The Automatic Box
The Automatic Box is a four-disc set of R.E.M. rarities, issued by WEA International on 30 November 1993. It gathers mostly B-sides from the Automatic for the People era, and the fourth disc steps back to collect B-sides from the singles that followed Green, which had also appeared on the 7" vinyl box set Singleactiongreen. It belongs to a Warner Bros. series devoted to the odds and ends of a single record, alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Live Rare Remix Box.
For fans of the band, the pull is in the outtakes. "It's a Free World Baby", "Fretless", "Mandolin Strum" and "Organ Song" were all recorded during the Out of Time sessions, so the set gives a glimpse of the band's workshop between two very different records. It sits between Automatic for the People in 1992 and Monster in 1994, and is a good place to explore if you already know the albums and want the material that sat around them.
The Automatic Box: tracklist and credits
18 tracks · 1:03:53Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1It’s a Free World BabyBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe5:16
- 2FretlessBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:52
- 3Chance (dub)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:36
- 4Star Me Kitten (demo)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:04
- Disc 2
- 1Winged Mammal ThemeBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:59
- 2Organ Song3:26
- 3Mandolin StrumBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:48
- 4Fruity OrganBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:29
- 5New Orleans Instrumental #23:48
- Disc 3
- 1Arms of LoveRobyn Hitchcock3:36
- 2Dark GlobeSyd Barrett1:54
- 3The Lion Sleeps TonightLinda, Weiss, Creatore, Peretti, Stanton2:44
- 4First We Take ManhattanLeonard Cohen6:04
- Disc 4
- 1GhostriderMartin Rev and Alan Vega3:48
- 2FuntimeDavid Bowie and Iggy Pop2:16
- 3Memphis Train BluesBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe1:42
- 4Pop Song ’89 (acoustic)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:58
- 5Everybody Hurts (live 1993 MTV Awards)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe5:33
- Produced by
- Scott Litt, R.E.M., Scott Litt and R.E.M.
- Engineered by
- John Keane
- Recorded
- May 1988– September 1993
- Labels
- WEA International, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 1:03:53
Line-up
- Kate Pierson · background vocals · guest
- Bill Berry · drums (drum set) · guest
- Peter Buck · guitar · guest
- Mike Mills · bass, organ, vocals · guest
- Michael Stipe · vocals · guest
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 30 November
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How we know the release date musicbrainz only
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 30 November 1993 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | December 1993 | |
| Wikidata | 1993 |
1 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 November 1993 | DE | WEA International | 093624126829 | original |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 705×695 | upscaled |