AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE is a classic of "alternative" rock. Released soon after OUT OF TIME, it shows R.E.M. on a creative roll with no shortage of original ideas. Bold songs such as ominous "Drive" and the empathetic "Everybody Hurts" demonstrated that the band were not reluctant to experiment, while the Karl Denver opening on "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" and the elegiac Andy Kaufman tribute "Man On The Moon" were as good as anything they had ever recorded. Even with the departure of original drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. are still very much alive here, setting a high bar for their subsequent recordings.