Reviews (page 3 of 14)
R.E.M. at the height of their fame. The only criticism is they sound like they were taking themselves a bit too seriously by this time in their career. Its chock full of bangers. I adore the first and last songs, and everything in between is top notch too.
Fucking awesome!
I only knew one song off this album going in, and had in my head that R.E.M. were generally a bit depressing, maybe with the exception of "shiny happy people" - I only really knew a few of their hits. Imagine my surprise when the dreary, depressing R.E.M. sound I was familiar with came to life with all sorts of colours and tones, and frankly beautiful lyrical imagery throughout! This album is a masterclass in writing variety while maintaining a signature sound.
Just brilliant
Absolutely amazing
Awesome album. A classic.
One of my favourites, contains my wedding song Nightswimming.
awesome alt folk rock. harmonies and guitar blend well. great album.
5/5 no notes
Easily my favorite record of ‘92. An album I get stuck listening for weeks on end. Possibly the LP I have spent the most time with but that would be difficult to prove. “Sweetness Follows” followed by the first 3 tracks of side B don’t hold up to the many singles released but I would never skip one of them so the album gets a 5. I never knew the title comes from a fast food place in Athena, GA. Great reappropriating.
Beautiful sounding album with a mix of acoustic guitar jangles, controlled chaos feedback, gentle pianos and energetic organs, distorted cellos, slide guitar melodies against lush strings, and rich super expressive vocals. It shimmers and pops and blossoms wonderfully, warm and nostalgic, mournful sombre and full of pathos. Slowed down songs, mostly ballads, allow all this room to breathe. It's pretty incredible this was a muddy post punk band less than a decade earlier, 90s major label recording budgets were a whole other world! It's way overblown but damn it works
A classic from REM. Different directionally for them. Not their best record but it is their best sounding record. Wore this CD out years ago. A great one
Not a huge REM fan but this album is really good. 5 stars or A-.
"Nightswimming" [+++] "Find the River" [++] "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" [+]
Every song was good, with some all time classics. Not sure why I’ve never really explored R.E.M. catalog, but I definitely will now!
Despite being a huge IRS-era REM stan, I'll admit this record has grown on me over the decades and it is one of their best. Careful, layered, autumnal, sad (with a few swerves). My kids know to play 'Nightswimming' at my funeral.
I just find these songs so beautiful. The album is cohesive too—it’s all one melancholy, wistful, and a little funny vibe.
Good ol REM one banger near the end
Sublime. I hardly need to listen to this again...but I did. After Out Of Time, REM knew what the public wanted, and knew what they enjoyed doing, so this album is broadly More-Of-The-Same. And it still works. Man on the Moon and Sidewinder still bring me feelings of Joy, and there's not a duff track on the CD.
It is a special kind of alchemy that REM have where a mostly slow paced rumination on loss and death can somehow become their commercial high point This is an astonishingly good album If you wanted to split hairs you could say that Ignoreland would perhaps sit better on an album like Document but it’s a minor quibble
I love this album, so many great tracks. Sensitive and hopeful music.
Tiene bocha de temazos, igual no te puede gustar REM
My first reaction was: YAY R.E.M! I love R.E.M (I have only listened to the one song, but I'm already hyped) This was the absolute correct reaction, and getting this album on a Friday was even better. Not to say I didn’t love it on my first listen but getting to hear it again and again just made it better in my ears. “Try not to breathe” is an absolutely beautiful song and while not a big fan of “Night swimming” in the beginning it grew on me fast. This feels strangely nostalgic and yet fresher than ever. Beautiful album all and all
Classic. Nightswimming has always been one of my favorites
Once of the best bands of the last 50 years and I think they are underrated. This album is packed with classics. Easy 5 stars here.
There is not a bad track on here. There is a quietness to all of the tracks, it is a low-key masterpiece. I haven't listened to it fully in years (it's Aug 2025) and it is as good as I remember, it has not dated. Even though 'Everybody Hurts' has it's own life outside the album, within it, it sounds just fine.
I've now had four R.E.M. albums in 250 days, in chronological order. I've consistently rated them as solid enjoyable 4-star albums but with 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, I feel they hit their peak. It's stuffed with great tracks that cover a wide variety of sounds, moods and tempos. The dark, building creep of Drive, the straightforward upbeat rock of Man on the Moon and The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, the gorgeous, lurching wall of sound on Sweetness Follows, all the way to the wonderful Find The River. It always elevates an album when they nail the order and flow of tracks and R.E.M. got this absolutely right in my mind.
Loved it
I haven't listened to this in ages and was surprised by how well I remember it. I think I got this from BMG back in the day and played it quite a bit. "Everybody Hurts" feels pretty cringe 30+ years later—and I can't hear without thinking of Dwight on The Office—and "Nightswimming" is the better song anyway. "Man on the Moon" is solid, as are a bunch of other tracks.
Excellent. Top 100.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. I spent many hours listening to this in my 20s. Mainly alone, on vinyl, all through most times. Few 'rock' albums have such depth, it's an album that takes its time, an album to wallow in. Starts so slow and strong, ebbs and flows, has moments of genuine beauty musically and emotionally, sadness and hope, then ends with three of the finest songs in succession to close any album. 'Find The River' is achingly beautiful. It dips a little in the middle but not enough to mark it down. Wonderful.
First listen standouts: Everybody Hurts, Monty Got a Raw Deal, Man on The Moon, Ignoreland, Find the River Second listen standouts: Drive, Try Not to Breathe, Sweetness Follows This album is legitimately something perfect, and I don't have to sift through a million reviews to know it. I've settled on "Try Not to Breathe" as the current favorite, but that will change as I play this record into the ground.
If you believe this album deserves a 5 star, then nothings cool. This album certainly isnt entirely perfect. Not every song is amazing. But it does not need that to shine. It shines with its soothing energy and as a whole it just sticks to its theme, stays full of character. There are some amazing titles in this that just need to be heard. It fills my heart with warmth. My favorite for sure is Find the river.
9/10 I actually really like R.E.M. :) sure, they might be a little overrated, but I had fun
One of the best albums ever. Gloriously melancholic. Great, great songs, great singing, great production. An example of greatness.
The album that got me into R.E.M. And now I own their entire discography! Automatic For The People is packed with great songs! From the lead song Drive to Everybody Hurts to Man on the Moon! The band released a total of 6 singles with three of them hitting the Top 30 on the Billboard chart.
80/1001. Definitely my favourite R.E.M. album. I'm sure I haven't heard them all but enough to make this stand out from the others. I love the instrumentals, the slowly swirling low guitars which fit / complement Michael Stipe's voice perfectly, the minimalism, the droning synth and guitars. Excellent tunes all over, and even radio hits. Another one of those timeless albums for me which I can (and have done countless of times over about 30 years) put on and cjill.
Solid album with lots of hits, just iconic and generation-defining. Sometimes it drags a little bit but that's just Michael Stipe being Michael Stipe.
My favourite R.E.M.
I don’t think it’s their best album, but it has the hits, lots of interesting construction choices, and the sing-along factor. Maybe they could have cut one or two songs here, but that is forgivable. 4.5
This is the best REM album by a mile, still holds up
Another classic.
Another All timer. 5*
"Nightswimming" and "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" are some of the most beautiful songs of the 90s. I will die on that hill. This album had one to two duds, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the rest of the album.
Gets everything right, individual songs, overall sounds, REM at their best
Love the music, love the lyrics. Maybe their best album. Even ‘Everybody Hurts’ works here.
5 stars for Nightswimming (and also for the other songs).
91/100. A beautifully crafted and emotionally rich album. Its mellow, reflective tone makes it a comforting and immersive listen. The instrumentation is thoughtful and layered, enhancing the lyrics. It’s one of R.E.M.’s finest works.
I don’t even know how to rate this album. It came out a few months after starting a new life with my wife of over 30 years, and it was a near constant soundtrack to those early years. I’ve tried to write more about twenty times now. If I was forced to choose 10 albums to take to a desert island this would be among them.
This one is very special for me. It is rooted in a time and place for me and, every time I hear it, I am right back there. And the album's themes--time, memory, and loss--reflect that sense of longing for a time and place. This period in the band's history was one of unbridled creativity and every album they released was a event. So, not biased at all here! But, with these songs, the orchestral arrangements from John Paul Jones, and the mood and atmosphere of all of it, they knocked it out of the park. Songs like "Drive," "Sweetness Follows," "Find the River, " and the incomparably gorgeous "Nightswimmimg" are some of their best. And that's not even mentioning the somewhat overplayed "Everybody Hurts" and "Man on the Moon." It's one of my top 5 desert island discs.
Automatic for the people is a gloomy, brooding, cohesive masterpiece. This opens strong and closes stronger, theres not a weak track here. Love Stipe's disbelief regarding the state of the nation on Ignoreland, Man on the Moon is a pure classic, and Nightswimming might be one of the most beautiful songs ever made. The production is really incredible too, sound is phenomenal
Listened to this my whole life
Great blend of music and lyrics with a fantastic production and some killer songs
Beautiful introspectiv and with great topics!
One of the biggest surprises of this list for me has been my new appreciation of R.E.M., who I think I dismissed to my dislike of (or perhaps my childhood ubiquity of) 1991's Out of Time. I've loved their 80s stuff, Murmur was a phenomenal debut, and Document was great with only a single misstep IMO, but I faced this 1990s peak-of-their-popularity massive hit album with some trepidation and...was wrong again. This is a beautifully melancholic, sombre and mature album that I don't think I would have appreciated in my younger years, but the songwriting, lyrics, production, are all on point, and surely Michael Stipe's best vocal performance. A very easy 5 for me. A final note...If you have a good home theatre set up you owe it to yourself to check out the Dolby Atmos mix. There are a lot of bad Dolby Atmos remixes out there, to the point where I have it disabled entirely in Apple Music on my iPhone, but this definitely isn't one of them. A phenomenal and truly transformative improvement over the standard stereo mix.
Well yes!
10
nightswimming alone
Hold on
I am on my knees worshipping at the alter........ God Album "Drive" this song is for everyone who has ever had a dark thought about themselves. Rem were one of those bands who could churn out songs that other bands could only dream over on a regular basis. Songs like this separate the poor from the good from the great Try not to breathe- Tears on the bus You know an album is great when it sounds like a best of Marriage of the bands Rem+Rush
as some anonymous dude on the internet said, "Someday I’ll find the right words to express what this one is to me".
Classic
While not the best R.E.M. album imo, it is still an incredible release and certainly a high point within their career.
Rem me caso
Thank you for calling my attention to this album!
Kinda slow, back to middle school. Enjoyable memories
Loved it. So many memorable songs and the vibe is just very coherent.
Fantastic, have always loved this album. Haven’t listened to it all the way through in a while and very much enjoyed revisiting it in full. I did not know that the overall themes of loss and mourning that are present throughout this album were inspired by some of the band members approaching/turning 30. I turn 30 in about three weeks! I am also about to start my residency in otolaryngology next week and recently found out I will be a father soon. Both of which are incredibly exciting for me. Regarding my age, I can’t say I feel the same sense of loss and mourning that permeates this album, but I do feel the inner turmoil that can come from feeling both the trepidation and the nearly irrepressible excitement that seems to accompany one when reaching some of the traditional “major turning points” in life. Thus this album certainly strikes a chord in me. I remember waiting for the vinyl re-release of this album for its 25th anniversary. Right after a college organic chemistry lecture I went to one of my favorite records stores in Bloomington to buy it. That was nearly eight years ago (now listening again in late June 2025). That moment feels simultaneously like yesterday and a lifetime ago. Time is strange like that.
Lyttede til det sammen med Frede. Første gang hvor R.E.M viste de også kunne lave noget mere ochestral og cinematic samt akustisk. Fra top til bund bare et mega godt album.
This is REM's most mature album. The music and lyrics are emotional, complex, and beautifully performed.
Never ever gets old. Love this. A masterpiece. Clever (even weird - cryptic) lyrics, good mix of jolly and downbeat. Drive - a good opener. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite - top notch. Everybody Hurts - melancholic and beautiful. ... It goes on... Nightswimming. SUCH a talented band. Great use of strings in some songs.
Very nice. I loved it. He doesn’t have the strongest or the most showy vocal techniques but it works perfectly for his own music. He sounds like Neil Young’s spiritual cousin. So nice. Everybody hurts just reminds me of the video I saw recently. People who like sad music are not chasing griefs. They are drawn to the subtle relief that comes from hearing sadness articulated more beautifully than they have even been able to say themselves.
Honestly, one of the most powerful and lyrically introspective albums ever. A left turn when the world was grunging that is better than their previous huge hit album. Probably the last great 1st to last song album they recorded.
A classic.
Peak R.E.M., bringing lots of Nostalgia. The last 3 songs are such an amazing end to a fantastic album.
Fantastic album start to finish.
I liked this way more than I thought I would. Was great
Great album, well produced.
One their best albums and contains my favorite song of their's, Nightswimming!
I loved REM’s 1986 album that’s on this list and this one is even better. More poppy but almost every song on this is really great. Consider me a REM now.
One of my top all-time albums.
A bit biases for R.E.M.
I do believe they put a man on the moon, whether Andy Kaufman did or not. I also believe that R.E.M. is an amazing band, and "Automatic for the People" is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ album.
This is an easy "Automatic" five stars. If I had to choose only one REM album, I would still prefer to listen to faster paced albums like Green but this is the album I go to when I want to feel things.
An all time classic.
Solid throughout, got some nice singles. Lead singer has a distinct voice that hits.
Never heard this as a whole, just some songs, it really is a lovely album. Everybody hurts isn't even the best track on this. 5* Highlights: man on the moon, everybody hurts, the sidewinder sleeps tonite
I knew (and liked) some songs off this album already, but the album as a whole is absolutely awesome. Very catchy, yet with very sad and emotional lyrics. Favourites: Drive, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming, Find The River
Masterpiece, was and will be. Fav: Night Swimming
Great record. No skips. The band sounds amazing & Michael Stipe moves easily between singing melodically and yelping ferociously.
The first album I got where I knew it would be a 5 before I started. Automatic For The People was my introduction to REM back in the 90s. I knew it was great, but a fresh listen makes me think it's probably the best REM album and maybe the best on this list. Drive to Everybody Hurts is the best start to an album I've heard in a while. Man on the Moon, Nightswimming, and Find the River may be the best ending to an album ever. The middle drags a bit, but it's relative. There isn't a bad track on the album. I get some of the lower ratings. You have to be in the right mood for this. It's slower, emotional, and somewhat depressing at times.
I haven’t heard this one since I was a kid. I appreciate it more now. It’s a really great one!
The Good: It’s automatic… The Bad: What if we like to have things more manual? The Ugly: Realizing that R.E.M. stands for Retard Eats Manure… All kidding aside… what an album! R.E.M. were royalty for a decade, and I would argue that this was their Opus Magnus. It must be age that is making me really enjoy this album, because I recall that, when this album launched, I did not want to hear it at all. I guess my ears had been bludgeoned to death with R.E.M. on the air-waves, and I was not ready to listen to their sad stories… Today, however, I think I’ve played the album 4 times and can’t get the song “Man on the Moon” out of my head… I blame Jim Carrey! Truth be told, it might not just be melancholy that makes me appreciate this album more today than back in the ‘90s, it might very well have to do with the horrid state of affairs when it comes to modern music, and it all sucking balls… So, here’s to R.E.M lulling us back to days when things were better! 5*
My favorite R.E.M. record. Every song is good, no skips. A masterpiece.
I LOVED THIS Chill rock not too heavy and easy on the ears
I scored the previous two R.E.M. albums 3 stars, but this one just hit much harder for me. Such a solid record, wonderful production, love his vocals, it's all good. Favourite tracks: Try Not To Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (turns out it's 'Call me when you try to wake her up', not 'calling Jamaica', sadly), Everybody Hurts, Ignoreland, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming.
'Everybody Hurts', overplayed, full MTV and VH1 90s ubiquity, and the closest thing to sentimental balladry - but a genuinely comforting song when listened to after all these years. Other singles 'Sidewinder' and 'Man on the Moon' amongst the best ever written, atmospheric, moving, uplifting, melancholic, glorious. Even 'Star Me Kitten' shows that he can basically read out the signage from Timpsons and still make it other-worldy and beautiful. The anti anthem of 'Drive', the folk melancholia if 'Try Not to Breathe', the haunting 'Nightswimming', the majestic 'Find the River' one of my all time favourites. The whole album feels like a concept, skirting around the inevitability of death, of sorrow but the beauty in life. Sure, it's just a fucking album, but that's what it does for me. Its an album rooted in folk, but still able to deliver brooding minor-key anthems. A soundtrack for life.
I really needed an album I knew today after getting an absolutely horrific album yesterday, and I was so hyped when I saw this album. It is such a STUNNING album omg I've always liked REM but finally listening to one of their albums is pretty cool! I like their style a lot, and this album is really good. Plus it has loads of songs I was already aware of so thats a bonus. It even has songs I didn't realise I knew like The Sidewiner Sleeps Tonite because I didn't know the title of it even though they always play it on the radio. Truly is banger after banger. One of the first songs I ever learnt on the drums was Everybody Hurts when I was seven so that song is pretty important to me, and its really pretty, especially with the strings. before even finishing, i know that this is overall: 5/5 I LOVE THIS
Not my favourite REM album but full of atmospheric and lyrically thoughtful songs. I think my favourite track is Monty Got a Raw Deal. But it's REM.
Einfach nur großartig!
Ik heb al vaker gezegd dat ik dit album een 5 zou gaan geven, dus op dat vlak zullen er geen verrassingen zijn. Een prettig album. Ook echt zo'n album album: De nummers zorgvuldig uitgekozen en in de juiste volgorde gezet. Een band met een typisch geluid wat er in gaat als zoete koek. Voor de top 40 liefhebbers bevat dit album ook hun op 1 na grootste hit. Ik vind zelf Man On The Moon een leuker nummer, maargoed. Dit zou ik regelmatig met plezier van voor naar achter aan kunnen zetten. En dat is uiteindelijk toch een beetje wat je wilde als je zo'n album op de kop tikte in 1992. Denk ik. Ik was toen 4 en hield van smurfenhouse en 2 Unlimited.
Favourite songs: Everybody Hurts, Drive, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
I wouldn’t have expected to like this but thoroughly enjoyed it! Very soft 90’s.
automatic 5 for the people
Absolute gold from beginning to end.
Memorized
R.E.M. at their peak. After "Out Of Time" a back-to-back masterpiece.
Ein großartiges Album. Für mich das Beste von REM. 5/5
90s banger
Fantastic album. Everybody hurts and Night swimming are 5 stars on their own.
While I've long considered myself a fan of R.E.M., it's only just now occured to me how little of them I've actually heard. Before starting this list, it really boiled down to just DOCUMENT, a few spare singles, and Weird Al's pastiche of the group. And even after starting on this journey, my experience with them had only just evolved to "I'd heard their debut a couple of times." I wouldn't say I was lying in calling myself a fan, but surely that would imply I've dived a bit deeper into them than I have, right? I hadn't even heard today's album besides "Everybody Hurts" as a needle drop in ZOOTOPIA. So I finally come to AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, which is apparently considered the best album R.E.M. has ever done. Consider, on the 2020 ROLLING STONE 500 list, this album jumped 163 spots from 259 to 96, surpassing MURMUR as the highest-rated R.E.M. album on the list. Meanwhile, DOCUMENT went from 462 to not being on the list at all. I gotta wonder, what is it about this album that gets people hyping it up like this? A brief search told me it was because this is R.E.M.'s "serious album." largely about nostalgia, mortality and grief. Heck, it's largely made up of ballads, with only three songs that could be considered "rockers." And on its face, before listening to this album, I won't lie, there'd be something that'd bother me about that. As if being "big serious" is automatically the key to being considered "THE GREATEST EVER," while something like DOCUMENT gets dismissed for being a little lighter. It's a bit of a petulant reaction, I'll admit, but it's not coming from nowhere. I suppose I do have an issue with "intelligent types" who'll tell you that serious ballads pondering mortality are better than... Well, if not "joyful" music, then music that isn't such a "downer," to use a word like that. I suppose my problem is really just that I don't have much of a place for music like this, and that there's still this reactionary part of me that reacts to disagreements like this with hostility rather than genuine engagement. Despite how much time I've spent on this just now, I don't wanna act like I'm **that** bothered by this, but again, it's something that's been on my mind. Getting back on topic, though, to the point that I don't have a place for music like this... OK, I need one more digression, then I'll talk directly about the album itself, I promise. See, I recently had a revelation about myself and music. I tend to latch on to songs way better if there's some kind of overarching story I can connect them to. It's why I like rock operas and narrative concept albums as much as I do, and why I like jukebox musicals in spite of their many faults. This album was the first where I tried listening to the songs as if they were scenes in a story — multiple stories, if not just one — and listening to the lyrics and understanding them in that light... Y'know, this won't replace DOCUMENT as my favorite R.E.M. album. It's generally more the kind of music I prefer, and, well, I've put too much time into it to just switch up like that. But in the conversation about what R.E.M.'s best album is... Yeah. Yeah, I don't think I can disagree. I'll tell you what it reminds me of: THE SOFT BULLETIN by The Flaming Lips, another album on this list, and another album (arguably serious) largely about mortality. I have a term I use to describe that album, and I'd use it to describe this one as well: "beautiful melancholy." I wouldn't say either of them are happy albums — far from it. You don't have songs like "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" and "Try Not To Breathe" and get to call yourself happy. But at the same time, they're not downers, or even all **that** sad. They strike a balance like... Like it's a winter night, and you're watching snow fall in the light of a streetlamp. That's the imagery. It's acknowledging the hardest parts of life, but still finding some beauty despite it all. It's not about wallowing about the end; it's about being empathetic about it. "It's happening, and it **will** happen, eventually and it's OK to be sad about it. But you have to keep going." That's my read on things, anyway. "Everybody hurts sometimes — so hold on. You're not alone." (And I also wanna shout out "Ignoreland", too. Way too precinct here in 2025, goodness... And I hafta appreciate a song that tells me that, yeah, vitriol by itself won't solve anything, but damn it, it just feels good to **scream** sometimes.) And that's all fine about the lyrics, but I'm still a "melody first" person, and even in that regard, "beautiful melancholy" would still apply. It's a gorgeous album — not as much as THE SOFT BULLETIN, I don't think, but still. All the props to John Paul Jones (yes, from Led Zeppelin) for the string arrangements. And it's like, even though this album is largely composed of ballads, it's not as much of a boring slog as that would imply? There's still an energy behind them that keeps things going. And also, I was reminded pretty often of the serious songs from the Barenaked Ladies album GORDON, and that's a huge compliment in my book, believe me. I think you can safely call me a stronger R.E.M. fan after this. Now that I have a stronger handle on the empathy and emotion they're capable of... Well, jeez, I should go back and listen to DOCUMENT under this light. And MURMUR, for that matter. Jus'... It's a lovely record, and I'm glad I took the time to understand it and what it's about. And anyway, it's nice to have a thought about "Everybody Hurts" beyond its status as a joke "sad needle drop." Maybe if I were Judy Hopps I'd've kept listening, I'unno...
A more folksy-focused album, but still brimming with that R.E.M. mystique that the group is known for. Solid 5 Stars.
I’m at a 10. I’m also slightly emotionally exhausted. There’s something to be said about the brilliance of this album, and the ways in which it so earnestly portrays grief & pain, while still using it as a stepping stone to inevitable happiness, framed via the frustrations of a generation & shadowed by the plight of the Reagan years. If Nirvana’s “Nevermind” was the grungy anthem for Gen Xers pissed off at the world, this album is its more somber counterpart, made for those who really just needed someone to tell them it would all be OK. Honestly, you could write essays about this album and there would still be things left uncovered. However, flowery language fails me here. I really don’t have that historical soliloquy in me. At most, I can praise this album for everything it does right, because I don’t think it does a single thing wrong. Instrumentally, I love the shift to a more grunge-influenced soundscape, clearly influenced by the impact of Nirvana, yet still so recognizably being R.E.M. on all of these tracks. I think Michael Stipe’s vocals are as stellar as ever, & the slight anger that underlines a lot of these tracks is enhanced by some of the shakier tones in his voice. As far as the songwriting goes… I just can’t believe these are the same guys who wrote a bunch of vague nonsense on “Murmur”, you know? Don’t get me wrong, “Murmur” is a great album, but the lyrics there always nagged at me. “Document” does a better job than “Murmur”, but there’s still a few on that album that bite at me too. This one, though? Fucking hell. Just a bombshell lineup of well-written tracks. It’s the best stuff they’ve written so far, by far, at least for my tastes. Even when it feels sort of cheesy, like on “Everybody Hurts”, which has been overplayed to death (& perhaps ruined by Vine), there’s something in how earnest it all comes across that keeps each track grounded. Believe me, I’d love to go even deeper into how much I enjoyed this, but I’m already just drained. I’ll end on this note: apparently, this is the album Kurt Cobain was listening to when he committed suicide in 1994. Whether or not that’s real, or just urban myth, I’m not entirely sure; lots of conflicting sources on that. Either way, Michael Stipe’s relationship to Kurt is well-documented in its own right, and Kurt’s on record as saying this album’s tone is the direction he would’ve wanted to take Nirvana in. In that sense, iron sharpened iron here in a remarkable way. I really, truly loved this. It is one of the best albums we’ve gotten in this experience, and it’s an absolute 10. Just a stellar, stellar work of art.
I still remember walking from school to buy this in the old long form cd box the day it came out. Document - Green - Out of Time - Automatic for the People have got to be the best four-album streak by band ever, although for me the REM artistic energy kind of ran out after this. I don't think this is as consistent as those other three albums but Nightswimming, Everybody Hurts, and Drive for me in particular are classics.
Great album - fab nostalgic tuneful songs :))
One of the best albums ever. I'd always heard good things, but I was still shocked how much I liked it
I’m 43 - on the Xenniel cusp. My sister is 11 years older than I am. A true Gen-Xer. I don’t know if I would have been as into R.E.M. if it hadn’t been for her. And yet, we think of different points in time as the band’s peak era. And with that, we each have a different sense of what their definitive album is. For me, it’s this one. And I love the I.R.S. records - really most of their catalogue. There’s hardly an album until New Adventures that I wouldn’t give five stars. But for me, this is top of the heap.
Wow - simply wow. What a gem - and what a time since I last had a listen at this masterpiece.
Very emotionally moving album
4.5
I really enjoyed this album and it was one of the first I've listened to in this project where I felt that I would listen to it again myself.
REM has released a row of 5-star albums in the 80s and early 90s and Automatic for the People is probably the most well known gems in their catalogue. It is a fantastically arranged and produced album, the music is grand and lush, accompanied by Stipe's distinctive voice. It may not be the most classic sounding REM album but songs like Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon and the closing Nightswimming it is certainly one of the best albums they made - and one of the best albums in the 90s.
More of the REM I remember, but man, I really loved this. I don't know what it is but the music feels so comforting
Every song is amazing. Bought back teenage memories, somehow knew most of the words
I'm unable to disconnect this album from my freshman year of college. I will always think of my dorm room when I hear Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight. The entire album is so perfectly chill. I can't not give it 5 stars.
I pretty much love all of REM’s albums since first hearing their Document album (and then working back) but Automatic For The People is the pinnacle of their output in my opinion. Drive, Man on the Moon and Nightswimmimg are particular favourites, but Ignoreland is up there too.
absolute classic for a goddamn reason
Top of form here for R.E.M., everything is firing on all cylinders. Both Style and Substance, Hook and Groove. The entire album is filled with hits that are easily accessible and achingly beautiful. And so many have found their way in to the American musical background. Jon Stewart did a parody of the Everybody Hurts video on his MTV show in the early 90s that was hilarious and I wish I could find it again. I only wish they had used the version of Star Me Kitten that they did with William Burroughs singing(featured on the X-Files Songs in the Key of X album)
I already got this album.
This was my favorite REM album and since that time I have gone back and listened sooo many times over the years. Definitely one of my top 5 albums of all time
Excellent album. Beautiful with an aura of sadness. This is an album you should hear (more than once) before you die.
By 1992, R.E.M. were in an unusually enviable yet daunting position. As darlings of the Athens 80s indie wave, they had grown with the steps they were making, peak by mountainous peak; so that when they felt out of time with the trends, the music world was actually aligned with them. Automatic for the People portrays the band as both spokesmen and survivors, crafting exquisite yet weary songs that are amongst the most emotional in their catalog. R.E.M. have made several great albums but this is their absolute masterpiece.
Classic album that hits every note and each song is its own story.
Love it, love REM
one of the greatest of all time
a great record, full of excellent tunes, REM at the height of their powers
So good
The best REM album period, and one of my most favorite albums of all time. Great choice to start the project! Best songs: Drive, Try Not To Breathe, Ignoreland, Night Swimming, Find The River — but there’s not a skippable song on the album.
It would be facetious for me to say this is a 5 based purely on the one piano progression on Find the River just after he says "naivete", but also not not, god this album rules
Close to a perfect album. One of my favourite REM albums.
Oh man, there is no way I'm gonna be able to review this objectively - I know it's moody mumble music, but by God it's MY moody mumble music! This album has followed me from my childhood, and remains stellar even today on my probably-thousandth listen. Michael Stipe's masterful lyrics mesh so well with the rest of the band, it's not quite like any other band I know - songs like The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite and Try Not to Breathe just wouldn't work done by anyone else, but here it just works! It's not my favourite REM album (Monster fans, where you at), but it's far and away their second best. Personally it would do better without Everybody Hurts, but that's probably because I've heard one too many people use it on repeat after a bad breakup. Damn, this album rocks.
I have always been a fan.
Awesome!!
superstarkes album mit so vielen tollen songs. mein „start“ mit R.E.M., auch wenn ich Out Of Time schon kannte. meine favoriten sind noch immer Nightswimming und Find The River.
Eines der besten Platten einer der besten Bands. Jeder Song für sich sackstark.
I'm not convinced it is ultimately better than its predecessors, green and Out of Time, but its certainly a mix of brilliant singles and well thought out modern folk album tracks.
R.E.M. was one of those bands I grew up listening to, but not on purpose. I feel like they were all over the radio and MTV, and their sound is so specific to my 90's memories. I've always loved Michael Stipe's voice and passion when performing. I feel like they get lumped in to a category with U2 Counting Crows - but somehow they feel less cheesy? This was a quality listen, and I'm looking forward to diving more in to the discography. I may not always be in the mood for this kind of music, but it definitely has its place. ** Changing my 4 star rating to 5 because I've had this album on repeat all weekend. Can't stop, and it gets better with each listen. "Man On The Moon" is a stand out highlight, it is so fun to sing a long with. Might need to add it to my Karaoke repertoire. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" is another great one. So, to change my review...I am always in the mood for this, and it'll have it's place as one of my newly considered all-time favorite albums.
This takes me back to my teens. Love REM.
What a rock solid trcord. I totally get the hype and the love this gets. Hot take. Don’t love man on the moon. Never have. Past that though, really really great 5 stars
The deepest dwelling moodiness. The true emo. I need to be in the right mood for it but this is great.
Automatic for almost making me cry
Excellent. Less rocky than their earlier stuff, but it showcases a band at the top of their game. Sure, everyone remembers Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon, but Drive, Sweetness Follows, and Nightswimming, among others, deserve more recognition. Do yourself a favour and check it out.
A solid album all around. Every song has its merits.
★★★★★★
5- Stars (13/15)
Gillar man inte det här kan man dra. Kanske bland det bästa som någonsin gjorts. Solklar 5.
Ja det här är ju en no brainer. En nästan perfekt skiva. Det är grym musik. Så ska det låta.
Enastående bra skiva och tillsammans med Out of time R.E.M:s absoluta peak. Mästerverk.
Beautifully produced. Great songwriting
One of my all time favourite albums. Perfection.
Great album.
Okay, so some of these songs are a little played but this album is more than 30 years old and it still holds up. Everybody hurts is the song that everyone will absolutely need at some point in their life. 5/5
Such a great album the early catalogue is a tough grind… testament to a band that sticks with it and then knocks it out of the park after 10 years
I was an early adopter of REM. Amazing to see them rise from mumbling indie to stadium fillers. this is all class. Enough hits and mellow album tracks, easy 5
Love this one.
I have a sweet spot for that one for 2 main reasons : I love the 90s REM, so fresh, catchy and uplifting. This album was played a lot at home when I was young. This music is forever etched in my mind.
I think this was my favorite R.E.M. album
Classic. A nice reminder.
It's a masterpiece. Emotionally beautiful. I can't think of any flaws. Everybody Hurts is always poignant and will forever carry importance to me. Nightswimming also haunts me for reasons I don't even know why. I think that shows the magic of this record. Try Not To Breathe and Sweetness Follows are two great deep cuts too. I recommend this wholeheartedly.
A true blockbuster we have here. One of the best bands over the past 40 years at a real prime Goldilocks point in their career delivering a most immaculate set of songs that are in turn barnstorming, anthemic, magisterial, soul-stirring, moody and cinematic. All in all a deeply boppy, powerful and life-affirming combo. Man On The Moon and Nightswimming are two incredible iconic hits packed near the end but elegiac closer Find The River is such a blissful, heavenly and moving send-off that just sneaks it as my favourite track with the richly tender and beautiful Sweetness Follows up there as well. A very easy and very automatic 5 stars.
My favorite REM album.
Incredible album with so many gorgeous songs. Will always favor the first three REM albums because of when and how I first heard them, but Automatic for the People is a perfect record from beginning to end.
a couple weak spots but an easy 5 stars
Best album ever
This is 1 of the albums that I am most personally connected to. Was already a R.E.M. fan when it came out. It came out at a time in my life where it was just so relevant and supportive and I pretty much lived and listened consistently for 8 to 10 months. Have loved it ever since and always revisit often. It’s just as vital today when put I put it on and ended listening to continuously all day. 5 star, love the music, the songs, the sound, 1 of my all time favourite records.
Classic
The softer songs are this band's strong suit, and this album has a lot of them. R.E.M. is always good but I think there's enough memorable songs here to make this one great
“Everybody Hurts” Took me right back to my middle school angst. Forgot how good this album is.
I was surprised by how political, and in a very contemporarily appropriate way, some of these songs were. I was already familiar with the radio singles and expected to give this record 3 or 4 stars. Hearing it in its entirety was a pleasant surprise- it was all better than I expected.
As a fan of their original albums, this work showcases how talented and mature they have become as artists. From casually jangly to incredibly intense introspective lyrics, you take a ride on this collection of songs.
After hearing R.E.M.'s sonic and lyrical evolution from Document to Green, and skipping over Out of Time, we reached what can be considered the proverbial top of the band's catalog. Originally intended to be an album full of fast hard rockers, the band instead wrote and recorded a collection of mostly acoustic-driven ballads save for a few rockers. This intimate sound is further amplified by more orchestral compositions such as the use of string arrangements from Led Zeppelin's bassist John Paul Jones on songs like the opener "Drive" and "Everybody Hurts", and the cello from Knox Chandler on "Sweetness Follows" and "Monty Got a Raw Deal". The result is some of the most organically pleasant songs I've heard from this band thus far. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the regular rock tracks "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Ignoreland" and certainly "Man on the Moon", but the ballads elevated this album and made it stand out compared to their prior work. Aiding with the serene nature of Automatic for the People are Michael Stipe's lyrics, which have greatly improved to take on darker and more brooding themes. Whether it's the musings on death for "Find the River", "Try Not to Breathe" and "Sweetness Follows", the yearning desire to maintain positivity on "Everybody Hurts", the difficulty in looking forward as the past still haunts on "Monty Got a Raw Deal", Michael showcased a more earnest pursuit for reflection and emotional connections. There are a few songs that break up the wallow with some needed levity such as the political rant towards the Reagan and Bush administrations on "Ignoreland", the tribute to late-night entertainer Andy Kaufman on "Man on the Moon", and the cartoonish payphone scenario in "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite". For as much as Michael's lyrics get cryptic, there was a lot of evocative imagery and contemplation utilized effectively here. Overall, I was genuinely pleased with Automatic for the People. I'm glad I witnessed how R.E.M. evolved as a group to achieve such a resonant work.
A cult band grows up and makes a mature album that is a masterpiece of human emotion and sophisticated folk pop.
Great!
<3
Somewhat melancholy, but many great songs on this album.
Automatic For The People by R.E.M. is a timeless classic that showcases the band's unique ability to blend evocative lyricism with poignant melodies. The album's lyrical content is raw and straightforward, often delving into themes of loss, mortality, and introspection with an honesty that resonates deeply. Tracks like "Everybody Hurts" and "Nightswimming" exemplify this directness, offering listeners a haunting yet beautiful reflection on life's complexities. R.E.M.'s artistry in this album not only solidifies its status as a quintessential work of the '90s but also cements its relevance across generations, making it a must-listen for anyone seeking profound musical experiences.
Absolute banger right here. Had me screaming EVERYBODY HURTS SOMETIMES!!
Very emotional rock. Hits right in the feels
This is a piece of art and is the definition of a classic album. I don’t listen to it often but when I do I’m never disappointed
It is a general consensus among music critics that "Automatic for the People" is one of REM's best albums.
Right back to college fun
Im super happy that we got another REM album. When we listened to Murmur, it was a little revelation for me. I knew REM was great, but I had never scratched beneath the surface Automatic For The People was also fantastic. This album has depth, hits, instrumental and an ideal length (which is not a joke to me 🤣) My personal take: some of the songs felt a little too Gordon Lightfoot like to me - Sweetness Follows and Try Not To Breathe. Projecting a little, but this album was roughly a decade after Murmur and it sounds like the band’s direction went into some serious places. Drive, Sidewinder, Everybody Hurts, New Orleans, Ignoreland, Man On The Moon were great tracks. All in all, its hard not to give this a 5. Its very much a 4.25 for me and notably less listenable than Murmur
A mellow masterpiece that gets better with each listen. I love this version of R.E.M. as much as their 80s college rock roots. It’s evolved and more accessible but still goes to places musically and lyrically that other contemporaries did not. I’ve always loved the little laugh from Stipe in Sidewinder. He said they added Sidewinder to relieve listeners of the slow and heavy tone of the rest of the album, but he thinks it’s too light and sounds out of place. Going from Sidewinder to Everybody Hurts is a pretty comical transition. Interesting note that JPJ did the string arrangements on a few of these tracks. Monty is probably the weakest track, but this is a nearly perfect album. Last three tracks, River especially, is such a great way to end this thing.
5 stars! This album takes me back to my senior year in high school.
Every song on here is good and a lot of them are great. I was reminded by listening to Green the other week what a fab band REM were and this just cements it.
Really good
Great album.
Tomorrow is Inauguration Day in the U.S. (and coincidentally MLK Day, which I guess won't happen again until 2053). Ignoreland is hitting hard right now: "TV tells a million lies / The paper's terrified to report / Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon / I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this / So, fuck you, man (fuck 'em)" and "I know that this is vitriol / No solution, spleen-venting / But I feel better having screamed / Don't you?" This is a wonderful album. I could listen to it over and over, and I have. I find it profoundly comforting, which is nice right now.
Favourite tracks - Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming
My god, this album is perfect.
One of the classic albums of the 90s. Everybody Hurts, sidewinder sleeps tonight, man on the moon and Nightswimming all highlights on brilliant album.
Awesome album Standout songs: Drive Sweetness Follows Ignoreland
Biased cause we had the CD--perfect alt rock album imo
A 10/10 record - 'Nightswimming' might be the most beautiful song ever.
R.E.M.’s biggest record is filled with desperate songs about death and mourning. Who else can sell 18 million copies of an album containing mandolin and songs like “Star Me Kitten”? This is also further proof that John Paul Jones is a secret, deadly weapon to any album he’s credited on.
Had a big REM phase when younger - lovely xx
0007 / 27.12.2024 Finally, it gave me an album that I actually planned to listen to! It also just so happens to be absolutely beautiful Choruses - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Mixing - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Lyrics - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Vocals - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Instrumentation - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Rating: 100 Highlights: Drive; The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite; Everybody Hurts; Sweetness Follows; Ignoreland; Find the River Lowlights: N/A
Great album
One of my all time favourite albums.
“Nightswimming” is just a nostalgic bath for me. I just love letting it wash over me. “Man on the Moon” is also so impossibly good. R.E.M. didn’t write bad songs or make bad records — they’re all great — but I think this is them at their very best. Just such a perfect album.
one of the first cds i ever owned, but this was the first time i've listened to it in maybe 20 years, and though i'd reach for murmur, new adventures in hi-fi or up most days, i can't deny this might be their best set of songs, and the band never sounded better. but what struck me this spin was how formative and album this was for me in the late 90s. it not only acted as a gateway to lots of indie and college rock, but michael stipe offered a model of masculinity i could relate to and hadn't seen before. so yeah, maybe i am who i am in part because of this record.
I like the overall vibe of this album. Very chill, and great sound for it's time (early 90s). Great album but not quite amazing. 4.5/5 so I rounded up.
Really good stuff.
great
One of my favorite albums of all time. Love this record. Looooooooooove. Talk about a mood, a vibe. This has got a ton of incredible examples of songwriting, performances, everything. This is a record. A recording of a moment in time for the band. The lyrics, the atmosphere, it captures perfectly where they were and that is what allows connection through music.
Entre el 88 y el 92 publicaron 3 de los mejores discos de la música. Este fue de los más reconocidos, con canciones realmente buenas como Drive, Everybody hurts o Man in the moon. Otras son simplemente perfectas como Nightswimming o Find the river. Por el medio, la calidad no baja del notable alto o sobresaliente: Star me kitten, The sidewinder..., Ignoreland. A mi me sigue gustando más Out of time, pero este es el mejor disco de una de las bandas realmente indispensables de la música de los últimos 40 años por calidad, coherencia o respeto. Otros discos del 92: Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of…, Sonic Youth- Dirty, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - El león, Sugar - Copper Blue , Barry Adamson - Soul Murder , Lou Reed - Magic and Loss, Beat Happening - You Turn Me On, Pale Saints- In Ribbons, Red House Painters- Down Colorful Hill, Lush- Spooky, Mr. Fingers - Introduction, Leonard Cohen - The Future, Tom Waits - Bone Machine, Inner City - Praise, The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury , , Dr. Dre - The Chronic , Wish- The Cure, Dirt- Alice in chains, Angel dust- Faith no more, Harvest Moon- Neil Young, Dry- PJ Harvey, Sweet Oblivion- Screeming Trees, Palomine- Bettie Serveert, Slanted and enchanted- Pavement, Erotica- Madonna, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion- The Black Crowes, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!- 4 Non Blondes, Check Your Head - Beastie Boys, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE- RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, Tourism- Roxette, MANÁ: ¿DÓNDE JUGARÁN LOS NIÑOS?, GUN: GALLUS, Love symbol- Prince, Joaquín Sabina- Física o química, Kitchens of Distinction- The Death of Cool, Albert Pla- No sólo de rumba vive el hombre, Surfin' Bichos- Hermanos carnales, Kiko Veneno- Échate un cantecito, Balas blancas- Barricada, Sangre española- Manolo Tena, Khaled- Khaled, Morphine - Good, THE JAYHAWKS - Hollywood town hall, LOS DEL-TONOS - Bien, mejor, LEMONHEADS - It's a shame about ray, WILLY DEVILLE - Backstreets of desire, BUFFALO TOM - Let me come over, SOUL ASYLUM - Grave dancers union, LUNA - Lunapark, Nick Cave: Henry's Dream, RIDE- GOING BLACK AGAIN, AFGHAN WHIGS- CONGREGATION, MORRISSEY- YOUR ARSENAL, Lovedeluxe- Sade, Diva- Annie Lennox, El Guardaespaldas...
Outstanding
I needed this today
An album that feels so essential and eternal, it's hard to believe that for eight years of my life, this didn't exist. It shows every side of REM to their max, from the foreboding rock of Drive, to the sweet sensibilities of Sidewinder to the lush beauty of Everybody Hurts. It just ever so slightly dips in the middle, with the overly long instrumental and Monty Got A Raw Deal. But the last four songs are absolutely tremendous, and Nightswimming is the most amazing tearjerker of a song. The whole album reminds me of family holidays, old friends and the formation of my music tastes. It's good, is what I'm saying.
4/5 but I will go with a 5 in this instance.
I tend to be drawn to R.E.M.s earlier albums moreso, but this really shows their natural progression in songwriting, production, and just overall talent. They had garnered a lot of attention and financial backing when this was released and it shows. A pretty much perfect album.
amazing as hell
Classic, but I can't make it through everybody hurts without a few tears.
Great listening, wonderful memories ;-)
I really can't separate 'Out of Time' and 'Automatic for the People' in my mind. The two albums together represent the peak of R.E.M. The former is the poppier one but 'Automatic' is arguably their best and their most confident record. At this point, indie rock had really arrived thanks in large part to R.E.M. who took the post punk and new wave of the previous decades and crested something uniquely 90s. Some of the most classic songs of the era are here, including 'Everybody Hurts', 'Man on the Moon', and 'Night Swimming'. The production is perfect, with string arrangements from Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. This is one of the most significant albums of the 90s and holds up perfectly.
One of REM's best albums. Absolutely phenomenal. Favourite songs: Man on the Moon, Nightswimming, Everybody Hurts, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Drive, Ignoreland, Monty Got a Raw Deal Least favourite songs: Star Me Kitten 5/5
Pre-listening thoughts: I have had this album saved in my library for MONTHS with the intention to listen to it but just totally forgot to do it and then it got buried underneath other listens. But veryyyy excited for this one!! Post/during listening thoughts: I can’t really pinpoint why I enjoy this (and R.E.M. in general) but I do. Maybe it’s the fantastic songwriting/lyricism. Maybe it’s the enchanting instrumentation. Maybe it’s the kind yet pointed tone and familiarity of Michael Stipe’s voice. Hell, maybe it’s the Cat in the Hat mention in The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite. But it is definitely a fantastic album. 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: yeah sorry like everyone should for sure hear Nightswimming Fav tracks: this is a no skip album (yes even the instrumental!) Least fav tracks:
One of their best for sure
So much emotion in every song. Absolutely brilliant! 10/10. Nightswimming is one of my favorite songs of all time.
Solid 5*
This is my favorite REM album. I own it on CD somewhere and listened to it a ton in middle school/early-high school (I never owned any other REM albums, I genuinely don't know why I got this one...). I haven't listened to it in years though, so it was nice to revisit it! I'm pleasantly surprised to still remember all of the songs and lyrics. Nostalgic, but in a way that holds up.
Definitely a 90s classic. Personally Out of time is my favourite, but this comes a close second. It's good to revisit the album in full. Everybody Hurts got overplayed at the time, but wouldn't say that if the best song; the whole album works as a complete work and recommend giving it a respin if you haven't I'm a while. 5/5
R.E.M. somehow solidified their place in history with this album. True to their roots, innovative, and somehow accessible. I love every song.
I listened to this constantly back and forth on the subway in high school. It holds up.
One of my all-time favorites.
A stately, austere, reflective triumph from one of the best rock bands our country has ever produced
Absolute class
Great listen. I am a fan.
Without a properly focused listen I feel like R.E.M. can sometimes be easily written off as overrated. The emotional depth, both musically and lyrically, is so dense sometimes it’s easy to miss it all. I don’t think I ever really listened to Everybody Hurts so intently, but it is such a beautiful song. This album is full of riches, many of which only reveal themselves after multiple listens. Try Not to Breathe, Sweetness Follows, Man on the Moon, all so so good. This album really is as great as people say.
Drive is one of my favorites and Nightswimming is great
All bangers
I love this album. I first heard it aged 14 or 15, making my way through my parents’ cd collection. Back then I had a habit of listening to an album on my Walkman, in bed, to help me get to sleep. Lying there in the dark noticing every detail of the music. This was one of my favourites from doing that. Lemme tell you, it was such a joy to come back to it 15 years later and find I love it even more. Not a single track I’d be inclined to skip. Is it uncool to like REM? I don’t know and I don’t care, this slaps as the kids say these days. ;)
Iconic. Classic. Fantastic. Excellent. Will only let me go to 5 stars!!!!
Just had War by U2 a few days back and just like that album, this has also been one of my favorites for decades. I remember walking around my high school with a burned copy and listening to it on my Discman. Also, Find The River has to be one of the best album closing tracks EVER.
I forgot how good this is. So, so good.
I’m stunned at how good this is. I’m as surprised as anyone about this.
Deb : Gorgeous, soulful album; easy to listen to. Beautiful melodies & strong lyrics. I recognise a good number of the songs from (too many) years ago! Sian : I was obsessed with this album when it came out and it remains an absolute gem.
A classic album filled to the brim with song that will scratch your brain just right.
Everything just comes together here. The songwriting, production, the overall mood & emotion. Heck, we've even got the legendary John Paul Jones on some arrangements here. It's a pretty somber record when you peel things back a bit; complete with themes of hopelessness, loss, and mortality, but the aura is unmatched by any other R.E.M. record. I get a sense of nostalgia listening to this, despite it releasing before I was born. It commands your attention, you're left ruminating on every string/note from Berry, Buck, and Mills & every word from Stipe. The group really hit their stride here, and that's even including the run of successful albums released before this one. There's less of that familiar R.E.M. jangle pop and more of a ballad-laden, scaled down sound given the melancholic content. Yet, it never feels directionless. It all culminates into (IMO) R.E.M.'s greatest work.
No private session required for Spotify. I used to listen to this CD a lot and really the last REM album I got into. It's a great album, more mellow than their previous work, but good. Three mellow songs from the album got constant radio play, so maybe that is why I strayed away from REM. Early REM epitomized college rock for me, then they had super mainstream success with this one. How dare they?
Amazing
10/10 superb album
Excellent
Amazing album
Wouldn't have thought of this as one of my top REM albums, but after not hearing it for a while, it really ranks way up there. Nightswimming into Find the River had me awash with nostalgia.
love
Skvělé. Album mě bavilo. 9/10
What can I say about his album? It is a classic. I am an REM fan, so maybe this isn’t fair, but it is definitely a 5 star album. So many good songs and so accessible. Probably their most accessible album for casual listeners. just Awesome!!!
Did I already say that REM is a great band? Maybe I did. That's one of the few huge mainstream bands that I don't find overrated; actually I ignored them for too long because they were mainstream and thought there was nothing interesting to get out of them. Every time I listen to one of their records from their golden age, I realize how wrong I was. It's less stripped down and raw than Documents but the arrangements are subtle and everything is great, from the well-carved melodies to Stripe distinctive voice.
Whilst I don’t listen to this album anymore, and it certainly isn’t perfect, I feel it has to be a 5 star. The quality of the songwriting is absolutely superb and there is very little filler. I don’t love all the production choices and his voice is a bit grating but…
This is another album where the most popular song is my least favorite one (in this case, "Everybody Hurts"). The rest of the album is appropriately dreamlike and timeless.
So many great songs! R.E.M. Was such a good band.
One of my favorite albums. I remember listening to it in high school, it was one those albums that "smart" or "deep" people liked. I definitely thought I was those things when listening to it back in the day. Some great songs, Night Swimming is one of my favorites of all time. Going to listen to this one again without a doubt.
masterpiece
Thoughts before listening: For years I thought this was my favorite REM album, but I now think I prefer the early stuff better. There are some great, iconic songs on here, but it tends to drag in places with some slow, boring tracks. Still though this is REM's best 90's album and I am glad to have a reason to listen today. Review: Despite my belief that the earlier more energetic albums from REM are better than this, I can't deny that this is a masterpiece. Its just a largely somber, melancholy masterpiece as opposed to the fun poppy indie rock of their past releases. 5-stars
The album that moved R.E.M. from arenas to stadiums. This album at the hits from it were massive and the album is fantastic for a band that had been going for a long time and always released good albums they deserved the break this album and predessor Out Of Time have them. The album is full of pop, rock and folky gems the hits Drive, Man On the Moon, Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite & Find The River are great Everybody Hurts & Nightswimming are beautiful and the album tracks more than hold their own beside the many hits. Monty Got A Raw Deal, Ignoreland & Star Me Kitten are great and my personal favourite Try Not To Breathe is stunning. What an album
I bet this album hits way harder if you’re depressed
Nightswimming is a masterpiece. Lovely album.
I have it as my 6th favorite album of all time - and the 2nd best of the 90's and #1 in REM's catalog.
Rolig klassisk REM, lyder som en “best of”
He escuchado este disco decenas de veces y me sigue sorprendiendo. Es de lo mejor de ellos.
I really liked this album, wasn't expecting to as much as I did but that's what this journey is all about. Nightswimming hit differently listening to it this time.
One of my favourite albums, Find The River and Man on the Moon two of my favourite songs ever. Regret not seeing them play their own show live but did see them twice at T In The Park.
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Brilliant from top to bottom...first R.E.M. album I ever bought and remains among my favorites from the 90s.
I remember hearing this in Streetside Records, unaware that they had a new album out. I was a huge REM fan but hadn't liked their last 2 albums at all (didn't even buy Out of Time). What a comeback! Not quite as good as Murmur or Reckoning, but still damn good. Their last great album.
classic
Well, it's time for the fourth, and final, R.E.M. album of the list. I'm gonna miss these. I truly had no idea going into Murmur for the first time back in December that I would end up liking them as much as I do. So how is Automatic for the People as a closer on this arc of my life? I think this is the best one yet. While there is still enjoyment to be had, there's a deep layer of emotion in this one. This is most evident in songs like "Everybody Hurts" and "Try Not to Breathe." These songs are supplemented with your more high-energy tracks like "Man on the Moon" and "Ignoreland." That's not to say that one is better than the other. Every song on this album is quite good. But the variety on this album is really something special. Everything else that makes the prior R.E.M. albums great is here and they're arguably better than ever. Everything from the writing to the instrumental talent to Michael Stipe's singing is all spectacular in this album. I can totally see why people say this is R.E.M.'s best album. I can understand why someone might prefer the other albums, but this one is my current favorite. Because of that, I think this warrants a light 5/5.
Ya think they’d be offended if I called them the American Smiths? Arguably their masterpiece. Every song on it (ok, fine, after 30+ years I’ll admit it, even “Everybody Whines”) is better than good; it’s like its own little journey of a story.
Incredible album. I ended up Spotify-liking 9 of the tracks, and they were NOT the popular ones (which I also like but were overplayed).
Funny to have this and Siamese Dream back-to-back, since I probably bought both tapes on the same day. I know real REM fans would fight me on those, but this gets my vote for their best album. If for no other reason than nostalgia.
REM is nice
Introspective and yearning masterpiece
I'm going for the 5. This album is stacked with critical hits and is a beautifully composed album. 1992 alternative music peak
I’d forgotten how much this album was part of my life growing up. Like visiting an old friend. Apart from the big hitting singles there’s some wonderful album tracks - ignoreland from example really rocks
This is one of my all-time favorite albums and may be the album I’ve listened to from start to finish more than any other. Songs about death and aging and loss and anger and whatever “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” is about. There are artists who do things different than what REM was doing better than this, but REM is the best there is at what they do. I love this album like an old friend.
Cool album, the only song I had added to my library was Everybody Hurts. Mix of fast paced and slow paced songs. Definitely everything has a very R.E.M sound.
Excellent
Forgot how awesome this record is. Hits are hidden among soulful and sweet and sonically luscious tracks. Absolute solid gold.
Another classic from REM
Essential 90s monster album of awesome. Probably the best REM album - top to tail. Everybody Hurts is the 90s equivalent to You Can’t Always Get What You Want. If we’re comparing apples to dem apples, 5 stars isn’t hard to fathom.
Absolutely loving it, have discovered in this an artist and album which I will listen to for years
Simple as that, 5 stars. Perfect. Night swimming would need six stars.
Probably their most accomplished album in terms of the strength of each song.
Hugely powerful and understated, this is a late masterpiece and refreshing new chapter from a legendary band that already had well and truly confirmed a first-rate legacy. The album is masterfully constructed with nary a misplaced note. The strings and winds are beautifully and judiciously used, complementing the yearning, often pleading vocals. This might be peak Stipe, too – a master class in fully realized rock vocalizing and mature art-making; he shows great range and versatility, from the jokey “Sidewinder,” which he delivers with abandon, to the sweet tenderness of “Night Swimming,” to the resigned acceptance (yet still hopeful) “Find the River.” The organ beds on early songs set the tone of wistful sadness and moderated joy. So many terrific cuts – and the best known in this case are the actual best, “Drive,” “Sidewinder,” and “Man on the Moon” – but there’s no filler at all and every track holds up well and distinctly within the a coherent and impressive whole. Given the richness and sheer beauty of Automatic and the precipitous fall in quality on the records that followed, one can be forgiven for wishing that this was the swansong.
Loved every second
An absolute classic. I LOVE this album.
Favourite tracks: everybody hurts; sidewinder sleeps tonite; drive; ignorant; man on the moon; nightswimming
Fantastic album
Automatic for the People is the eighth studio album from REM, which many regard to be the band's best work. This collection of songs includes more ballads than the band's previous material, and incorporates string sections, contributing to the band's somber, serious tendencies. This collection of songs showcases Michael Stipe's rich voice, and the band's collective songwriting abilities. REM dominated 80s and 90s pop and alt-rock charts, and this album is full of beautiful, engaging pop songs that can explain that dominance.
Great that I "had to" listen to this album again since a long time. One of the more intimate REM ones, and I love it (I also love their earlier work). Lots of fabulous songs and the opening track (Drive)... superb as are Night Swimming, Everybody Hurts and pretty much the entire album.