Although R.E.M. had been around for many years, by the time Automatic for the People came out in 1992, the excitement and rush it caused in their long term fans could be seen as finally over-spilling into mainstream appeal.

The band had finally broken both the U.K. and American top ten with their previous album Out of Time and with Automatic for the People they cemented their position as one of the great alternative/rock band of the period. The four musicians that made up the band seemed to pick the right time to come of age, making their way through a very pop dominated 1980’s in which to start with they barely troubled the U.K. charts, through the power period dominated by bands such as Heart/Whitesnake/T’Pau and finally were in the position to be among the bands that were sweeping aside the celebrity culture of pop inspired false personality.