly pissed off here.
STAR ME KITTEN--"Star" in the title is a euphemism for "F###", which appears in the song lyrics: lush and sensual.
MAN ON THE MOON--A combination tribute to the late comedian Andy Kaufman and celebration of rational humanism, not so much about the moon after all.
NIGHTSWIMMING--A wistful reminiscence about youthful, innocent skinny-dipping.
FIND THE RIVER--The video emphasizes death, but the lyrics can mean any impending, profound passage, be it within this life or beyond.
Next week: Album #5...
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