Automatic For The People

how is this sooooooo boring and then everybody hurts is one of the greatest songs ever made

niciun chef sa ascult ăsta.

This started really strong, and it ended up being a lot poppier than I was expecting it to be. And it really didn't have any lyrics worth noting, it was just sort of things that sounded good. And it did sound good, but it's just sort of an empty experience. Favorites: Drive, Try Not To Breathe, Monty Got A Raw Deal

Its ok I like r e m but not my favorite

Love Sidewinder but I just couldn’t connect with this one. It’s boring to me. The “pain” feels fake. Maybe I’lll like it more in a couple years.

What a boring album and a boring band.

I guess I’m one of the few from my generation, but I find REM boring and simplistic. Who writes a song about Andy Kaufman?

2.5 pretty good not bad maybe 3 stars

Not for me - I skipped Everybody Hurts

i’m not a fan of the lead singers voice

Опять не мой вкус, интересно спокойно возможно треки подойдут к какому-то фильму

Seen some other people say its boring so really hoped i could break the mould and be one of the many people leaving 5 star reviews, but regrettably, i did find this boring, i enjoy mopey music but i fear this isn’t my type of mopey music. Never knew they were the everybody hurts people tho so 2/5

This was the first album that didnt resonate with me.

It's... fine? Again, got bored and DNF'd

Het aantal albums dat niks voor mij is begint aan me te vreten. 2/5

Not my style

So this album came to me on a Monday and set the mood for the day. It was a moody Monday. I was familiar with "Drive," "Everybody Hurts," and "Man on the Moon." The other songs were a blend of blahness. I'll stick to the songs I know.

no es mi estilo, pero es muy bueno

No conecté mucho con las letras pero si con las melodías de algunas de las canciones de este álbum. Igual capaz me hace falta conocer el contexto.

Did not feel like anything special, I do like the sound but the lyrics and vocals are not that impressive. So overall don't think I’ll come back to it in the future, though trying a different album by them is not a bad idea.

Meh, not my favorite. Very much divorced dad music imo.

Where have I been? I didn't think R.E.M. was still around doing big things in the 90s. Over halfway through, and I don't really get it? It's good, but I wouldn't call it great. It's just dad rock. Without anything really special going on. They're like the precursor to Nickelback. And I think I'm just experiencing disappointment. I hadn't really listened to R.E.M. before, but by name alone, I held them in a fairly high regard, and this is just meh. The last song was pretty good, though, that was nice way to end the album. Favorite Song(s): Sweetness Follows, Find the River

Surprised by how much I didn’t like this. REM being the most REM they could be and it’s annoying. Man on the Moon is doing a lot of work here

pretty unforgettable honestly. Not much enjoyment out of this one.

Booooring. Why is REM so boring? They've got like 2 good songs, the rest is like a worse version of the Cure. Two stars since they're 'influential'

Album was slow thought it ramp up but never did 2

eh. the single was about the only highlight

Boring, uncreative, soulless.

156/1089 i had heard of REM before but subconsciously I had thought they were more metal/rock-y rather than sort of folk/indie ish ofc I know Everybody Hurts so it was nice to hear where that came from are REM “fake moon landing” truthers?? I liked Try Not To Breathe and Monty Got A Raw Deal but otherwise I wasn’t particularly enthused by this project. it was alright just not really part of my interests apparently there are 3 more REM albums on this project so hopefully they’re more my speed 47/100

Kinda al sounded the same. Saved 1 song

Overall: 4.9/10 Didn’t enjoy this. I found it boring. Kept waiting for it to get good and excite me but it never did so I spent the whole time waiting for it to end. Drive- 4/10 (boring) Try not to breathe- 5/10 (fine I guess) The sidewinder sleeps tonight- 6.5/10 (knew already, half point for nostalgia) Everybody hurts- 6.5/10 (knew already, it’s good, he’s not very good at riffs) New Orleans instrumental no.1- 3/10 (sounds like the type of beat I cook up on garage band) Sweetness follows- 4/10 (was optimistic at first but was too repetitive for me) Monty got a raw deal- 4/10 (waited for it to get good but it never did) Ignoreland- 7/10 (first one I actually like) Star me kitten- 3/10 (snooze fest) Man on the moon- 5/10 (missed opportunity to say hey mama as elvis, may have better rating because baseline of album is ass) Nightswimming- 5.5/10 (I’m so disappointed by this album) Find the river- 5/10 (I’m so bored thank fuck this is the last one)

Don’t like the first song, i skipped half way through this is like if an emo kid fell in love with a country boy and wrote an album for him i’m liking sidewinder sleeps tonite but it might just be because the drums are more interesting Everybody hurts instrumental sounds like a cigarettes after sex but the singers voice is really not it for me I fear i’m half way through and was not very wowed by any songs

How boring can you get and still call it rock? It's the curse of the Gen X aging hipster that we experienced the decline of our essential bands (yes, all of them) in real time, so we cannot evaluate each album independently. However, even if I weren't comparing this to Murmur or Reckoning I would still think it sucks.

It seems I was never really into R.E.M. Very 80 after all. The synths are often too much, the voice... The hit "Everybody Hurts", rings familiar and almost right after so many listening even though the singing does seem a screaming complaint.

Hightlights: - sweetness follows - nightswimming Nicht schlecht, aber sehr dad rock Leider nicht meins

There are certain bands that you can only describe as "rock" which were destined to be middle of the road from the start. REM is one of those for me (U2 another). I was surprised that a couple of tracks on this I found quite moving but I would never put it on. I find the opaque lyrics quite irritating and tracks like nightswimming feel overly-sentimental; reaching for the nostalgia levers to try to cheaply elicit an emotional response.

Ei jotenkin nappaa vaan jää tylsäksi. vaikkakin ihan pätevää.

nicht wirklich was ich mir anhören würde… ein lied ist sehr bekannt aber ich glaube nicht dass ich das album sonst einfach anmachen würde

"Meh". That's been my thoughts on R.E.M. for years. In my opinion they have two good songs, and only one of them is on this album. Man on the Moon will make the playlist. The rest of the album is just filler.

Distinctive sound with a number of iconic songs on here. It’s easy to understand how someone would love it, but unfortunately it just didn’t click. Feels like a case of “lead-singer-itis”, where you either love his sound or hate it — same case as Oasis! Also, driving to pickup pizza at 8pm to Everybody Hurts was a horribly depressing experience.

I have loved REM songs before, this is the first record I'm checking out by them. I'm not a huge fan. There are moments of greatness but most of it is... for lack of a better term, whiny, to my ears. I respect it but it ain't me. I think I'll check out some of their earlier jangle pop work because those are the songs I've heard that really click for me.

one popular song

Yeah this is really a stinker. I don't enjoy it at all and I don't think it needs to be on a list of music to hear before one dies.

R.E.M. - reminds me of Athens GA; Athens GA reminds me of UGA; UGA reminded me of the Bulldogs. I hate the Bulldogs, therefore Athens and R.E.M can’t be too far down the list. Honestly though- typical 90s “I want to be deep and introspective” navel gazing BS. Hasn’t aged well, and it didn’t start all that great for that matter.

A few good songs. Very slow melancholy album in my opinion.

Generic rock album.

Sogar nightswimming ist langweilig … zum Glück hat mir das andere Album, das ich gestern gehört habe, richtig gut gefallen 🐻

bleeh

My wife has helped my grow my disdain for them....its warranted.

I just find them while bland

R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People is a moody, introspective record that trades the band’s earlier jangly energy for slow tempos and somber reflection. Songs like “Everybody Hurts” and “Nightswimming” aim for emotional resonance but often feel overly sentimental and sluggish. While the production is polished and Michael Stipe’s vocals are distinct, the album lacks the drive and immediacy that made their earlier work engaging. Overall, Automatic for the People feels more like a sleepy meditation than a compelling listen.

I don’t think I really “get” R.E.M. An extra star for “Ignoreland”.

I listened to this with my wife on the way to our honeymoon and now we are getting a divorce. 2 stars for Stipe’s voice

Midling and no greater

slow. chill. meh. couple catchy. sad.

Знаю, що гурт дуже поважний і цей альбом зокрема, але це максимально не моє. Напів акустичний поп-рок з оркестровками раніше взагалі викликав стійке відторгнення. Зараз сприйняття трохи краще. Проте все одно за темпераментом та аранжуваннями максимально не моє. Дуже крутий головний хіт та дійсно чудова пісня Man on the Moon в якій вистачає динаміки для мене. Хороші тексти на альбомі, цього не можна не визнавати.

Idk man, that voice just irks me

I survived another R.E.M. album. I don't understand how this is my fourth R.E.M. album! I mean, fine, when Michael Stipe wasn't singing or droning or being boring, it was kind of OK. The instrumental part of "Nightswimming" was quite beautiful. But that's all I've got for R.E.M.

Can’t deal.

Depressing whiny

Landmark 90s album which is in effect a pop masterclass so much as it did the job in terms of commercial and wide appeal on a giant scale for the decade.  tick. I dont give points for the band sorting themselves out or it being their best mind! I just find this is a pervasive, heavy atmosphere that never lifts. Its a singular contribution of monotonous technical / clinical acoustic instrumentation. I just dont feed into the energy it provides and not sure I want to have any emotional investment in it.

Pretty sure I’ve thought REO Speedwagon and R.E.M. were the same band until this moment. Don’t really fuck with this, couldn’t even make it through the whole album.

Moody folk rock. Didn't really do it for me, I didn't really feel anything, not event the apathy that the album is trying to convey I think. Might be that I need to listen through it a couple of times, but I don't think I will be bothered.

Ehh

Bardzo powtarzalne, trochę nudne, muzyka równie szara co okładka

Radio PSR Musik

A sense of familiarity was enjoyed through listening to songs I heard as a teenager, but ultimately a depressing album populated with samey songs and a whiney vocalist. Wants to be deeper and more meaningful than it actually is.

Not for me

Idk why, they could never make me care for this band.

This is actually the most forgettable album of all time. Nothing was bad just nothing stood out. Alright vocals, alright guitar nothing crazy on hooks just all around mid. The only stand out is the biggest song Everybody Hurts. Nothing rly to say other then mid 5.2/10 2.6/5

Started good but progressively turned into a boring album, as expected. The inflection point was the cheesy ballad.

Boring

No.

Everybody hurts and night swimming are good but the rest is boring

no me convenció, solo me gustaron un par de temas

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm an R.E.M. fan. They're so hot, or miss. I do enjoy the ambience of this album, and many of these tracks can be used at funerals, but nothing truly stuck out to me. It was more of a vibe than an album. Favorite Track: "Nightswimming".

1.5 Most (“alt”) rock music from the 90s continues to exist in a nether-realm, upon which the light of my interest will never shine.

Hot take: Scott Litt ruined REM. He's responsible for the musical abortion that was Out of Time and as another reviewer said, "Shiny Happy People being possibly the worst song ever written," my expectations were very low for Automatic For The People. Scott Litt exceeded my expectations. This album isn't annoying as Out of Time but it's 10x more boring. I cut my teeth on Murmur, Reckoning, Fables of The Reconstruction. I was in college when Life's Rich Pageant and Document and Green came out. I saw them live for the Green show. That's when I saw the cracks, but Green wasn't so bad. Document was the last really good REM album. Normally I try to listen to hit albums with the attitude that there must be something about the album that made it so popular, but this is as middle of the road as you can get. So disappointing.

It's 1993. I'm in AP English. And Heather Duncan is talking about how amazing Michael Stipe is. Again. He's not. There are a few catchy songs, but mostly it's a mopey coffee house response to The Cure or Morrissey.

Was going to give three stars but listening to this album was a bit of a non-event for me. Plus some of the songs on it just give me the ick. Whilst the production isn’t terrible and some of the guitar tones are pleasant, there is nothing that grabs me about the songwriting really.

Ehhh I don’t like this album. None of the songs are offensively bad but they’re boring and forgettable. Any instrumental highlight is often ruined by the singing (which I know is a hot take to dislike). I find its alright at the best of times and grading at the worst. The instrumentals are bland and don’t hit hard, idk they’re just kinda lifeless. I'm sure this album would of hit hard in the day but it's completely lost it's edge as time has gone on, everything lacks a real punch. It just doesn’t resonate with me. This album is a bore for the most part with a few interesting moments sprinkled throughout. Fav tracks - Man on the moon - Ignoreland Worst tracks - Drive - Night Swimming

#625. REM sucked yesterday. REM will suck tomorrow. And for 48 minutes this morning, REM sucked today. 2/5: shit

In a conversation separate to any awareness that I was listening to this album, my coworkers today mentioned how much they loved this album. My problem is, a lot of people have felt or do feel about Coldplay (derogatory) the way I do about R.E.M. Every R.E.M. album has nearly been a nonstarter for me, especially given the peaks of popularity they reached. But the opening song “Drive” gave me some sense of hope that there’d be some acute substance to this record. The song had a memorable melody and unique sound for once. I was shot back down to doldrums and disappointment soon after. What in the world is going on with “Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight”? People just tolerated him singing like that on the intro, with nothing of significance to follow for the rest of the song? Man. I don’t think I’d remember “Everybody Hurts” if it wasn’t beaten over my head by radio stations as a kid - the song doesn’t have any stickiness to it. If I had to pick a song I liked, maybe the aforementioned intro song, or maybe “Nightswimming”. I enjoyed the string arrangement, which upon looking, isn’t even the work of the band - it’s arranged by John Paul Jones. Unsurprising. Iterative improvements but I cannot get over the hump with this band and how popular they became off the back of records like this. 2/5

Ok 2-3

I know R.E.M. only from the overplayed music videos of the late 80s and early 90s, as well as the constant radio play back in the day. I have never listened to a full album by them, are they worthy of an album I need to hear before I die, we'll see. Drive is not the best opener to the album, Try Not to Breathe is pretty forgettable, by track three I am finally interested with The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, Everybody Hurts is painful to listen to, as it was so overplayed and, I am ok never hearing it again, maybe I'm not a fan of Michael Stipe, because I enjoyed the Instrumental, Sweetness Follows I am losing interest, and already checking how many tracks are left, Monty Got A Raw Deal is better, but at this point I would feel I was getting a raw deal if I bought this album, Ignoreland is not bad, Star Me Kitten ... um how many tracks are left, Man on the Moon, my thumb is currently hanging over the skip button, so overplayed, very dated, yeah yeah, Nightswimming I think I would rather be experiening my own Rapid Eye Movement, one more track to go, I think the last two tracks were just filler with Find the River. I was definitely listening to other things in 1992, again I remember the hits, I would like to forget the hits. I could see them making the list of 1,001 songs, but albums, I don't think they have enough rocket sauce for that. It was OK, but mostly boring. I have heard their early records are really good, so who knows, I may explore that, but will never listen to this album again.

What a letdown. Before I listened to this album I only knew maybe three songs by R.E.M. (and all three are incredible). I am actually disappointed by Michael Stipe. He has no range whatsoever, and it sounds like he sings the same 5 note melody in every song and it leads into surrounding music being kinda boring. Anytime he goes for a higher note or something different his voice is strained and sounds bad. There are great moments on this album, but all in all I didn't enjoy it. I really hoped it would be awesome. 2/5

A couple hits but otherwise uninteresting.

This is brilliant only in how forgettable and inoffensive it manages to be. If you want some music that sounds like it's in the background of a schmaltzy scene in a 90's romcom this is for you but otherwise I learnt Everybody Hurts in guitar around '09 and if my relationship with this album had ended there I don't know that I would mind. 2.5*

Better than Radiohead. I hate Radiohead.

Not a bad album....for really only two songs. Everybody Hurts was a decent song. I thought Man on the Moon was the best song on this album. To be honest this was a little underwhelming.

Meh.

Tämähän on REMiä. Hidasta ja laulajan tunnistaa kaukaa. Ei tää huonoa todellakaan mutta kelpaa kuunnella kyllä

Underwhelming experience

The belters make up for what is otherwise unremarkable filler. Listen to the sidewinder sleeps tonight, everybody hurts and sweetness follows.

Slow pace, grindy voice, overly dramatic harmonies, obnoxious chorus, making it moderate Baroque Pop.

Nothing notable.

Again, the only thing keeping this from being 1 star for me is Peter Buck's guitar work. 2 stars.

I hear Michael Stipe, I zone out. Can’t help it.

This is like a weird combination of The Doors, Genesis and Nirvana but somehow, despite me loving those bands (ESPECIALLY Genesis), I can't get into this album. I'd give it a 2/5, but I can absolutely see me getting more into it as time goes on

2.5

Boring, bit samey. Sad people music with a couple of classics

Mid

Not very interesting. Two stars ✌

3/10 - good vibes but lacked any songs I would add to playlist or want to have at a campfire or the like.

Meh

This didn’t do anything for me. The big hits I never enjoyed listening to. The rest was just rather bland. I did moments when I thought I might try to revisit this…. But I don’t think it has enough value for a repeat listen.

Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: 🛰️⛓️★ Production: 🤷‍♂️😐👍 Music: 🤔🚫🎵😒👀💭🤷‍♂️👂💬😐👍 Rating: ★★/5

Went into this not expecting anything but, i'm not gonna lie, I wasn't mad at this one. Songs like "Star Me Kitten" and "Nightswimming" brought it up from a 1 to a 2 for sure.

Snoooooooze... REM just ain't for me

They're not really my jam and they were force-fed down my earholes all through the 90's, Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon we're some of the tracks that still result in changing the channel or shutting it off. I think I have the previous record in my collection, but even that got boring really fast, when that hit the airwaves in Finland with full force. I'll take a proper listen and then decide how it sounds now, as a whole. Nah, still bemoany but also kinda dated.

Kinda meh, bland, boring; it didn't hold my attention. I didn't really care for it.

Only knew 3 songs of the album going into it, only left the album liking those three songs

M m m m miiiiid

1 drive - 1.5 2. breathe - 1 3. tonite - 1.5 4. hurtz - 2.5 5. orleanz - 1 6. follouuz - 1.5 7. monty - 1.5 8. ignore - 1 9. kitten - 1 10. moon - 1.5 11. night - 1.5 12. river - 1.5

i’m three songs in and i wish this was going by faster LMAO. okay i listened to the whole thing and it kinda all blurred together to me. not what i would prefer to listen to personally!

bit boring for me. nothing extra with the instumental either. or maybe its special, im not an expert. sorry

Some bangers - some mash. Wierd vocal decisions coke musta been good

Don’t really like the mix, vocals sound like broadway, nothing really catchy happened

Это было трудновато

Bit meh

Not a fan.

This album made me rapidly roll my eyes.

I’ve never been a big fan of REM ever since seeing them live in 1985 (on tour for probably their worst album, for me, fables of the reconstruction). I never really understood the appeal. They always seemed too obvious and at the same time too obtuse, trying to be clever). This is probably the first time I have listened to the entirety of this album. Obviously it has 3+ of their biggest hits and therefore probably deserves to be on a greatest album list because of that but otherwise for me it has overplayed songs and songs that I’m not particularly enamored of. I could have this on in the background and not be annoyed but wouldn’t actively seek it out again.

I keep trying to come up with rational explanations for why I don't like REM. I listened to this whole album in an attempt to better understand my taste, completely ruining my drive home from work. Still, I acknowledge the quality of the craftmanship. I can completely understand the case for liking REM. But finally, I realized the only song on here that I actually enjoyed as a listening experience is the instrumental one. So I think it all just comes down to hating Michael Stipe. I think my problem with him is that he sings with such a strong sense of emotion in his voice. That's not a problem in and of itself obviously. My problem is that it's always the same emotion. I'm not sure how to describe that emotion - it's sort of like a wounded, somewhat condescending pensiveness? Like he's just given me bad news and is now explaining the factors that caused the bad news to happen to try and make me feel better? But I just don't want to hear it right now man.

Popular isn't necessarily good. One exception: Everybody Hurts. Now that's a fine tune.

I’ve tried to get into REM several times now and I just don’t get the appeal. Nothing about the music or the lyrics is especially interesting or compelling to me, they sound like an average band with a few catchy radio hits (I do like man on the moon).

1.8 M.E.H.

This was a rare case where I actually liked this album the more it went on. When it ended, I was almost a little disappointed. It was just getting good, and then it ended. I dunno. REM has always been a bit of an enigma to me, as I'm sure they've been to most. We all know "It's the End of the World as We Know It," "Orange Crush," and "Losing My Religion." And to be honest, I always thought "Everybody Hurts" was a meme song and honestly didn't know it was REM. This felt a lot more produced than I expected. The string arrangements really caught me off guard. I always viewed them more as a band that would've forgone those kind of embellishments in their work. But hey, they added to the whole vibe I guess. I hate to say this was boring because I don't think that's really that fair to say. I think it just wasn't for me, mostly. At least not until you get closer to the end. Then it starts to catch for me. Bummer. Could've been so much better. Two stars. Standout Tracks: The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Man on the Moon, Nightswimming

It's eh

Not for me

ok album, bit depressing

Tylsempi kuin aiemmin vastaan tullut R.E.M:n levy. Ei niinku huono mutta eipä tässä juuri oikein mitään tapahtunutkaan.

Another REM album on here that I will never think about ever again

Never really gave these guys much of a listen before and this did nothing to convince me otherwise. The famous songs are decent but the rest were filler

melow kinda boring eh YNN

Just not a very good band

I've never gone out of my way to listen to R.E.M. and I doubt I will make the effort again. This album passes the nod test - it is able to make my head sway, but only just - for that it might have picked up 3 stars. But in the context of the other albums I've listened to whilst doing this daily exercise, I'm afraid it's time to the deepen the scale; I need to ask myself if I would listen to this over Dolly Parton or The Go-Go's and I can't quite make that leap. The first song captured my curiosity with an almost-country guitar plucking followed by an exciting electric guitar riff, but sadly the dry tonality of the lyrics did not Drive me much further into understanding the artist. A little later on we reach Everybody Hurts which is the standout classic from this album, but that classic refrain has unfortunately been co-opted by Hollywood. It slips me into the shoes of a Will Ferrell like character in a non-descript romantic comedy, as the protagonist reaches the low point in his story arc. I can envision the typical R.E.M. enjoyer, resplendent in his blue jeans and brown brogues, with the top two buttons on his M&S shirt undone. 40 years ago this man was standing at the crossroads of Alternative Rock, but when confronted with the energetic drug ballads of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he chose the safety of R.E.M., which is a decision I cannot endorse. I wish I had better things to say about this album, but after giving it two attempts I'm just not there.

😬

Alright but a bit Sleepy

Just not for me at all

**An ok album, not what I prefer

Not as good as "Green", but still a decent listen.

I started actively listening to music for myself about the time this album was released. The singles are burned into my brain. They were practically omnipresent on the radio of the day. I can practically smell the warm radio/turntable set that I'd adopted from my Dad when he moved to CDs. So it has something on me ... but do I like REM? No.

Nope I already knew I was going to dislike this because I can't stand this guys voice. Surprisingly his voice wasn't as whiny on this album Seemed ok as background music, until I heard some questionable lyrics and it was an instant nope Please no more R.E.M. I am begging 2 ⭐️

One good song doesn’t make it a good album

Ja weet je, is prima muziek maar wel een beetje langzaam en niet heel lekker voor op de achtergrond

nothing special

I just find this album a bit too earnest, sorry.

Same as the other I’ve heard from them, pleasant enough, but won’t think about it again

It just personallyyyyyy really did not interest me the slightest bit.

Meh...I decided to give everything that is suggested to me a chance even if before I didn't care for it. This is the first time, I think, that I listened to this album from start to finish. My opinion didn't change really on this. I found the album pretty bland. Losing My Religion is not a terrible song and can at least see why it was a hit but the rest is not my cup of tea

Not really memorable

Is this a parody of overly dramatic motorcycle songs? Like wanted dead or alive or turn the page? Really weak start. Overproduced pseudo country riff sounds like it’s dying to be in a Harley Davidson Super Bowl commercial. Lulled me into an angry sleep. More sea shanty like somehow but Jesus it’s the same song structure. Simple riff accompanied by needless melodrama. Preferred the overall tone of this but it went forever. Will there be alt rock?? My note again is I hate the production of this. This might be exciting if it was some underground album and had a hint of irony. I kind of like the lead vocals here. The wail is good, but the mouthful chorus is obnoxious and gets worse as it goes on. This is by far the best song so far, but it again runs out of ideas before it runs out of track. And then here we go. How do you develop fresh thoughts on a song that has blasted in dentist offices across the continent for three decades. Like the last song, there is a touch of elements from the 50’s somehow. Like prom songs in back to the future. I hate the sentiment of this song and again it follows this repetitive song structure that is akin to being hypnotized at a poorly attended casino magic show. PASS I’m starting to lose interest big time. It really insists on announcing its arrival and then gazing at its shoes and barely playing boring rock ideas that have been executed better. I’m not feeling the emotion at all. This instrumental is a good place to ignore the mediocre music bereft of ideas and update on what is a mess so far. I find the hushed, understated nature of this album to be off putting rather than charming. There’s something that makes this sound like Christian rock or something. Song titles aside, Sweetness follows everything on this album. And it’s far too sweet. I’m looking for excuses to leave the desk. I watched trucking TikTok’s. What is with the simple repetition? Every song has the same four chords punctuated by a bad vocal melody. I thought this one might be more upbeat. Medieval guitar stabs are alright in the middle. Some variance and a little bit of a driving rhythm. Better. Oh this sounds like a Bon Jovi B side. Wait, is there energy?? Yes, Undirected energy with obnoxious instrumentals. This album doesn’t do anything right and fills with a melancholy I don’t think it intends to. While these notes are first run, stream of consciousness, the song “Star Me Kitten” compels me to sit and think. This song is obviously out of the ordinary for the album. I had to take a minute. This takes the 50s prom nostalgia to the extreme and beats you into somnambulism via a low crooning over a dream sequence soundtrack. If it’s a parody, it’s unfunny and if it’s serious, it’s an embarrassment to the band and me for having sat and wasted my time. This song is unlistenable. Time for another hit. Wrestling mentioned. BLASSIE MENTIONED. Immediately better. This song is much more charming. There’s a confidence not displayed in the previous songs. Great hook. A strength of this album is the uniqueness of the vocals and it’s far too rarely utilized. After the thrill of the chorus, their verses are a return to tedium, but this song is good to great. Rarely does the interesting music climb the charts, but I guess this is one instance. The album is getting a little better as time goes on. This song has a magnetic quality of some description, but also seems like an ironic Christmas carol. It’s fine, but can’t save this bad boy overall. A low energy end to a low energy album. This is what happens when a band has a bunch of money and no longer feels the pull of struggle. This album is bad. It unlistenable, but bad. HIGHLIGHT: Man on the Moon.

They really just pick one dynamic level and stick with it for the whole song. Very little variety.

For some reason, I always thought that R.E.M. were a 70s band, so I was surprised to see that this album came out in 1992 after it popped up. But after having listened to it, I now fully understand why I was under the impression that R.E.M. were a 70s band. This album sounds dated as hell, completely behind its time. I can't find anything to hate about it, but it just feels like a super generic 70s album, except it came out 2 decades too late.

So many people in high school and college were obsessed with this album… I don’t necessarily get it, I mean it is a decent album, but not something I have on rotation… even if it is catchy at times.

Everybody hurts a little for having to listen to this album. Earlier REM albums are better (thru Green). This one is way overrated

Just fine, a few decent songs, never been a fan.

Pretty boring album

Second album de R.E.M généré, après Document. Je connaissais Everybody Hurts, sans plus. Je n'accroche pas du tout, aucun morceau ne m'a marqué, contrairement à Document. =>2/5

It’s okay

It's fine but his voice ain't half annoying

Never liked them

Too melancholic for my likes. But a couple of good songs.

I just can't stand his voice vibrato

das mir alles zu langweilig

Ok album. Not a huge fan of the guy's voice, plus it tends to get lost in the mix a bit. 2.5/5

Meh. Mopey

Aside from the 2 popular songs, the album didn't really hit.

I'm finding this just about tolerable, and significantly more tolerable than the other R.E.M. albums we've had. Its earnestness is barely just under the line, in that I can sometimes appreciate the lyrics if I don't concentrate too hard on them. When they start doing that recitation thing, I just cringe so hard I need to hold onto something. It's just totally uninteresting. But this album is sliiiiiightly less bad for that stuff than the other albums we had by R.E.M. Earnest and boring, never a great match. 2/5

I hate to say it, but, minus “Nightswimming” and the hook on “Man On The Moon,” I find this really, really, really, really, really, really, *really*, reallyreallyreallyreally – no, like, I’m being serious, REALLYYYYYYYYYY – boring.

Prior to listening to this album I had convinced myself I wasn’t a R.E.M. fan. I decided they were boring but to be honest I had not ever given them a fair chance. Well now I’ve listened and boy was I right to make assumptions. Man on the Moon is interminable. Nightswimming just goes on and on. Sweetness Follows has absolutely inane lyrics despite the weight of the topic. I think my big issue is the lyrics. They are just very mundane. I can enjoy a long meandering alt rock song, LCD sound system do a fantastic job for example. But this was so boring it took three days to get through. Giving it two stars though because, as mentioned, I am trying to give it a fair assessment, and I did quite enjoy the first two tracks, Drive and Try Not to Breathe.

Far be it from me to indicate the inflection point when REM turned from indie to industry. I lost track of them right around the "Shiny Happy" phase, though oh god please do not disregard Fretless, the same duo performance on the Until the End of the World soundtrack. Where was I? Oh yeah, I can appreciate this record like lukewarm tapioca pudding. Inoffensive, mildly alluring, yet bland and FFS inoffensive to anyone. Hey Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Everybody hurts hearing this record.

Man On The Moon Idk if it’s because I’m hungover or what but this album was not doing it for me. Felt boring

The hits are hits, the rest are shits

I don't really like acoustic rock much, if I could give this a 2.5 I would

DNF. Der erste Song war cool und der Instrumental auch

2.5 meh. Maybe my expectations were too high after Losing My Religion

Am I missing something? This is bland and boring af

I don’t totally get the appeal of R.E.M. I think their music is perfectly fine, and I enjoyed this album, but I don’t see how it belongs in the echelon of top albums all time. It starts off strong, with “Drive” and “Try Not To Breathe”, but the rest of the album, after “Everybody Hurts”, can’t keep up. I wonder how well R.E.M. will endure as the poster child for 90s alternative music.

Boring

Kinda boring. 2/5 - n

thought the first song was great, but the rest of the album kinda sucked

The opening track ‘Drive’ has a big Pink Floyds influence. But not as powerful or original. Michael Stipes voice also sounds a bit like Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder but not as lively or energetic. I’m also getting a bit or Eros Ramazotti vibes from him. Even their big hit ‘Everybody Hurts’ didn’t bond with me. As I was getting further into the record the urge to turn it off rose. I battled my way through. Overall it presented itself to me as an unexciting Soft Rock record. The production preserved it from one star only.

Surprisingly I got bored halfway through this album, made the last half fell like a slog to get through.

A fairly lowkey album, but very few memorable songs amongst the track list which leads to unenjoyable listening.

Got some songs stuck in my head. The classics: Man on the Moon and Everybody Hurts. The rest of it was just noise.

While I really like some of REM's songs, I found to chord progressions to be relatively uninteresting, and the album doesn't have the attitude or transcendent performance to make up for it. I have to admit though, that I don't think I gave it a deep listen, and that my opinion might change if I do

Another album that is dark and somber; I’m getting folk rock vibes, and psychedelic vibes at times too. There is certainly some catchy melodies and tunes here, I just don’t find much re-listenability to pre 2000’s sad boy tunes. My favorite tracks are Everybody hurts and Star me kitten. I think this album is a solid 5.5, but giving it 2 stars as It doesn’t align with other 6’s I have already reviewed.

I like “Man on the moon”, the rest eh not so much. Coming to the realization that I like a few songs from R.E.M but not their whole albums. 4/10

Automatic For The People by R.E.M.

So boring. We’ve all heard happy shiny people and it’s the same as all of these.

One or two hits, but besides from that these songs just aren’t as memorable for me. The energy is seemingly there, I just can’t get into it. 2.4

Ok

Goods songs not best album

Ok

I was familiar with some of the songs on this album already. They never stood out to me to begin with, and that remains true for the rest of the album I respect the musicianship and production quality of the record, but their writing style doesn't quite scratch my brain

Depressing sound, I’m not feeling it.

Ingen riktig hit för min del

I'm hit or miss on REM, I like some songs and I don't like others. This album, on the whole, is just so so dull. I liked "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," "Monty Got A Raw Deal," and "Ignoreland." The rest can go straight into boring jail.

Very 90s. Well made but depressing, not my mood anymore

Some forgettable soft rock.

I've discovered I can only appreciate REM one song at a time, every once in a while. A whole album of material starts to grate on me and sound whiny.

lyrically compelling, sonically mediocre

eh. did not finish, sorry

easy listen not really my type of music. enjoyed drive

Tylsää rokkia. Ei tämä mulla jatkosoitantaan pääse.

aw it's ok I guess, been feeling that listening some albums for the first time 30 years after it's realease has it's impact on my perception of it. Seems outdated even though i recognize the importance of it for the music industry. Sooo it's... mid?

Booooooooooooring

Some decent tracks but I don't like the vocalist much.

A few songs are so saturated in popular culture, that actually listening to them is impossible. Everybody Hurts is one of those songs. Man on the Moon suffers some of the same fate, but is better to begin with. The third and last song of note, Drive, is memorable but just ok. The fact that they managed to squeeze six singles from this album amazes me. Like so much rock music from the early nineties, it sounds horrible and lifeless. The drum sound is the worst offense. I get the impression that this album is a huge deal to a lot of people. I have no idea why. 2.2

All time favorite

Couple ok songs but for the most part pretty forgettable.

It was fine

Ok 2.5

its not for me pero i like the ballroom dancey sound of Everybody Hurts

Yawn

already heard it

the worst Radiohead album, kicked off by the worst Pink Floyd song, thankfully punctuated by Ignoreland and Man On the Moon

drive. ok, cool orchestral strings elements try not the breathe. reminds me a bit of gaelic folk but with more production. meh. sidewinder sleeps tonite. this is some 90s shit. not much going on, over a bed of organ. everybody hurts. big hit. not a great song. used in every ham-fisted movie/commercial where the word 'hurt' can be applied. new orleans instrumental no. 1. Um, ok. Boring, but fine enough. sweetness follows. everything is just so boring, overproduced, like youre in a cloud of mediocre music. I guess people like this band for the lyrics. monty got a raw deal. cool arpeggio i guess. More of the same, has a little of that gaelic folk. ignoreland. more music cloud, vocals sound far off. star me kitten. cosmic mediocre music cloud. man on the moon. has an actual chorus and clear guitar. best song on the album so far. nightswimming. nice clear piano. vocals with some echo for some reason but at least present and somewhat clear. music cloud comes in and out but piano remains consistent at least. find the river. sounds like an actual song too, album ends strong, background vocal melodies instead of music cloud in other songs, its fine, not great.

Not my favorite. I didn’t like the sound and didn’t engage with the lyrics.

- just wasn’t it

Not my favourite.

I got through it and it was OK 👍🏽

Started off okay. Vibey and stuff. But was so repetitive that it bored me to death. I drove out excited for work, and by the time I reached I was depressed af. I can't believe a drummer at that level would play the exact same beat on every single song for decades while touring and recording with a band of that level! Just the same fucking beat over and over and over and over. So monotonous man. I would like to say I really hated this album, even though hate is a strong word and I generally always like REM's most popular tracks. But this album is not for me, at all. Still a couple nice, easy listening tracks in there. Its not all shit. That's why the 2 stars.

Das ist jetzt das VIERTE Album dieser Band in dieser Liste, keines davon muss man gehört haben. Die „Out Of Time“ durchzuskippen genügt vollkommen, um den Sound der Band mal gehört zu haben, und mit „Losing My Religion“ wäre da auch ein gnädiger Hit dabei. Ich bin bedient.

Fine. A bit of a downer

This would’ve gotten 1 star if it wasn’t for Everybody Hurts

Can't get into it

this is so close to a 1 that you can come va

Bit dull

I really dont like rem. But the album was better than i expected.

I liked Man on the Moon, but that was about it.

Still not a rem fan, but but it was a nice reminder of "everybody hurts" , my respect for rem increased every so slightly

some vibes and sounds as matchbox twenty. dad music

Favorite track is Man on the Moon - other than that one - felt all the same.

not my fave

Oh look another REM album

Paar bekende nummers, maar als nog echt heeel neutraal hier over?? En Emma’s vader is er fan van dus dat maakt het weer extra lastig

R.E.M, for me, is vanilla, bland and boring. I don't get it.

Automatic Bore The People...wocka wocka wocka! I'll always like Nightswimming and Everybody Hurts but not much else I need to hear from there again.

Not necessarily bad, just extremely boring.

bof

I was sad and this album mad me sadder. Also this was a bad way to figure out that I don't like R.E.M.

Carino, non lo riascolterei subito subito

Boring as fuck

Meh

REM have some great records, but this one is boring. It has some of their most popular songs, which are exactly the ones I don't like. Drive, Man on the Moon, Night Swimming. Favorite song on the album: Ignoreland.

Kuinka paljon Everybody Hurtsista ja Man on the Moonista pitäisi tykätä, että jaksaisi kuunnella tätä levyä? Paljon enemmän kuin itse pidän. Mutta niiden hittipotentiaali oikeuttaa kahteen tähteen.

Can see it’s influence on emo

Meh

So yeah, I was an early adopter of R.E.M. Right out of the gate I discovered Murmur, I saw them on the Life's Rich Pageant tour (Spectrum Showcase!) and I bought Document. They were cool. Then I totally lost my appetite for the band. Marianne suggested that it has something to do with a misperception that they "sold out" or got too popular, but that's not it. I was fine with them getting popular. I just didn't like the music they were making anymore. I pin it on Michael Stipe, but it may be the whole package. The songs were just not appealing, Stipe, certainly, seemed to take himself way too seriously now that people were paying attention to him. Whatever it was, I stopped paying attention. So strangely, as familiar as I am with the band, I didn't know this album. Yes, I'd heard some of the songs, "Man On The Moon" most notably, but I had no idea what was on this album and I turned it on hoping that maybe I'd have an epiphany and realize I was being an asshole and the band was just awesome. Yeah... no. "The Sidewinder Sleeps" into "Everybody Hurts" made me want to punch my dog. I love my dog. I did not succumb. But the urge was there, and it was R.E.M.'s fault. For that, this album gets a 2. It's teetering on a 1. But I'm trying to be my most generous and kind self.

caraio péssimo disco

I don’t enjoy anything of theirs that came out after Document.

Super unique voice. I know it’s widely acclaimed. My first listen through I was not in love but I am going to give it another go and perhaps it’s one that’ll grow on me. Lyrics are sad but the instrumentals don’t match in my opinion.

Much of a nothingness for me. Mum loves REM but I couldn’t really dig this one :(

Kind of mopey - not really my thing. Although, I do like the song night swimming.

What could be a surprising departure for the band ends up being an underbaked flop. There’s one solid ballad on here (“Everybody Hurts”), but the rest are woefully sluggish and sound as if they’ve been ripped off commercial radio of the time. Stripe’s voice isn’t up to the task, the band sounds a little lost and uncomfortable playing such slow tracks, and the overall thing is just blegh.

Singer got a cool voice and nobody doing anything wrong rem just not pulling me in

Blimey. Eighth album. It kind of shows, as feels quite polished, a bit tired and rather miserable in places. The singles had the recognition factor, which made this an easier listen, but I didn’t like them at the time and time has not changed my mind. A mid-level moody rock band. None of the songs really grabbed me and the music washed over me.

Enjoyed the instrumentals

I lost connection with this band after Life's Rich Pageant. I'm glad they found the audience they did and may not have changed personally but musically it just didn't make sense for me to continue.

Mostly bored. Wouldn't listen to again

Hey ho this happened, I remember it happening, the excitement and the profundness people expressed at the time. It was an album to have at the time of the time in the time. I was outa time cos I kinda found it a bit, well dull. So he blabbers on whilst violins and shit make it all sound profound. Its not shiny happy people is it or the one about the world ending! Gotta say its the musical equivalent of sand in yer shoes, annoying and you just wish you'd worn flip flops.

This was everywhere and hyped to the max. It's just not vey good though is it?

Had this as a younger man, didn't really embrace it - not as good as their earlier stuff. Dull music for dull people

Not my least favorite REM album. They were really mellowing out at this point.

The first time I've heard them as an evolution of Americana, which is a perspective I can savour, even though it doesn't make me warm to them when they're being this slow and unfunky. A backfired flirtation with blandness.

El tema inicial es una lágrima monótona y los temas siguientes no proponen mucha diferencia. Estoy segura de que Out of time es mucho mejor, aunque no lo escuché nunca. Me hizo pensar en todos los discos depre de los '90 que espero aparezcan en esta lista de 1001.

did not care for this. lol-ed when "everybody hurts" came on and skipped it. enjoyed "man on the moon" as one does...

Not a fan of this band, but I respect them

I don't really like it. Good production quality, I just don't like this music genre. Reminds me of Pink Floyd.

R.E.M. have some bangers no doubt, but for the album listen I found it a bit... beige My brain irrevocably links REM to BH90210 so... there's that

Oh rem. Must you really?

Under hela lyssningen kändes albumet ändå som en stabil 3:a, men efteråt var det inget som hade gjort albumet särskilt speciellt. Albumet är bra, och har genomgående hög kvalitet, men det är för få saker som sticker ut. Låtarna är lugna och fina, jag saknar något med mer fart, något lite rockigare. Egentligen ingenting är dåligt med albumet, men för få saker är bra. En av de bästa sakerna är Michael Stipes röst. Otrolig. Bästa låt: Drive.

Few good songs

Meh, slow, knew a couple songs

Two songs worth noting, but I can’t stand R.E.M.

de los hits clásicos nomás no me cae esa banda.

I don't have a high enough IQ to think this album doesn't suck ass.

It's a cardboard box in music form.

Look, this is less a "this album stinks" grade and more of a "this really isn't my type of thing." I'm on the record as being into downer music, but the malaise on display here doesn't feel particularly profound. It's competently made and Everybody Hurts is pretty iconic, all things considered, but R.E.M. just curls up into a ball and dies over the course of this record, and I at least want a little thrashing about here and there. Frankly, they sound a little disinterested for the most part, and perhaps that rubbed off on me. Maybe they'll fare better when the generator comes around to Green; Orange Crush is pretty good.

I had one of those real "show up and do some work you can't quantify" jobs where literally all I did was enter some nonsense into a computer and go home. Turn that into an album and this is what you get. These fuckin dudes got a paycheck.

Country, pas fan Everybody Hurts hyper connu

Meh. Forgettable.

I’m sorry, i know it’s supposed to be a masterpiece but i found it a little bland to listen to, maybe i wasn’t in the right mood or smth

Pierwsze pojawienie sie R.E.M.a na liscie i pierwsze starcie z ta banda od losing my religion, nie spodziewalem sie, ze bedzie to az tak ciezki boj, bo jednak jest to 90s dodatkowo mocno oparty na akustykach, czyli tak jak lubie, dodatkowo pierwszy trak zrobil robote i w ciekawy sposob otworzyl plyte, ale wtedy nie widzialem jeszcze, ze 9 z 12 kawalkow bedzie brzmial niemal identycznie co pierwszy, bo sa to balladowe kawalki, ale to sa te ballady ktore dobrze lataja w radiu jako wolne kawalki dla smutnego czleka, bo sluchajac plyty da sie fizycznie odczuc, ze motywem przewodnim jest bol przemijania i zwiazane z nim rozterki, co najbardziej oddaje wokal ktory wnosi tutaj pan Stipe, ktory o dziwo nie gra dodatkowo na instrumentalach, co jest dosc dziwne jak na rocka uczelniano garazowego, chociaz lepszym okresleniem na gatunek tej plyty, to gatunek ktorego pionierem byl Gene Clark, czyli barokowy pop, przez swoja balladowosc polaczona z backujacymi wokalami, smyczkami od pana Jonesa z led zeppelina, tylko trzy kawalki odchodza od tego konceptu midowego tempa, z enigmatycznymi tekstami granymi w miniorze, z tego miksu wybralem na plejke dwa kawalki ktore wedlug mnie najlepiej reprezentuja te dwa style, bardziej rokowy the sidewinder sleeps tonite oraz bardziej balladowy try not to breathe, oba pozycje pochodza z poczatkowej czesci plyty, bo im dalej w las tym gorzej mi sie sluchalo, caly czas majac wrazenie ze jest grane znowu to samo, z tego powodu byl to ciezki odsluch, ale przynajmniej juz wiem skad pochodzi banda od tak ogranego wszedzie losing my religion

I've been getting into R.E.M. for the first time, recently. I have their first record on vinyl and I've listened to that a lot. I watched a documentary on the band and gained a new appreciation. I think Automatic for the People is a good record, but it gets a little less jangly and more produced at this point and I'm not sure that's my favorite side of this band. It's nice music to listen too, though. My relatively low score for this record is in the context of the top 1001. Compared to all records of all time, it would definitely have a higher rating than 2/5 stars. Highlights: Nightswimming is a great song.

Better than the last rem album I had but this one is still not that great to me. Their music seems too outwardly depressing but for no real strong reason. It’s kinda ok. 5.1/10

Indie-meh-core 2.2

Only the radio songs were good

Somewhat familiar with REM - good album, but just not my thing

Lame

92. Not on my top 10 for the year even.

Tortuous. Got those two pop songs on it though so it's not a 1.

Everybody Hurts Drive Mouais

Pretty good album - glad I've gotten to listen to a little more R.E.M., but I just don't this as much as Murmur. Everybody Hurts is a good song but it's just too cheesy, and not much else really stood out. A high 2 Saved: Drive, Find The River

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Try Not To Breathe, Man On The Moon, Find The River Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Not nearly as fun as their earlier music, felt more somber. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's just boring. Also was frequently in one ear out the other. 2.5 rounded down. SMD Everybody Hurts.

Shitty album no thanks. ok not that bad but still no.

Meh