R. E. M.: Automatic For The People (25th Anniversary Edition 2017) – LP

To mark 25 years since the release of their eighth studio album, Automatic For The People, rock icons R.E.M. are releasing a reissue on 10 November. The album features classic hits alongside the bonus track Photograph with vocals by Natalie Merchant, recorded under the supervision of original producer Scott Litt and original sound engineer Clif Norrell.

Critics and fans alike consider Automatic for the People to be one of the band's finest albums, as well as one of the best records of the 1990s. Rolling Stone magazine even ranks it among the 500 greatest albums of all time. Upon release, it topped the charts in the UK and reached number two in the US. It has sold over 18 million copies worldwide and earned two Grammy nominations. Thematically, the album touches on mortality and dying, along with the fragile beauty of life. Many of its tracks became massive hits – including Everybody Hurts, Drive, Nightswimming and Man on the Moon, which even lent its name to Miloš Forman's film. Former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones arranged the orchestral strings. Interestingly, when Nirvana frontman and close friend of Michael Stipe Kurt Cobain committed suicide, this very album was found in his player.

"God, they’re the greatest. They’ve dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music." – Kurt Cobain

The four-disc edition includes twenty demo recordings selected by the band from the recording sessions, alongside two completed but previously unreleased tracks, Mike's Pop Song and Devil Rides Backwards. The two-disc version features a live recording of their sole 1992 concert, which took place at the 40 Watt Club. The deluxe edition includes a 60-page book packed with never-before-seen photos and new interviews with the band members.

R.E.M. are among the best-selling artists of all time and helped to define a musical era. In recognition of this, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.