Automatic For The People

Muy depre y no en el buen sentido. Aunque me sirve Everybody Hurts. Nota: 3.2

Æ like det mens æ høre på det, og så fort det e ferdigspilt e æ også ferdigtenkt.

Послушал дважды. Послушаю ещё не один раз, кажется, этот альбом не так прост.

Lindo álbum. Buenas canciones. Transmiten nostalgia y melancolía. Bajon del lindo. No me llegó tanto, pero se lo disfrutó a primera escucha. 6/10

Not one of my favorite R.E.M albums but it does have two great bangers on there. Just like I've never had a bad pizza I've never heard an R.E.M album I did not like.

Not what I usually go for but did enjoy

This REM album sounds like other REM albums. Some decent acoustic cuts, some annoying whiny piano type songs. Not really my thing but OK. Low 3.

Lot of bangers on this..

Obsessed with this honestly Playlist add: "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight"

One of my three favorite albums of all time, can't recommend it highly enough. It's beautiful, it's sad, it's dark, it's uplifting. Just perfect in every single way.

Came out when I was in college. Still remember how hot we all thought the girl in the Man on the Moon video was lol As an early fan of Reckoning, Murmer, DLO...this album kind of hit as pretty "mid" to me at the time. On relisten I am struck by how pretty a lot of the songs are (Everybody Hurts of course, but also Sidewinder and others) but its kind of "oh yeah that's nice" not "oh yeah let me slide that back in the rotation".

I bought this CD at a used record store while traveling home to Salt Lake for the weekend. When I hear "Drive," I think of flying down I-84 back to Boise in the middle of the night. Pretty perfect for that sort of thing. R.E.M. is beguiling to me, because they're kind of the platonic ideal of a great alternative rock band, and I'm an alternative guy. But most of their songs fail to hit me in the chest. I love the pure buoyancy of their early jangle pop records and the moody ruminations of "Sweetness Follows" and the aforementioned opener. But their sunny radio staples like "Man on the Moon" feel kind of limp and dated, which is a bummer since that's sort of their signature sound. But AftP is a dope left turn to make after a huge commercial breakout and there's enough to make it their most interesting record.

Quite nice album really enjoy it but there was nothing spectacular about it

i think this is a great album, the problem is it took me 3 days to listen through...i don't know WHY it took me so long, but i guess this just means i personally didn't enjoy it THAT much.

REM cranks out some pretty solid hits, but I've never really been over the moon about their stuff. Although I've definitely listened to "Everybody Hurts" at a few low points in my life and made many feeble attempts at singing along with "It's the End of the World as We Know it." Also making a song about comedian Andy Kaufman was an interesting choice, but works surprisingly well.

The album was pretty good but I was in a bad mood for it.

Muito bom, está no meu acervo pessoal

Fav- everybody hurts 3/5

definitely something my mom would play in the car...

A lot of pleasant songs

Pas mal. Un peu répétitif quand même c’est sympa en musique de fond

Listened to like an hour and it's the most boring shit i've ever heard in my life i'm so sorry to thr musicians who made this but it makes me feel nothing

Evvveeerrrryyyyybody hurts.... especially when my ears have to endure this song (this song ruined all R.E.M. for me for a very long time).

Beautiful album that displays a large range of expression and nails everything it goes for. It’s like a culmination and celebration of the human experience. It’s just so well done.

Good. Amazing!

Amazing from front to back!

A classic, it easily stands the test of time for the meaningful messages it provides

Not the best REM album or my favorite one, but still solid.

My favourite REM record

its a lot slower, but i still really liked it. very good songs.

Sone great songs on here, Drive, Try not to Breathe Sweetness Follows and Find the River are my favourites. As much as I love this album, it doesn't make it into my top 5 REM albums.

I do enjoy this wven thiugh I'm not a big REM fan

Not usually a fan of R.E.M., but this was a good one. Very nice sounds and the vocals were not as annoying as I remember. It has some bluegrass elements mixed with the quintessential soft rock sound that R.E.M. is known for. This was a surprisingly likeable record.

Loved this when it came out!

Le doy un 6,5 porque no está mal, suena bien y me gusta el tipo de efectos que utilizan, la voz y la mística del álbum, pero en cierto punto me aburre porque no es algo que rompe con todo y marca la diferencia (pero sí es distinto al resto). Además, es bastante lenta a comparación de lo que acostumbro a escuchar.

Pretty decent. Usually in an album where I only know like one or two of the songs I end up liking the other tracks more when I finally hear the whole thing, but I really don't think any of them appeal to me quite as much as Man On The Moon.

Was originally a 4 star album but then i remembered that Nightswimming is on this album so that alone makes it a 5 star album. idk i don't make the rules

Shoutout Weaver D's (which is closed now, sadly)! This album was great, and I forgot this was twelve whole years into R.E.M.'s career. Everybody Hurts is beautiful, and the rest are just so amazing. Stipe's voice is great to listen to, and I love the instrumentation throughout here. There's so much creativity in this record, and I'm excited to hear more R.E.M. on this list. Favorites: Try Not To Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon, Nightswimming, Find The River

Not my favorite REM record, but this would also be 99% of bands' magnum opus so.... I must remember to not grade on a curve. REM is just so cool, man. They became one of the biggest bands on the planet but never lost what made them who they were. One of the rare acts that even the mainstream couldn't deny because they were so singular. This is a near perfect record (Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite is a goof that doesn't belong though sure is catchy). It's crazy that they were even better than this.

It definitely had good songs but not my cup of tea

Hyvien ja kiinnostavien levyjen putki se vain jatkuu. Tykkään R.E.M.:istä ja tämä taitaa olla heidän paras levynsä. Kaikki biisit ovat hyviä ja monet jopa loistavia.

Clasiquitos y tal pero flojea porque acaba sonando repetitivo, que no mal. Un poco condicionada por la racha que llevo.

this was so goddamn depressing

starting to get really sick of rock ngl.. trying to remain objective bc songs are okay but had a hard time getting through it

My dad listened to this in the car all the time so most songs were familiar, didn’t like the third track so much

very solid, beautiful writing. 3.5 stars

A little bit boring, vocals a bit whiney and samey, but not bad. Not as much punch as I might have hoped for.

boredom for the people. igual me gustaron los violines (creo q era un violin).

R.E.M. is an interesting group. They were college rock, or alt-rock, or whatever genre they were back in the day. They weren’t metal, so I wasn’t buying a lot of R.E.M. albums as a kid. However, I noticed that just about all of their singles were great. I’m not sure I ever listened to this album before, but I think I have gone back and listened to a few of their albums in the last 20 years or so. I do see this album has Man on the Moon, a great song, and Everybody Hurts, which is a good song, but not a favorite of mine. I’m excited to jump into this. I thought this album might have been at the end of their career as a band, but it seems it was just the middle. The album was released in 1992, my senior year in high school. Wow, my calendar is way off in my brain. This was their 8th album, and they were starting to climb toward their peak. Track 1 is Drive and it was the first single off the album. I vaguely remember it. The song was a hit on the alt-rock chart and a top 30 Billboard Hot 100 song. Wow! John Paul Jones, you know, the bassist for a little-known band called Led Zeppelin, was the orchestral arranger on this song and all the songs with an orchestra. The song really gets huge-sounding when the strings come in. The song is about kids taking charge of their lives, as in you don’t just have to do what you’re told to do your whole life. Very beautiful song with some loud moments. Track 2 is Try Not To Breathe and it sounds like an R.E.M. song. Singer Michael Stipe has a very distinctive voice. You always know it's him singing. I feel like his voice was one of the voices of the 1990s. And while they weren’t a punk band, they were still sticking it to the man. Just with mandolins and acoustic guitars. This is a really great song. I feel like I’ve heard it, but it may be because it’s an R.E.M. song and it has that feel. Track 3 is The Sidwinder Sleeps Tonight and it was the third single from the album, but I’m not sure I remember it. It’s a bit more rock-sounding than the previous two songs. It has a beautiful organ playing in the background, and there are some actual electric guitars in this one. The chorus sounds a bit familiar. It wasn’t a big hit in the U.S., it seems. Apparently, this song has one of the most misheard lyrics, according to a survey in the United Kingdom. It’s a good song, I can see why it was a single. Track 4 is the song most people know from this album, besides maybe Man on the Moon, and it’s Everybody Hurts. I remember seeing this video on MTV every half an hour. This was the fourth single of the album. Man, for an alt band, they sure did release a ton of singles. Though this was the alt-rock era, I guess. It’s amazing how I thought this had to be a huge number one song, but it actually didn’t perform as well on the charts as I assumed. It was a top 20 song, but never got to the top 10. It’s a great song, if a little depressing. It’s kind of giving me the same vibes Bowie’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide does. The part where Bowie begins screaming, “You’re not alone!” Everybody Hurts also kind of builds to the Hold on part like, Bowie’s song did. I wonder if Bowie provided any inspiration? JPJ again arranged the strings on this song. JPJ is so underrated out of all the Led Zep guys. He’s the glue guy of that outfit. Track 6 is Sweetness Follows and for some reason, it gives me a bit of a nautical vibe. Like I’m sailing in the open seas while this is playing. Amazing cello being played on this one. It’s essentially the main instrument. I love this song. I almost missed the organ playing in the background. Now we have a guitar solo? An electric one at that? It’s not a face melter, but it works well with the song. It’s almost just all feedback and distortion. I wouldn’t have thought twice about releasing this as a single, but it’s not a pop song. Track 7 is called Monty Got a Raw Deal, and it sounds like an old English traditional song with a mandolin or an acoustic guitar. I can’t be sure at first. It’s neither, turns out it’s a bouzouki, which looks like a long-necked lute. So, it’s kind of a combo guitar/mandolin? Why was I so afraid of R.E.M. back in my teenage years? This is another great song. I probably couldn’t appreciate it at that age. Track 8 is Ignoreland and it’s a rock song. It’s got electric guitars and a harmonica. But it also has a cello present. It’s amazing R.E.M. became so big. They played by their own rules and made music that shouldn’t have really been popular, just by the instruments they played. But their songwriting was so good, they couldn’t be denied. This song is in what was referred to as “Neil Young’s tuning.” Cinnamon Girl was given as an example of that tuning. One critic described Ignoreland as hair-metalish. Not sure I’d go so far, but it definitely does rock. Track 10 is Man on the Moon and I love this song. Besides just being a good song, it’s about Andy Kaufman. I almost said comedian Andy Kaufman, but he didn’t like that title as he wasn’t a joke teller per se, he was an agitator. This was a top 5 song for R.E.M. It’s a beautiful tribute to a very complicated man. Plus, Classy Freddie Blassie gets a namecheck. This song has an almost old school, desert, country sound to it. Great track and probably my favorite on the album. Track 11 is called Nightswimming, and it was the fifth official single, though not in the U.S. It has a very Here Comes the Sun riff in there. It’s just a piano and strings with Stipe singing. It’s supposedly based on either a wacky security guard or skinny dipping in pools after the clubs closed in Athens, Georgia. Oh, an oboe just made its first appearance on the album. This song gives me Carole King vibes. Just a beautiful, somewhat sad, song. Track 12 is Find the River and it’s the last single from the album, though it seems again, it was only released in the U.K. No drums, just acoustic guitars, piano, and harmonica for the most part. R.E.M. uses simple instruments, yet makes their songs sound so big. It’s genius. What a great album. I can see why this would be on the 1,001 albums list. There isn’t a bad song on here, and all the songs sound like they could be singles. I’d highly recommend everyone to spend some time with this album. I think it will brighten your day.

Ignoreland was... interesting. Hurt is a classic. Overall the album is a bit more sad than my preference. I did enjoy the orchestra and piano pieces.

Bastante heavy no like all apologies safa

may need to re-listen

annoying. best song is the one where he isn’t singing Fav tracks: Drive; New Orleans Instrumental No. 1

Like

I’ve got a real soft spot for REM. There’s so many great tracks on this album- it reminds me of a time in the era of excellent an weird movies that came out just before we found out the truth about weinstein.

There’s some nice guitar tones in this album and of course ‘Everybody hurts’ is a timeless track but nothing else sparked much feeling.

Drive: la escena donde el protagonista se rinde y se queda solo me gustó man on the moon le doy un 7/10 xq algunas me parecieron muy depre

Ascoltare l'album intero mi ha fatto (ma solo un poco) vincere la repulsione che ho per i REM.

Objectively, this is great music, but for the life of me, I just can't connect with it for some reason. The melodies are great, the lyrics too, I don't know. Maybe it's the singer's voice?

2.5/5 Can’t stand his voice.

- best songs: Man on The Moon, Everybody Hurts (reminded me of House MD)

Very enjoyable

true classic album

8/10 Enjoyed the songs, lyrics were underwhelming. Ignoreland was albums best

losing my religi

I liked this album. Easy to listen to and good sound.

Yeah R.E.M. can sound a bit gloomy from time to time, but I would never call any of their music outright depressing until Automatic for the People. This album is crushing compared to some of the more lighthearted released the band had put out in their past, and it shows just as much in the instrumentation as it does in the writing department. Stipe comes off as borderline pleading at times with just how broken he sounds, and yet he somehow makes it sound so god damn catchy. Every song, even the New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 gets you in such a sensitive place and holds you there as you get sucked down this dark hole the band was trapped in for all 48 minutes of this album. It is incredible how easy this album can shift your mood and enthrall you in an existential crisis of sorts all by your own willpower. Even with that being said, R.E.M. also manages to make this an album full of catchy tunes which I don't think I will ever truly be able to comprehend and yet somehow it is here. It shouldn't take me to tell you this is a classic, just listen for yourself and it will be hard to deny it. Nuff said.

a flawless piece of art

Really enjoyed this and plan to revisit 4 stars

2.5

One of the classic midlife crisis albums.

love it

Una grata sorpresa escuchar este álbum el día de hoy, me gustó bastante y es una gran manera de comenzar la semana, no sabía mucho de ellos y su música, pero me parece de gran calidad.

Not my favorite R.E.M. album, but it is very good. The standout for me has always been Nightswimming (Stipe's voice on this always got me), but the album is full of great songs.

I think there are better REM albums but that doesn’t mean I don’t like this one! Not in the top bc a little slow/downbeat for my tastes

Me gustó como para escucharlo en un viaje

Esta bueno. Tiene temas muy tranquilos. Lindas armonias y la voz de el es espectacular.

Not a whole lot to say about this one, its pretty solid I especially like the instrumentation. Some of the songs were slightly annoying (everybody hurts) but in general I enjoyed the listening experience.

I really enjoyed this. I liked the slightly weepy vocals and use of acoustic instruments. I especially liked Try Not to Breathe. It helped me get through the drive with Violet's grandma, so for that, I am forever grateful.

Rating: 3.5/5 Favorite song(s): perhaps Try Not to Breathe Review: I was honestly not very familiar with R.E.M. before this. I knew their hits, liked some of them, was annoyed by others, but didn’t really know what to expect from this album. In a lot of ways, it was better than I expected. The instrumentation was interesting, though the lyrics and vocalization sometimes came off a bit trite. There were some cool riffs and good musicianship throughout. I still dislike “Everybody Hurts.” It somehow manages to disrupt an otherwise pretty good rock record with a weird ballad that gives kinda vapid Peter Gabriel vibes. I’m kind of torn on the rating here. I feel like a lot of qualities of this album make it deserve a 4, but this is my personal rating system after all. I don’t see myself re-listening to any of these songs, despite whatever more objective artistic value they may hold. I just can’t give higher than a 3 to something I don’t ever think I’ll seek out again, but it is a pretty solid album. Listen again?: No

awesome

great álbum but not mi vocal vibe

Excellent

I never felt super groovy with this or excited, but when it ended, I was totally happy to just keep listening to the random REM music that amazon autoplayed. Going to consider that a good sign.

speechless

Uplifting and different

There's a couple of really high highs. "Sweetness Follows" is one of my favorite songs (not just on the album), and "Man On the Moon" is excellent. However, they aren't enough to raise the entire album to anything more than average for me.

prima

First time listening to an R.E.M. album front to back. 's a good album but didn't blow my socks off.

“Drive” is a great opener.

Yup, That is a jolly good album

Ninguna canción te da ganas de seguir escuchando el disco. Igual tampoco es que sea horrible.

3.5/5 It's somewhat enjoyable (and definitely more emotional and stripped down than their other album on here), but I just struggle to understand what impact this album, or even REM in general has on music

A few great songs, but did not appreciate the whole album

did not listen to the full album.

la primer cancion me hizo acordar a pink floyd, después temazo clasico y muy normal

nostalgia

Beautiful songs on this one.

Remember mail order CD clubs? We ordered Automatic for the People from one of those. I bet my parents still have it floating around their CD collection. My parents were the types of people to buy a full album and only play the singles, thus most of this record is a fresh listen. So good! I suppose 10 year old me wouldn’t have appreciated REM anyway.

A classic album with lots of well-know tracks. Some overplayed, which initially made me think I wouldn’t enjoy the album as a whole but fortunately still really enjoyed it. It was nice to listen to the lesser-known tracks.

Meh. Notes deleted dont care about this album enough to type more. Favourite: Everybody Hurts Least favourite: Ignoreland

Pretty good

Good album but not their best.

It's fine. It's a good album. All it does is reinforce my opinion that REM are largely a singles band, with the exception of Murmur. I always rate the production on their stuff though.

First listen of this album from start to finish. So many of these songs formed the soundtrack of my teens yet I would never call myself an REM fan. Just looking at the track listing there are 5 great songs, why have I never bought this album? Will listen again to see if the other songs on the album are worth another play. Final song sounded like Nick Drake at the start.

The song writing is amazing and night swimming is still one of my favorite songs of all time. However, his voice gets to me after awhile

Favorite Song: Everybody Hurts

This is another of my all-time favorite albums. Absolutely brilliant.

I really like Drive. Unfotunately for my taste the rest of the album is not nearly as good.

Omg, še enkrat? To je zj v tretje? And I didn't like the first two. Odlično. (Ok, vsaj po prvem pregledu trackliste, vidim, da je to vsaj album, s kjer poznam tri komade, ki so mi kul, tko da zna bit tole mal boljš?) O ja, bolj uživam v tem albumu kokr k prejšnjih dveh. Oziroma, v tem albumu dejansko uživam. Bolj razgiban, komadi so si dejansko različni med sabo in zapomljivi. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" mi je prou kul. Pa "Star Me Kitten". Itak "Man on the Moon", pa "Nightswimming". "Find the River" je čudovit. Fajn album.

Saw them live, and really enjoyed them when they were just getting popular. They had an energy and passion that was amazing.

not bad, not good

This album transcends seasons. Some songs fit a glorious sunny spring day, others (Everybody Hurts and Sweetness Follows) merit more of a melancholic cloudy grey day. Classic songs like Nightswimming and Man on the moon perfectly capture Stipe’s iconic voice and the consistent use of orchestral instruments and piano make this an album bring a tide of nostalgia over you

When they offer you strings, it must be hard to say no.

Bored :(

Absolutely massive. Great songwriting and production all the way through. Will definitely want to go back and listen again.

Added 'Drive' and 'Monty Got a Raw Deal' to THE playlist. Pretty good album, love the guitar and almost country feel to the songs. The whole album carried a sad undertone with raw realism and political uprising.

Super Dope

En av de bästa albumen jag vet. Inte en enda dålig låt. Allt flyter och är så fint och vackert. Drive är en av världens bästa låtar! Nightswimming Everybody Hurts så vackra. Man on the Moon, Try not to breathe och sweetness follows. Så bra! Allt är bra, de nämnda låtarna är bara standouts för mig. Stripes röst är magisk. Saknar verkligen REM!

Really Exciting Music

Darlings of serious muso journalist the world over with an album that proves them right … mostly Brilliant interesting pop with thoughtful lyrics . Not sure if it’s just it’s ptsd from dealing with muso wankers on forums for years but I do find them a litle self important and pretentious- sort of like a footballer to busy admiring thier defence splitting pass than helping the team score .

Very good

At least I'm 3/4's of the way through the REM albums on this list. Of all of them this is probably my favorite, but that's not saying much. Man on the Moon is a pretty solid song, but Everybody Hurts makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. Why a spoon? Because it’s dull, you twit. It’ll hurt more...

Love R.E.M. They always do the perfect mournful, love ballads. Always hit when youre looking for sadness. This album has some of my favourite songs of all time, like ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ‘Nightswimming’. Also some other great ones like ‘Man On The Moon. The album itself is a beautiful concoction of lose and mourning about people and things you can lose throughout life. And I mean theres a reason R.E.M. features heavily during the emotional rollercoaster of The Bear. Another thing R.E.M. excel and are unique at is their use of strings and just bigger orchestral arrangements in general. They always add to the emotional pieces the band prides themselves on. Overall, this album is a 8/10 because although it’s brilliant, a criticism I agree with is it does drag a wee bit.

hype. very good.

When an album has not just one, but multiple of my favourite songs on it, you know it's going to be amazing. I've listened to this album more times than I can count, and it never fails to impress.

Listened once all the way through, nothing really grabbed me but New Orleans Instrumental No.1 was a nice change of space. Something about Michael Stipes delivery just kind of puts me off. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, just empty noise for me.

This is something new for my ears.

They were huge when this came out, and this album was everywhere. Or something. About two thirds of these songs are familiar to me. One after another -- oh, yeah, this one. Good song. Not a very fun listen, though. I attribute that to the ascension from scrappy rock band to Artists that was completed with this album. The only song here I really enjoy is Mon On the Moon, a graceful and elegant elegant tribute to a departed friend, Andy Kaufman, a disturbed, disturbing, and ultimately for me unsympathetic figure. The overall effect is odd.

Automatic five star.

What a treat! I knew some songs but not the whole album, really like it. Listened to the whole thing twice

Jingly jangly pop, or depressing ballads. Not liked REM ever since I went to a gig and Stipe stared at me funny. Still, maybe give it a 3, its not terrible.

Quite enjoyed that one. Barely knew any songs

I thought I didn’t like R.E.M. It turns out I was wrong. A few really catchy songs. The album is well produced.

I would sell my soul to be able to hear Nightswimming again for the first time. One of the most stunning four minutes of music ever. For me, Automatic For The People is one of my favourite records of all time, zero skips, not bloated in run time, a band absolutely at their zenith (albeit a band such as REM never really dipped below said zenith in their career.) Truly is a perfect record.

jebo vas rem da vas jebo više, stvarno. četvrti album na popisu! usto čobanskiji i lošiji od prethodna tri zajedno. dosadnooo. nema tu ničeg novog u usporedbi s njima, sve sam ovo već u stvari čuo na prethodnim (boljim!) albumima. zašto je ovo trebalo da preslušam prije nego crknem?

Just three songs away from being a perfect back-to-back record. The last quarter of the album... *chef's kiss*

really good. listened to it while studying, pretty chill.

Duh!

Another album I bought first time around due to the reviews that I did not love as much as I thought I should. Listening again 20 years later and after the first song - Drive - I thought yes this is a 5 and I am finally old enough to appreciate REM. But then REM atrophy kicks in and it starts to loose its sparkle and Stipes vocals start to grate and the songs start sounding all a bit samey and just does not emotionally connect with me (with one big exception). At the time Everybody Hurts was played to death - but hearing it fresh again its a cracking song. The one song that does really connect (and I have listened to on heavy rotation since day 1) is Nightswimming which I absolutely fucking love.

This album was way too prevalent on the radio in 1992, to the extent that when I hear Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon, I have to turn off. They may have been decent enough songs once, but constant repetition does not improve them. Overall the album is pretty good, Drive and Night Swimming are decent tunes. A good album for occasional listening so it doesn't get too annoying.

Pretty good album, though it gets a bit long after a while. I do enjoy Stipe's voice and his unique sound. Also think this might be their best album.

I know this album by heart.....5/5 for an excellent album soaked in nostalgia for me.

pretty good, not really anything special

nightswimminggggg

I’ve tried to like rem…

Thought this was a very solid album, I love the twang on the lead singer's voice. Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon are great tracks and the songs in between were engaging as well

Damn good album. Man on the Moon and Nightswimming the standouts.

Did not sound like I expected at all, but I’ve been meaning to listen to this for a while and I’m glad I finally did it

Classic album with some great songs and sets a distinct tone the whole way through.

I was scared that the rest of the album wouldn’t live up to the biggest songs… consider me startled.

Im surprised how slow and sad and frankly boring that was

sounds corporate idk not for me

Nice sound, relaxing, can be catchy.

This is my second R.E.M. album in seven days. Automatic for the People is one I’ve always loved, so I was really looking forward to today’s listen. I still can’t decide between this and Document as the best R.E.M. album, both are superb. The album starts brilliantly. The first four tracks are incredibly strong, with powerful lyrics and fantastic music. It also finishes beautifully with Nightswimming and Find the River, two of the most delicate and moving songs on the record. Listening again reminded me just how much I enjoy this album and how I really should play it more often. Favourite tracks: All the big songs are superb. I love The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Everybody Hurts, and Drive. There are also some brilliant hidden gems like Sweetness Follows and Monty Got a Raw Deal. Least favourite track: I’m not sure New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 really adds much, but I’m being very picky here. Album artwork: An iconic cover that perfectly matches the mood of the music.

I don't remember R.E.M. being such downers...

Really Enjoyable Music

Thought this one was pretty boring but I love Man on The Moon so I’ll give it a bonus star

Its OK, a discovery

Good album. 4/5

спокойная музыка, нет резкой смены в битах, все довольно плавно думаю?? повторяются строчки в лирике, но чот не зацепило совсем. даже самые популярные песни

It's far enough away from pop to appeal to pop fans and it's close enough to grunge and post-punk to be alternative. Meanwhile, it's just a very very good record.

Never been a huge fan and wasn’t too blown away by listening to their earlier stuff for the first time on here, but let’s see. Instantly recognisable cover. Got a bit excited to be surprised from reading the other reviews, but in first couple of tracks, kinda what I expected and not too impacted. I REALLY feel like I’m missing something with these and this album. Just really doesn’t do it for me and feel like a lot of the reviews are in a completely different place 🤷🏻‍♂️ and actually maybe beyond unimpacted, not very impressed at all.

Под закатное солнце воспоминаний

Not as good as Monster or Murmur, but definitely has some Hits; Nightswimming!

Not exactly my kind of rock but I can definitely see why people love this band. Loved the vocals in Everybody Hurts.

Meh. It was decent 90s alternative music. Nothing stood out except the singles I knew and the last song

Their best.

What can be said about REM that hasn’t already had novels written about it. Especially this album. There are some great songs and some good songs and it’s definitely the album to listen to if someone wants to know what REM was. That said for me it still misses being a great album.

I know I haven't been very kind to R.E.M. so far on this list, and I do feel bad that I'm not able to connect with them like I "should" (because on paper, I should like them). This album is probably the best of the three(?) I've listened to for this project so far. I still don't think I'm all the way there, but I feel like there's a world where I own/play this record on occasion. Certainly not high praise but I'm trying, OK?

As always, R.E.M. surprise me with the consistency and quality of their output. A shame they don't tour anymore...

I play this CD loud - especially Drive - in my convertible in the south of France. I think that's how I blew out one of the speakers. It's hard to decide if this is a classic 5* or really good.

Wow, do the lyrics to Ingoreland hit a nerve. A little more melancholy than their other albums, but still solid.

No idea why I didn't listen to them more back in the day...

I’ve never listened to this entire album until today. Without knowing any backstory, it felt beautifully melancholy. I do listen to music before lyrics, but the feel of the album was wistful in parts, but maybe it was just me remembering earlier times. Thoroughly enjoyed this album.

It was fine, I can see myself liking it if I listened to it multiple times. I usually like music with more of a punch, this feels a bit too somber. Its nice to listen to, but it drags me down a bit.

Great

Good

I know it is a good album. I've never been a big R.E.M. fan but have been surrounded by many.

Oh R.E.M. How do I love thee, let me count the ways.

I like REM. Not bad!

An easy 5 for me. One of my fav albums of all time. Such great songs here, opens with the amazing Drive and closing with the perfect Find the River.

Спокійний альбом. Деякі пісні немов з якихось мультиків про ельфів та/чи фей, або ж з якихось атмосферних старих пригодницьких ігор з елементом детективу(?). Альбом, направду, не дуже чомусь западає в пам'ять, проте він комфортний, спокійний, затишний - може саме тому й не западає бо перед цим я чула два-три альбоми, які викликали в мене бурхливі емоції, а тут спокій і тому здається, що він пріснуватий:( Однак, він справді, гарний. На спокійні вечори, перед сном - те що треба! (чи на фоні, при посиденьках з друзями, мабуть, також було б кайфово:3)

Second listen ever, bored me the first time but now it's getting a lot sweeter. Last time, I thought it sounded like Wilco, but I just listened to them today and they're way more boring than this. Everybody Hurts has always popped up in funny moments in my life, though. Warm listen, I do feel like I got a hug I needed.

I miss R.E.M. This is such a great album.

This album was fine. There were a couple songs that stood out, but for the majority of the album I found myself saying this is cool, this is fine, I’m not mad at this.

I love this album - it's one of the few that I know every note of. So much nostalgia. But no matter how much I want it to be, it's not spectacular.

REM is one of those bands that I was looking forward to listening because I largely ignored them when they were active. I think “Shiny Happy People” ruined them for me. The songs I like here I really like: “Drive”, “Sidewinder”, “Man on the Moon”, “Everybody Hurts”. The rest were OK, some a bit boring. Maybe I will like other of their albums better?

Classic 4

Drive is incredible, everything else is meh

Phew...kind of boring.

bellino

Feel like I should have heard of this band?

This to me brought the end to REM's list of absolutely killer albums, starting with Document and going through Green and Out of Time. Of the 4, this is probably my least favorite but still 5 stars. Still remembering buy this the day it came out in the longform cardboard CD box shortly after I first got a CD player.

Pretty solid album. A great start, strong ending but a bit weak in the middle. Still a really good listen.

Yeah, this was that stretch where it seemed like every new R.E.M. album was going to be better than the last. For me, this was probably the high-water mark. Some of their best songs here.

I know the most famous songs, but I probably never listened the album start to finish before. I was pleasantly surprised. 7/10

Понравилась try not to breathe. Everybody hurts уже была лайкнута до прослушки всего альбома. Приятный вокал, я бы сказал спокойный темп. Мелодии зацепили, гитара в try not понравилась. Ignoreland побыстрее, как то выбивается из альбома, что смазало впечатления в сторону «не очень» Слушал 2 марта 2026

This is what America sounds like. I caught myself thinking that I don’t really get why this album is considered 'the best.' I guess it’s just one of those moments where you don’t fully understand an era or a culture you aren't familiar with. I did find some music I might like, so listening to it wasn't a waste of time, but it’s still not quite my cup of tea. My life wouldn't be complete without discovering 'New Orleans Instrumental No. 1,' but even so, I can’t give this album a high rating.

Great songwriting, always dig REM but nothing blows me away.

The only song I knew on this album going in ended up being like the worst one.

Besides everybody hurts which is a 10/10 man on the moon was pretty good overall pretty solid as well

Decent album, a few great songs on here - vocals and band nice easy going tunes whilst walking the dog

This is their landmark album? man they're so boring

Me puse a escucharlo un domingo a la mañana y me dieron ganas de pegarme un tiro, dejá, gracias. No lo pude terminar

Loved it

A complete, refined album with variations, songs that stay in your memory forever with a rock sound but also modern and somewhat melancholic

Прекрасный альбом, давно любимый.

I really don't get REM. It all sounds the same, amd is fairly boring.

I really enjoyed this one!

3/3. Classic album, very nostalgic for me. From the opening notes of Drive to the atmosphere of New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 to Michael's laugh when he says Dr. Seuss on Sidewinder, this album is just great. Great lyrics, fantastic instrumentation, and a really unique vibe all around. Absolutely deserving of its spot on this list.

Another band I had no time of day for as a teenager. When Everybody Hurts came on our Video Hits channel I couldn’t wait for the clip to finish. Didn’t get the lyrics, fast forward 34 years and 10 years battling depression, I finally fucking get it. “Everybody Hurts Sometimes”. Oh and I now think R.E.M are sublime!

Tough one. By tough I mean choosing between a 4 and a 5. Let's see how generous I'm feeling tomorrow morning.

not my cup of tea

Really good smooth rock

it was ok, not my cup of tea

Rv/g

Star me kitten was a choice

Boring but okay overall. Did not like Star me Kitten.

😎 > 😌 > 🙂 > 😐

I think a 3 is appropriate for this album because it was neither good nor bad. I did enjoy some of the first few songs but the end of the album kind of lost me.

Was very surprised how much I liked this album. 4.5/5

man on the moon is a tune

I don't hate it, but I don't love it. Not really my sound. Enjoyed it more than some other REM records I have listened to.

7.5 / 10

Day780 - i couldn’t pick out a favorite if i had to but i could listen to drive,the sidewinder sleeps tonite, nightswimming , man on the moon, and everybody hurts without ever getting tired of them

I still remember sharing a room with my younger brother and constantly hearing Everybody Hurts on the radio alarm and getting lost in Michael Stipe's voice. Anyways, decades later I was riding the D train and Michael Stipe was on it and no one paid him any attention, except for this weirdo who was secretly fanboying and wishing I had the balls to go up to him and ask - "what's the frequency, Kenneth?" I did not and he got off the train at Grand Street to head to what I can only hope was a delicious meal of soup dumplings.

I fear I love REM.

Nice but not quite my vibe

Didn’t particularly like any of the songs but I wouldn’t say they were bad just not my thing.

sweetness follows y monty got a raw deal los mejores tracks sii :P

Meh

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/r_e_m/automatic-for-the-people-11/ Not the best R.E.M. album, but still very enjoyable. Of course the hits are great, but other album tracks too. Contrary to popular opinion, I just don’t really like the chorus of The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

I was a huge fan of this album when it first came out. Now, many years later I don’t think it has aged particularly well. Originally Everybody Hurts was one of my favorite songs but now I find the lyrics a bit cringy. It seems as if they polished, over produced, their music chasing a more pop friendly sound.

Promedio.

R.E.M songs have never quite clicked for me in spite of their lyrical strengths. Will try and listen more actively.

meh

Really loved this one!

I don't understand how people manage to hate R.E.M. they're too average to bother

I dont even know what kind of person would like this

THIS IS COLTON

Really enjoyed it. But I knew I would due to having a few songs in the library. Fresh but uplifting music... Great.

This came out when I was 18, and I just wasn't ready for it. I wanted something that I could thrash around to or that had a killer beat. This felt like middle aged music. I think I owned the CD at the time but never really listened to it. Then it popped up on my list today over 30 years later, and I realized something. I'm still not ready. These songs are soulful and beautifully crafted. There are few voices as recognizable as Stipe's. I really enjoyed it, but I kept waiting for the uptempo part that I could really sink my teeth into. After listening to Document and Green countless times, this felt like a little too much of a downshift for me. I completely understand that as the band matures their sound will too, I'm just going to stick with the energy of their earlier work for another decade and check back in then. 3.7

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

קלאסיקה

A little sedated and off-the-wall, but still interesting.

Not a bad album. I’m just more of a fan of their earlier albums.

Classic album that instantly transports me to the backseat of my parents' beat up gold Subaru Legacy as we drove across the desert on vacation. Funny rehearing it now and being able to understand the lyrics much better.

Trusted old favourite

Pretty good. "Man on the Moon" is my eduring favorite but probably my first ever true listen through. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" and "Monty Got a Raw Deal" standouts at first pass.

Perfect album

Hits are great. Other songs are cool.

Fine, some memorable staples

One of the most overrated bands ever. Meh!!!

I understand that many think that this is the ducks guts, but it didn't do it for me. There were several songs that were great - Drive, Nightswimming, Find the River. But at least two of the songs - Man on the Moon and Everybody Hurts - have become such overplayed FM radio staples that if I never hear them again it will be too soon. And a couple of songs - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight in particular - are weak to the point of filler. So, good in parts

NGL I was vibing to this album but i got SO distracted by "everybody hurrrrrrts"

I'm still not sure I'd put this in my Top 5 R.E.M albums list (maybe 5, but maybe 6), but it's still great. 5/5 Highs: "Drive" and "Everybody Hurts" and "Nightswimming" -- all featuring very non-schmaltzy string arrangements by John Paul Jones. Really, it's amazing that "Everybody Hurts" doesn't descend into pure schmaltz, but there's a light touch there, and the undeniable sincerity in the production and Michael Stipe's vocals that saves it. Lows: "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight," "Ignoreland." Never really liked 'em, still don't. New appreciation: "Man on the Moon." BITD this is the song I disliked the most, that I thought was repetitive and silly. On this listen I loved the sound of it. The chirpy reverberating percussion.

Superb!

Pretty good, enjoyed it a lot. Night swimming is really good, and much more introspective than other rem albums I've listened to

niciun chef sa ascult ăsta.

I liked it more than I thought I would.

Love REM and great to be listening to this again. Some of their best songs on here - Drive, Ignoreland and Find The River (which will be played at my funeral) but too many weak songs to get 5 stars.

I didn't write any notes while I was listening to it, but I liked it quite a bit. I think maybe more than the last R.E.M. album. But my memory isnt that great.

I listened to this album as I ventured to the grocery store to buy trash bags. The sky was overcast and light gray. Here we have our second repeat artist in only just over a month: first Led Zeppelin, and now R.E.M.! Despite reminding myself of R.E.M.'s big singles back when I was listening to Green, I somehow managed to forget about Everybody Hurts, leading to a pleasant surprise of recognition as it began playing in the middle of the album. Automatic For The People still has all the traits I liked in Green, though it takes from the endearingly dorky tone of that album to a darker, more serious one here; Michael Stipe's vocals manage to fit this soundscape just as well as they did the previous one despite the thematic shift. The band still has a knack for catchy hooks and songwriting that gets stuck in your head while simultaneously conveying incredibly personal ideas with endearing lyricism that keeps them unique amidst similar bands. While I think I still prefer Green as a more consistent project, the highs on this album feels higher. Highlights: Drive, Try Not To Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Everybody Hurts, Ignoreland, Man On The Moon, Find The River

A beautiful album that can make me cry with joy and sadness.

One of my favourite ever albums

REM made some great albums in the 80s and 90s, up till this LP. This would end up being the pinnacle of their output; their masterpiece. Tracks complement each other perfectly to provide light and shade - perhaps a bit more shade than light. The vocal performances are honest and sincere, and perfectly project the joy, despair and hope of the first class lyrics. Arrangements are more complex, with much use of piano, organ and strings. Some will miss the fact that they no longer sound like a four-piece, and the masterly way in which they managed limited resources, say as on Fables of the Reconstruction. Some will miss the jangle of Green, or the obscure murmurings of Murmur, but for me, these are all part of the story that unfolds and leads ultimately to this album.

R.E.M.’s career is one which is defined by change. It's not always helpful to think of the band in terms of the “IRS era” or the “Warner era” because more often than not each album is in direct opposition to the last. There is little cohesion between their first five records, or what comes after. In one way Automatic for the People is a natural continuation of the increasingly maximalist sound of their previous three records. Perhaps the success of Losing My Religion led the group to focus their efforts on refining this bigger, more “full” sound. But in other ways it couldn’t be more different from Out of Time. You couldn’t imagine the relentlessly cheery Shiny Happy People, the joyful Near Wild Heaven, or the downright silly Radio Song on this record. Automatic is their darkest album, and the one that most openly emotes sadness. Outside of this album my favourite R.E.M. songs tend to be the ones that equally balance optimism and pessimism, often blending downbeat verses with upbeat choruses. Before Automatic for the People it was unusual for them to push the darker elements of their sound further than that, and the rare songs where they did leave me feeling cold. On their eighth album they push this much further, and with magnificent style. Not only do they harness darkness in a new way but they manage to sustain this over the course of a whole album without tipping over into something unattractive or bleak. Nightswimming is nostalgic and hopeful in its sadness, it brings a smile. Man on the Moon has a great momentum and despite it being a spooky, meditative number, somehow manages to slowly morph towards a rousing conclusion. This is only possible because of the band’s advanced understanding of songwriting - they’ve had a lot of practice. The one brief moment of unadulterated joy is The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite which cuts through like a shard of light as a result. The dynamic shifts on Out of Time were smaller than previous records; passages that could have been quiet were delivered with a booming stage whisper and a chorus pedal. That doesn’t change with Automatic, yet here it’s an asset. The songwriting has been optimised for this approach, dynamics resulting from changes in intensity and emotional impact, rather than volume. When Radiohead say that R.E.M. had a profound and direct influence on them, it may be this that they are referring to. OK Computer similarly has several moments that “feel” quiet despite all proof to the contrary. If it’s not clear from the above, I think Automatic for the People is a perfect album which has had an indelible impact on our culture and the music that has come since. It went wider and deeper into public consciousness than anyone listening to Murmur in 1983 could have imagined. It’s a testament to the value of a band constantly moving forward, developing and changing up their sound. They should have been household names several times over by the time this LP came out so I feel a huge sense of warmth, satisfaction and justice that this album was an unmitigated success.

Yes so another low 5 for REM for me. This one is the REM I was raised on as my mum loves this era of their work and I love it very differently to how I love the IRS stuff Rich got me into in uni, and different still from the middle era stuff I’ve found on my own this one has lush instrumentals and strong arrangements throughout, a couple of pop bits, a couple of beautiful ballads, and a lot of good stuff - it never takes me away completely and REM haven’t got a 10/10 album for me, but they have a few 9s which in this system is a low 5 for me

Skimmed throught it cuz im very behind but nothing from the soundscape grabbed me. Kind of tired from the standard band setup that seems to flood the list.

I can't really articulate why, but listening to 80's punk/rock bores me to death. I just don't find it interesting. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, also just not anything worthwhile to it

Nice songs, with a surprisingly soft touch and a strong message. Still on the softer side for me, I often just find myself zoning out on albums like these. 7/10

An amazing early 90s time capsule. Many of these songs continue to stand on their own by taking new shapes and covering new ground by being timeless and fitting culture in ways that couldn’t have been considered in 1992.

If here of them before, and I have listen their most famous songs. And on that note I didn't quite like the other songs, they were ok, but nothing really interesting or engaging for me.

Kind of glum but I still enjoyed it.

Muy tranqui, no me genero nada, no es mi estilo de musica, pero al ser muy tranquila quizas es buena para ponerla de fondo

I can't pretend I'm any sort of REM fan. They've always been around and perfectly fine, but not a band I've cared to really explore any more than even I've heard on the radio and whatever. This didn't really change my opinion but it's enjoyable enough.

Good stuff. It might grow on my over time. Stand out tracks were Man on the Moon, and Nightswimming

It was fine. I listened to it in the car on a roadtrip so maybe I missed some of the finer points, but it was a fun album just not really my style

The back half of this album is really stacked with classic R.E.M. bangers. Overall a slower, more sombre outing for the band, but it’s still up there with their absolute best.

There are better REM albums. Everybody Hurts has been played to death. But, yet, this is just marvelous.

One of the best ever

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

Good stuff. Highlight track is obviously "Everybody Hurts", but there's some more on here that I quite liked. Will definitely be revisiting this one. 8 / 10

3.8

A lot of fantastic timeless songs, and no real low points on the deep tracks.

and I even knew most of the tunes. Lovely orchestration on most tracks. Love the vocals. Memories recalled (Andy Kaufman) - Man on the Moon) left me with smiles and good vibes. although some of the subjects are not happy times moments. like mortality, suicide, and aging. Toe tapping and dancing in the kitchen did commence, partly due to the music but also due to the existence of this album on this list. One of my faves so far for sure. I agree with another reviewer..."Find The River" is a song I want to be played at my funeral. And that's probably because "Try Not To Breathe" would be considered in bad taste" (Even though I don't intend to have a funeral.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This album is a downer but it's so beautiful. Love the strings, the iconic vocals. The lyrics for Ignoreland. I mean, Man on the Moon. The piano and strings on Nightswimming. Um, hello, oboe.

3.5, Stipe’s voice gets annoying after a while

The album is alright. The songs are good but not particularly unique, making the album a bit repetitive.

Good listen

I enjoyed listening to this, especially Nightswimming, really chill song!

This sounds like nostalgia. It doesn’t doesn’t sound nostalgic it sounds like nostalgia. It’s not my favorite but it’s so interesting.

Its ok I like r e m but not my favorite

I do not like REM. At all. I tried listening to this one, but yuck.

Not my type

Wish it had been a manual. Might have had less trouble getting up to speed. The hits are great. Lots of filler. Ends with a whimper

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.

Good but not great

tender, yearning, and kind