Automatic For The People

So... yeah... this is pretty great. I can't imagine what it was like to listen to this in 1992? And to me the older this album gets, the more favorable people will continue to view it. I think this album is captivating from start to finish, even the non singles are good songs and fit with the theme of the album. This album proved that mid-tempo albums had a place in music when done well, and I am guessing there aren't many mid-tempo albums done any better than this. You feel Stipe's emotions in these songs. Like this is his therapy and he is trying to get something out that has troubled him for a very long time. Everybody Hurts is a song 30 years ahead of its time. What an enjoyable listen.

4.75/5 is my real rating

Class

Majestic

Joya

94/100 1 Everybody Hurts 2 Man on the Moon 3 Nightswimming

Discazo!!!!

One of the most vital albums of its time.

This is a seriously great album with some amazing songs on it. I remember even in 1992 thinking that REM were geniuses. That still holds.

A delightful album, evocative and poetic and it sounds beautiful - the layering of the instruments, especially acoustic, is exquisite. There is a style and mood and confidence about REM at this point and I appreciate they’ve switched up the template. The four album run of Out of Time / Automatic… / Monster and my personal favourite, New Adventures in Hi Fi (go figure) is really impressive. Stipe is at his most engaging and emotionally connected with this album and there are some real tearjerkers - Drive, Everybody Hurts, Nightswimming, Find the River are truly moving moments. Throw in a but of levity with Sidewinder and Man in the Moon, pick up the tempo with Ignoreland and it’s really satisfying. A modern classic.

It was nice to have a replay of this! Such a big part of my early 90s listening

Rock alternativos. Varios megahits. Vinilo.

Outstanding

It's funny, I know every note, intimately, of Out of Time, the album before Automatic for the People. It was my constant companion through a rough patch of my life. Not out of love for REM but for purely circumstantial reasons. Which wore a groove in my heart where REM can fit. That said I've never given any time to Automatic for the People; I only know the hits. But I'm happy to take it for a spin. Initial impression is that it is musically similar but a bit sadder and darker maybe a little more sophisticated. Having listened twice this album is absolutely devastatingly gorgeous to listen to. The sound of it, the mood, the completely realized themes. Everybody Hurts is an iconic, seminal work. Try Not To Breath, Sweetness Follows and Monty Got a Raw Deal and Find The River are also incredibly powerful, of course along with Drive and Man On The Moon. Indeed all the songs offer something worthy. A genuine five star album. I regret not having visited before.

This helped us through a very rough period. Wise, thoughtful and empathic songs, performed beautifully. A record for healing

Prior to this release I considered R.E.M. a band that I liked very much but didn’t love. I thought their releases were uniformly good, but not excellent. Automatic for the People changed that for me. The move from jangle pop to more moody and reflective songs resonated with me and I think resulted in their most cohesive and overall strongest work.

Ens va sorprendre a tots. Ningú esperava això després d''Out of Time'. Semblava que la banda ja havia arribat al cénit de la seva carrera amb 'Losing My Religion' i la resta de singles extasiants que s'havien tret de la màniga... i ens donen no un disc que estava a l'alçada, sinó una obra mestra indiscutible i que competeix de tu a tu amb molt pocs altres per ser reivindicat com a millor disc dels '90. Obscur, melangiós, pessimista.. i increïblement inspirat. No hi ha cap tema que no sigui meravellós i alguns d'ells estan entre el millor que ha donat la música rock

Really good, enjoyed it a lot. My favourite was Nightswimming, thought it was great.

Alright, let's just disclose the bias from the get-go. This album came out when I was just getting into music around the age of 13. So it has nostalgic value. I do not own it but all my classmates who were more knowledgeable of music did. I still remember one classmate (who was a big Beatles fan at 13, so he can't be all wrong) telling me Nightswimming was hands down the best song on the album. Probably 10 years later I was rediscovering the album and I had to agree. I ran into him at a bar once and told him that. It's just a beautiful composition (love Mike Mills' piano) and one I could play on repeat for weeks on end. And I just learned John Paul Jones provided the string arrangements on it and two other of my favorites. I mean, how can you not love that? To me, this album was the pinnacle of their greatest songwriting period (1987-1995ish). I still don't really love Drive or Man on the Moon - both are waaay overplayed - but they don't suck. And there are some great lesser knowns - Try Not to Breathe (a superior brooding song to those two well-knowns), the Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (super fun), Find the River (a nice closer with a John Denver feel that grows on you). Even songs like New Orleans Instrumental Vol. 1 through to Ignoreland, which are not as good as the others, have a certain edge to them. Some if it is Peter Buck's scratchy guitar work, some of it is the excellent lyrics, some of it is other backing instruments. Funny enough, I have never got tired of Everybody Hurts - something about it affects me every time, especially the crescendo that starts around the 4 minute mark. Listening again, I realize the album's sad and darker tones also likely play a big role in why I'm drawn to it. Still I guess it's like 6 great songs, 4 good songs, and a couple so-so songs. It feels like at least 4.5 and giving it a 4 would counteract my bias but I'm just going to embrace it.

album filled with insane songs

4.7 - First, "Everybody Hurts" is a perfectly realized pop song with an impeccable structure, measured instrumental arrangement, universally relatable message and transcendent vocal performance. Second, the more "secondary" hits (if they can be called that) are also incredible. From "Man on the Moon" with Stipe's breathy vocals and the slide guitar pre-chorus, to "Drive" with its dark lyrical repetition, to "Nightswimming" with its gorgeous piano composition. Third, the overall album flow is so artful and balanced, striking the right notes at (almost) every turn. Up until now I've remained a reluctant R.E.M fan, having endured "Losing My Religion" played on merciless repeat in '89. Definitively, this album breaks that reluctance. With the exception of "Ignoreland" that somewhat sours the middle with some generic political bellyaching, this is an exceptional record.

I forgot how much I enjoyed REM. Took me back to college days when my history prof would plan this as background music.

Masterpiece

I really like this album, and very much enjoyed listening to it again. I also seem to like REM more the older I get.

Automatic Five, People!

Oni su mi baš sjeli negdje ljeti 2020te kad sam prešao iz Kapele u SPS raditi. Znam da sam putem ujutro njihove albume lupo često, najviše bi to bio Fables of the Reconstruction, Lifes Rich Pageant i ovaj. Ovaj album nije skroz savršen, ali je stvarno jako blizu ko što je sa mnoštvo njihovih (Document, LRP, FotR i Murmur), na RYM sam stavio 4.5, što i je tako, nije četvorka, jače je od toga, a pošto ovdje te jebene pola zvjezdice nemamo, morat ću dat peticu. Također, ovo je njihov zadnji album koji me se tako jako dojmio. Imali su 5 jako jako odličnih albuma u nizu, onda su došla 2 average albuma pa tek onda ovaj, i dalje je historija.

Absolutely loved it. The first album to melt my emotionless heart and give me goosebumps. I never really looked into R.E.M. despite really liking "Losing my Religion", but now I want to go and listen to their entire discography. Favorite songs: "Drive", "Try Not To Breathe", "Everybody Hurts", "Man on the Moon", "Find the River". I think the worst one would be the instrumental, but I can still appreciate it.

Some classic tracks, brilliant all round album

Awesome

Beautiful!

Oh man. I really slept on this album and can't believe what I missed. Everybody hurts got memed to death but it remains an amazing song. But my fave track remains "try not to breathe." For some reason their work reminds me of the Smiths. Though not sure why.

Awesome album, maybe the first five star that I hadn't listened to all the way through before. My favourites were nightswimming and drive, but even the instrumental was brilliant. I'm definitely going to explore more R.E.M. when I get a chance, to see what other wonders share albums with songs I know!

I was always aware of this being considered a classic and remember it as an ever-present in the 'buy one get one half-price' section of Our Price in the late 90s. For some reason I never took the plunge and forked out, which may have been an error, as it lives up to its billing. Rich, textured, and lush. Intriguing lyrics which make you want to delve deeper, sung with Michael Stipe's distinctive voice which suits the music perfectly. A quality album with an exceptionally strong first half and brilliant final three tracks. Just a slight dip at tracks 7, 8 and 9 mean this just misses out on full marks. P.S. I am one of the 99% of people who always thought it was "Calling Jamaica". I still can't hear it as "Call me when you try to wake her up". Surely all those syllables aren't actually sung? 4.5/5

Rating: 9/10 Beat songs: Drive, Everybody hurts, Ignoreland, Man on the moon

Machtig mooi! En tijdloos!

Quando a perfeição é sentida ao escutar esta criação.

This album has lots of punch. The band understands the importance of a good riff. Even  the acoustic songs have good opening riffs.  Two great examples are  the acoustic riffs to start Drive and Monty Got A Raw Deal.  The vocal melodies make for memorable songs. An example is the catchy melody ("Call me when you wake her) on The Sidewinder . . . It's hard to read about this album for more than two minutes before a name dropper mentions John Paul Jones and his contribution to the songs in the form of orchestration. My only negative comment on the album is that it would be better without him. I like when the electric guitar comes in on Drive and don't understand how making the guitar compete with strings helps the song.  Star me Kitten reminds me of the way the set list is put together for a live gig. You want to play something that lulls the crowd to sleep before playing your magical song so it will sound even better.  It worked! Man on the Moon is a gem! The band's first album was good. These guys developed into a music making machine.  Regardless of the strings and a song or two of filler I still have a 5 for them.

Обнаружил, что снёс дискографию R.E.M. с винта. И тут даже пожалел. Благо, на плеере осталась. При марафонном прослушивании как-то ухо альбом вовсе не выцепило в своё время. А ныне слушаю - всё по кайфу. Интересные аранжировки, подбор инструментов, композиционные решения, отличный звук, внятные мелодии, яркие вокальные партии. На голову выше дебютника. Тупа стали профессионалами, но не успели скатиться. Вчерась всё по кайфу было, думал опосля слухану, подумаю, и сёнь всё по кайфу. Значит - топ, надо брать.

R.E.M. en estado puro. Paradigma del indie norteamericano, lleno de temazos. Uno de los mejores discos de los 90. Básico en cualquier colección.

This album reminds me of my time as a teenager or even my time transitioning into a middle aged man. It is slow and thoughtful

Quizás su mejor trabajo. Por lo menos, a mi, el que más me gusta

This is another example of a band that I already know about (actually, I like very much R.E.M. songs) but never listened to this whole album in a row. For this experiment of 1001 albums, this is just the third one but is for sure the best until now. It's really worth it!

Remagnífico.

why is try not to breathe so good? a very solid album. enjoyed more than i expected

That's good shtuff

i didn’t like the first one and maybe the last one

guilty pleasure.

I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did. This bangs and I'm glad I have heard it

Good overall album. Kind of a slow country vibe.

STAR ME KITTEN

As expected the ratio of great songs to album filler is quite high, classics nearly every one with only a couple of album fillers. An evening listening and fairly chill even with the more upbeat tracks. It's mix is of its time, i'd worry about any remaster affecting the dynamics and its subtle stereo mix

This is my 3rd or 4th REM album in this project and when I think of REM it is apparently the sound of this album I am expecting to hear. This was great! And I am thrilled about this 3 hour deluxe version of it.

Solid song writing. Good listen, but not mind-blowing. "Monty Got a Raw Deal" was my favorite track.

Everybody hurttssss cool medio lento pero bien

I loved this record when it was first out, but hadn't listened to it in quite a while. I still liked it, there are some solid songs ("Nightswimming," e.g.), but on listening to all of R.E.M. in retrospect recently I have to say that I prefer their earlier jangly, incomprehensible stuff better. But this is nice.

rem is always a safe bet. idk how they always manage to make some good shit, its really impressive

Whiny sad boi music (complimentary).

Just some super chill tunes, great production. Easy to listen to and interesting on top of it, really enjoyable.

Love this album - I won’t say front-to-back bangers, but pretty damn close

•DRIVE - Love this endlessly. I feel like a modern cowboy. •TRY NOT TO BREATHE - not my fav but still royally like. •THE SIDEWINDER SLEEPS TONITE -> we've got to moogie moogie move on with this one. Not my fav. •EVERYBODY HURTS -> who doesnt know this. I love love love. I think willie nelson would do a mean cover. so far this album is country music for people who don't realise they like country. •NEW ORLEANS INSTRUMENTLA NO.1 -> yum yum yum in my tum tum tum •SWEETNESS FOLLOWS -> love the title. Very cute. Think I would like to hear cocteau twins cover or Julee Cruise or maybe even John Grant. •MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL -> yet again riding my mare through the western plains. •IGNORELAND -> wasnt really paying attention. I think it woukd be really good live. •STAR ME KITTEN -> very very cute name. Sweet song. I love it so much. •MAN ON THE MOON -> 5 seconds in and I can tell I'm going to love it. I loved it. •NIGHT SWIMMING -> beautiful concept for a song equally beautiful execution. favourite from this album. So unbelievably gorgeous. •FIND THE RIVER -> very nice end to this album. I can see the lighters waving in the crowd.

Everybody hurrrrrts I love the shiny happy people song by REM. It isn't on this album but I'm still really liking it so far. Sometimes this guy's voice kinda bothers me, I can't really say why, it just does. Maybe sounds a bit too cheesy 90s for me. Idk. But I'm really liking this vibe.

Overall Rating - 3.54/5 (7.08/10). Overall a good album. The two hits are definitely the stars, but the album is very much the campy, quirky R.E.M. sound we're used to.

great album in the pop genre

Muito bom o álbum, me lembrou muito da Tracy Chapman no estilo musical , porém, não gostei de duas músicas, ignoreland, pois rompe e muito com a pegada do album e a música em si não é muito boa e star me kitten, que não é ruim percê, mas não teria problema nenhum caso o album não tivesse ela. Minhas músicas favoritas foram drive, try not to breathe e everybody hurts

Muito bom o álbum, me lembrou muito da Tracy Chapman no estilo musical , porém, não gostei de duas músicas, ignoreland, pois rompe e muito com a pegada do album e a música em si não é muito boa e star me kitten, que não é ruim percê, mas não teria problema nenhum caso o album não tivesse ela. Minhas músicas favoritas foram drive, try not to breathe e everybody hurts

I listened to REM a lot in high school and college and even got to work on a couple of their music videos in the early 2000s. I think I got a little burnt out and haven't listened to them much since. So I sort of dreaded this one but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. In particular "New Orleans Instrumental 1" -- who knew how much I would like an REM instrumental -- and "Nightswimming."

nostalgies

That’s why I was regaining on this website to find out more good albums, and that’s what it was. I’ve never really dabbled in alternative rock, but after this album, I think it’s worth it. It’s a beautiful album with good music accompaniment and great lyrics. The pleasure was gained, I advise everyone to get acquainted with this band and specifically this album.

I enjoyed this overall. It drags a bit in the middle but otherwise was quite good.

9/10 - I've never given REM a chance outside of their hits until this, and I loved this album Fav Tracks: The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Try Not To Breathe, Everybody Hurts, Ignoreland Heard before? ---–- ✅ Saved a Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? --–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? -- ✅ Album Cover -------What is this big concrete object? Its... industrial? drab? a little hopeless

Last song was in fact beautiful. I really liked a lot of this album. Some that weren’t my favorites but then again some that slapped

I do like me some R.E.M! Starting off with Drive, relatively simple melodies but the way it built was great! Those strings and that guitar coming in halfway through was awesome! I like how steady Try not to breathe is. Was quite calming, but also the lyrics were quite miserable which is always nice. The Sidewinder Sleeps tonight had an interesting melody! I guess Everybody Hurts is on this album. Apart from being memed to death it’s quite a solid track. Instrumental #1, well it’s an instrumental. Sweetness follows was utterly miserable, I loved it. Nice guitar in Monty got a raw deal. Star me kitten had quite a cool vibe to it. Man on the moon is another classic! Haven’t heard this one since I was a kid. Great to have it show up like this. Nightswimming, also a classic. Find the river was a nice way to close things out. It felt final. 4.5/5 ⭐️ 173/1089

Buen album, se me paso bastante rapido el.tiempo escuchándolo, algo tranquilo pero poderoso

They definitely influenced a lot of music I listened to growing up.

This whole time I thought R. E. M., Styx, and REO Speedwagon were the same thing

4, a classic but not super for me

Definitely a classic album. Lots of great stuff but it didn’t blow my mind.

I love R.E.M. I remember seeing them on the original Letterman Late Night show in ‘83 of the last century. They became my favorite band. I feel like I’m almost at the age where I can really lean into it, but I haven’t gone grey or shrunk five inches yet. I’m looking forward to it, but I digress. I was 13 and from a place where you had two kinds of music you could listen to. It was country, or metal, or you were a pariah. I was a pariah. I listened to little metal (I didn’t get country yet, but that changed), I also listened to a lot of stuff that I didn’t really talk about in mixed company. The radio and MTV were ok to watch just be careful about which artists you talk about at school lest your sexuality come into question. There were small enclaves of kids who liked different kinds of music with a little bit of crossover and my close friends who were very open about music. It should come as no surprise that the few gay kids at my school were in the cool music club. R.E.M. was one of those bands that the cool kids liked, but might get you punched or looked at like you had antlers growing out of your head. I remained an R.E.M. fan throughout the IRS years and through the Warner Brothers years even though I missed the jangly folk rock, they held my interest through all the evolution toward a more polished production and overtly pop sound. Automatic For the people was the biggest step to date. The album was darker in tone, in sound and lyrical content. I didn’t know if I liked it the first time I heard it. It took awhile for me to adjust. It was very different. I came to really love it, but I’m still adjusting to it. It’s not the first R.E.M. record I usually pull off the shelf, but every time I do, it still surprises me. It’s one of the few records that makes me feel like that. 4.7

Favorite Song: Man on the Moon

I remember hating on R.E.M for the longest time and I honestly can’t tell you why. This album slaps.

Ever since this album came out I've associated it with U2. Maybe because this came out right after Achtung Baby, with a cover by Anton Corbjin? Also - "Everybody Hurts" feels a lot like "All I Want Is You;" the REM song coming out in April of 93 and then the U2 song making a bit of a comeback in 94 thanks to "Reality Bites?" Am I making any sense here? Anyways. I was expecting the style on this album to be more electric, but nope, it is pretty on-the-money, peak-REM. I also had forgotten that this album has like three or four big singles - "Man on the Moon," "Everybody Hurts," and "Nightswimming." Some pretty significant REM signature songs all come from here. Overall, I really liked it, and want to listen to it more in depth soon. Good stuff. FOUR STARS

This was one of those albums that everyone had when I was a kid. Permenantly on the 3 for £10 HMV deal and on everyone's list of their favorite albums. I have to admit that when I was younger I thought that this was a really boring album. But something happens when you hit 35-40 that means you slow down a little (at times) and can appreciate the orchestral flourishes that REM have put into their tracks. This doesn't stop this album from being both mournful and melancholy. But in a catchy and fun way. (3.750)

Liked some songs, others were just okay. I think overall 4 star album. It's good but not exactly for me.

chave

I always enjoy listening to R..E.M but I would t know what the best album was. This is the 3rd album I have listened to so far this year and this may edge it

You are are quite a run here RGP… After “Hunky Dory” yesterday it has been two days in a row where you have given us the best LP by an artist, remarkable stuff… If the final four songs here aren’t the four best closing album tracks of all time I don’t know what are. Tom.

Haven’t listen to this for a long time, it holds up well.

Falls short in the middle just a little bit too much to be a 5

Great album! I could easily have given 5 stars for this as it is pretty much perfect. But then how do I rate albums I like even more? We need a 10 star system really then I could have given 9. I will justify it losing a star for track 5. I normally enjoy instrumentals but find this one, although OK, doesn't really add anything to an otherwise perfect album and I'm always waiting for it to finish to get on with the rest. I would hope/expect ‘Out of Time’ to be in this list too at some point as that is almost as good.

Fantastic. Man on the Moon is pretty overplayed but solid. Nightswimming is by far the best track on the album. Really beautiful backing piano with nostalgic lyrics.

I don't much like REM. Too whiney. They don't rock hard enough and their melodic and emotional quotient does not meet my threshold as often as it should. They should be a band I like, but they are too twee and Stipe's vocals are worse than, well, Trump's vocals. But i can't deny their impact and the fact that they still have a bunch of classics. I did enjoy this album when it came out, and it remains the only album by them that I can tolerate. Admittedly, I haven't heard them all, so maybe they have another I'll like. Stranger things have happened. Trump somehow has people who can tolerate his existence, for example.

Great album, I listened to the remaster version which was great

You're the first born, and therefore never had the mythical 'older brother with the cool record collection' to advise you. Luckily, Brian did. The brother's college CD collection began to trickle into the Jeep Cherokee that picked you up for school most days in high school. The entire record is a texture, maybe it’s the accordion or the mandolin. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight -- it always made you tear up. It immediately felt nostalgic, despite it only being a few years old. Something in Stipe's voice, the loneliness, the reverb, the impressionism of the lyrics. The Jeep swaying dangerously along the curves of a country lane, the gravity of time pulling you along.

great album with a bunch of bangers

I was pretty burnt on REM when this album came out so I didn't appreciate it at the time, but it is a great album with some great songs.

Something about R.E.M. just feels strange and unappealing. I probably heard their whole discography and know a lot of it by heart. The problem I have with it is the emotional songs don't make me feel the same emotion they are singing about and the bops miss something poppy. On the other hand, I gave this a good listen and found that the less popular of their songs are more interesting to me than the hits. Songs I liked: - Sweetness follows - Monty got a Raw deal - Nightswimming - Find the river

Pleasant, but some of the deep cuts are forgettable, I listened to murmur first out of this band and so far it’s my favorite, but this is still great and a step above document.

I listened to this album a zillion times in college. American pop culture seems to have forgotten about REM for some reason. Sure, some of it suffers from overfamiliarity (Everybody Hurts deserved better than to be a hit single), but the best tracks (Sweetness Follows, Nightswimming, Find the River) were terrific then and they're terrific now.

Great album. Could be a five star album if the songs were reordered. Having “Drive” as the opener sets a tone that the rest of the album just doesn’t live up to.

Really enjoyed. This is what I wanted from REM

GREAT, THE END IS LITTLE BIT TOO SLOW

Best song is the sidewinder sleeps tonite.

This the their saddest and most mature album; This is not the album of Shiny Happy People; Thoughtful and introspective

Everybody Hurts is a little overdone nowadays but that's not the album's fault. I liked The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Sweetness Follows was good. A bit more of a moodier album that I'd like but I get the appeal. Nightswimming was very nice. This album has a sort of raw tenderness to it that really gets to me. I love the lore behind Man On The Moon

This is a good R.E.M. album, not a great one. Some excellent songs,of course, but it ranks low in my band pantheon.

It's hard not grade on a curve. Maybe I'm doing that, not sure. The album sounds great. It has a ton of great songs like Try Not to Breathe, Nightswimming, New Orleans Instrumental No 1, Sweetness Follows and more. I really don't like Ignoreland and there are a few that leave me ambivalent like Sidewinder. I feel like there is more emphasis placed on Michael Stipe and his voice on this record and I prefer the full REM experience.

Great album with hits and good play through flow. Milestone on the alternative timeline. 3.5/5

Definitely in my top five of all REM albums. I remember buying this in college when it came out, and at first I didn’t know what to do with it. But, man it quickly grew on me and I began to understand it at the level it deserves. Essentially every song has something to like. It’s not quite up there with Murmur or Lifes Rich Pageant but still one I will always have in my playlist.

Not entirely sure this is my favorite REM album, but it’s def the one most present in my life. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a good boy cry to Everybody Hurts? And it’s pretty much impossible to not sing the chorus of Man on the Moon whenever it comes on. Good stuff. 3.75/5

So.e great songs

Pretty good, a few highly recognizable songs on it

Great songs for a depressive episode. Some songs felt a little cheesy though.

I cant believe one day prior I was hoping for a REM album and it delivered. A great gift

This is my second REM album, the other one I got was Green. In my opinion, the later REM albums (from green and on) seem to be wayyy more boring than previous albums like Murmur and Document. Even so, I still liked this album, and I’ll definitely be giving those other two albums 5 stars, but I’m afraid that Automatic For The People will remain at 4.

Often cited as a left turn for a more commercial sound (for which I'd honestly credit Out of Time), Automatic For The People is also regularly named as R.E.M.'s best release. It's definitely up there. I'm not the biggest R.E.M. fan by any means, but Drive is one of the best songs of the decade and easily the best opener to any of their albums, along with Harborcoat. The album maintains momentum with a great set of diverse tracks in the first half. The second half is also filled with some spectacular highlights, Find The River in particular, but there is an odd track here that I regularly skip, which sadly isn't out of the ordinary for their albums. They just can't resist placing at least one stinker in all of their releases, but maybe someone will disagree with me on that. I still haven't listened to Monster and I definitely should, especially because I wonder how their next step sounded and if they pulled it off. Favourite track: Sweetness Follows (Drive isn't the only all-timer here)

Very good

Sound der depressiv macht genannt depro Sound

I somewhat liked this. Took a bit to get into and the lyrics didn't really connect with me at all at least on a first listen, but there are some memorable tunes on here. I might come back to it with a more appreciative ear later down the line. EDIT: I did give this one another go after getting 2 back to back REM albums on consecutive days, felt like a sign. And I'm pleased to say the tracks did just need a bit of time to percolate and undistracted space to listen for me to get plenty out of this! Enough to bump this up to a 4 for the time being. Standout tracks: Drive, Everybody Hurts, Ignoreland, Man on the Moon, Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

Would have given it five stars but some of the songs are a bit too dark.

good

I can see this is a good album but not a masterpiece at first sight. Despite that, "Man On The Mon" is reeeally good.

I know and love Out of Time; this one is also terrific!

Solid

Ken ik wel maar nooit helemaal geluisterd. Vgm enige helemaal akoesrische REM album. Met its the end of the world as we know it. Ben benieuwd Try not to breathe en Everybody hurts driekwarts maat en daadwerkelijk wals cadans sick. Die laatste sws echt een banger. Heb ik een tijdje te veel naar geluisterd, maar nu hit ie weer goed Eerste indruk: Heel mooi. Hoewel ik niet heel scherp heb geluisterd echt goed qua pacing enzo. Er zit veel diepte in de teksten die ik er nog niet echt heb uitgehaald

Underrated album, and it's superseded my expectations

Et par bangers i streg, lææækkert. Hvor er den akustiske guitar bare psycho clean på det her album mand, den lyder såååå sprød. Kirkeorglet er også ret sjovt. Sejt med strygerarrangementer. Føler en stærk 4'er.

Clean guitar, clean mix, voice fits, not bad.

This album takes me back! Another form favourite from the past, but one that feels like a few weak songs on it and so don't listen to much anymore.

Not the best album theyve done, but that might just be me because I love the song losing my religion which was on Out of Time. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing this again.

Good listen. No new faves; Nightswimming ftw.

There were a lot of songs here that went in one ear and out the other, but the ones that stood out stopped me dead in my tracks. “Try Not to Breathe”, “Sweetness Follows” and “Night Swimming” touched me in particular.

R.E.M. has never been a band that I seek out. They are far from my favorite and I generally think they are revered more than they should be. That said, they undeniably have carved out a place for themselves in rock history, and this album is a very good one. I know that Everybody Hurts and Drive are two of the hits off this record, I'm just not a fan of either one of these tracks, as they are both heavy handed for me. They're fine, just not amazing songs for me. In fact, I find the whole front half of this album to be just ok. It's fine, just sort of there. The back half of this album, however, is great, starting with Monty Got a Raw Deal. This song builds well is very strong after the whole band is in it. Ignoreland and Star Me Kitten are both good tracks as well. Man On The Moon and Nightswimming are where this album really soars though. The former is such a well-constructed track about Andy Kaufmann with a great chorus. The latter might be my favorite R.E.M. song ever. The way the piano and orchestra come together is just outstanding. The closer, Find The River, is another excellent track and brings to a close a final 6 songs which are way better than the first 6. An overall excellent record, probably the best of R.E.M.'s career. 4 stars.

idk if this is a 5 but it's a 4 all the way, maybe even a 4.5??????

I’ve never gotten the impression REM felt haunted by Murmur, that they were constantly trying to match that album’s cohesive sound and quality of songwriting and falling short...but...there are countless bands with a stellar debut that never recapture that early glory - The Strokes - and perhaps Automatic is that for some people. Much like OK Computer’s Electioneering, Automatic runs into a wall with the incredibly on the nose Ignoreland, which would’ve made for a forgettable album track on Document or Fables. That’s it though, the rest is perfect.

top, y me escuché de paso su otro album, locuuuura

4/5 just because of Everybody Hurts

R.E.M: R - Really E - Solid M - Album

If i haven't listened to REM for a while i tend to think they’re over rated. But listening again always bumps them back up again.

great, interesting voice and nice melodic tunes, need to give it a go a couple more times 8/10 Will I add this album to my library? yes

Absolute great album from beginning to end, it's a modern sound but same feel of R.E.M. songs. Undeniable vibes but incredible lyrics too. The chemistry between all the members of the band is 100% in this album.

My first time listening to this album all the way through. I like Michael Stipes voice for ballads. The piano on night swimming is gorgeous and magical. Everybody Hurts is an anthem for a reason. The instrumentation of the whole album is beautiful.

i´m not gonna lie, "everybody hurts" makes me giggle.

Great album with some legendary songs! 7.7/10

listening to this on a rainy day hits the spot. a couple songs were kinda slower but honestly i enjoyed the whole album. nice guitar playing, good rich emotion, kinda gave me seal vibes. 7.5/10

Det är bara att krypa till korset, det ÄR jävligt bra det här. Lysande produktion, perfekt stämningsskapade och alldeles lagom mörkt och skevt. En hel drös med fantastiska låtar dessutom. "Drive", "Try not to breathe", "Find the river", "Sweetness follows"är alla yppersta klass och sen då alldeles underbara "Monty got a raw deal" som är hur bra som helst. Fyra som sneglar uppåt

Very scaled back and organic without sounding choppy and underproduced. Somber and sweet, full of sorrow in the best way. Lead singer has a very distinct voice I feel like I’ve heard them before. It is giving the kind of guy that thinks he’s having very big philosophical revelations but it’s the average thought I had at 7 years old. Sonically it’s very pleasant to listen to, composition is very different and interesting but lyrically isn’t wowing me just yet. Ahhh Everybody Hurts that’s who these guys are, yes very moody and drama that’s their thing. I’m loving the scores and musical makeup a lot I think it’s very experimental for its time and takes lots of risks in that regard. Are those sleigh bells???? Sick!!!! I love Ignoreland but I’m so sad thinking about all the men who probably love this album but are unfortunately republican now.

Me encantan las bandas que desarrollan su propio sonido. Esas que aun sin conocer la canción sabés quien la está tocando, porque suena a ellos. Es el caso de R.E.M. De este álbum recuerdo dos canciones muy exitosas: "Everybdy hurts" y "Man on the moon". Es un buen disco musicalmente hablando, y temáticamente cargado de dolor, nostalgia y algunos temores. Me gusta mucho.

A few years ago I tried to get into R.E.M. since it seemed like a massive oversight given the rest of my particular likes. Much to my chagrin, it did not totally take. And when choosing to relisten to Automatic For The People, I was a little bit worried that it would be as it lived in my memory - which was not super memorable. I recall all the tracks sort of ran together until the ones that I had heard a million times like Man on the Moon. I felt like I'd heard every song used at the end of an episode of Scrubs. I was wrong! Loved this on a relisten, I guess I'm just more used to Michael Stipe now and find his sort of weepy cadence endearing and affecting. Favorite Tracks: The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Monty Got A Raw Deal, New Orleans Instrumental No. 1, Ignoreland, Man on the Moon (it's a hit), Find the River

A lot of big songs on this one. Enjoyed.

good album, kind of sad but still with a beat. dig the vibes. i wonder how differently it would hit if i were already steeped in rem from the late 80s.

the last three songs on this album carry it

I liked it more than the other one I gave 4 stars it was pretty good but I may now demote the other one to 3 stars lol

Nothing groundbreaking or particularly unique. I just really really enjoy just about everything on the album. I grew up on R.E.M. as they are one of my mom's favorites so they are a huge comfort band to me.

it is good but nothing crazy. Nothing bad either

7.5/10 It's an enjoyable listen, Michael Stipe's voice is so pleasant to hear.

Mange høydepunkter, men ikke hele plata greier å holde samme nivået.

Veldig bra! Hvis æ må sette fingeren på noe, så blir det at ingen låte e 10/10. Så e det ingen låte som e svak heller da. Vi ende på sterk firer. Den ble utgitt på toårsdagen min🎉

Halfway through the R.E.M. in this collection and I like this one a lot more than the first one I got, Murmur. It helps that this one has one of my favorite R.E.M. songs in "Man on the Moon" but I can't deny how good songs like "Everbody Hurts," "Nightswimming," and "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" are. Some of the other songs don't hit as well as the ones I listed above so for that reason I'm giving it a 3.5 rounded to a 4/5.

My third REM album in 2 weeks and I wasn't sold after the first two but WOW this album is just so great. Could definitely listen to this again and again.

yep

at first it was boring but the second half of this album is really good. I like the sidewinder sleeps tonite, man on the moon and find the river the most.

para iniciar los 1001 albumes si m costo escucharlo como escucha consciente, pero una vez pasas la barrera de volver a escuchar musica de +3 minutos, es una experiencia que me transporta a la soledad en una fabrica a las 4 de la mañana en un turno nocturno

A very good album, it would have been a truly great album had it not had Everybody Hurts on it. Man on the Moon is an incredible song, one of the best I've heard on the list. Find The River not a very good closer.

4.1/5

4.5

I like REM and this album is much better than I remember. Man on the Moon is a very catchy song. I still prefer their stuff from Document and earlier, but I enjoyed listening to this one quite a bit. Great album by an amazing band.

Good

Really solid and consistent album. Man on the Moon is such a banger.

Great album. I can get most of the songs on it stuck in my head just by reading the track list. It’s a bit on the quiet side for my taste but definitely great.

Was good, already new a few songs

4.5

Good. Amazing!

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

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

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

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

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.

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

- 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

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

Really enjoyed this and plan to revisit 4 stars

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

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.

awesome

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.

“Drive” is a great opener.

Yup, That is a jolly good album

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

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

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.

Pretty good

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.

Favorite Song: Everybody Hurts

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.

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

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

This is something new for my ears.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Its OK, a discovery

Good album. 4/5

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.

Под закатное солнце воспоминаний

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.

Great

I like REM. Not bad!

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.

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.

Classic 4

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

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

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

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

Really good smooth rock

Rv/g

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

man on the moon is a tune

I fear I love REM.

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

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.

קלאסיקה

Trusted old favourite

Hits are great. Other songs are cool.

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

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 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

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.

Kind of glum but I still enjoyed it.

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.

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.

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

tender, yearning, and kind

Really solid album, great music and great lyrics that I feel I need a couple more listens of to properly ponder.

Maybe R.E.M's most beautiful record? I tend to be a greatest hits fan but this is just generally nice sounding alternative rock. Definitely of all the ones this site has recommended I'm enjoying this as a whole experience more. Liking ignoreland, nightswimming, the obvious great singles of "everybody hurts" and "man on the moon." Great openers and closers too. Definitely feels like subtle record too. It's not trying to be flashy just have solid rock jams and Michael Stipes voices is maybe the best part of R.E.M. for me.

3.5/5 - Ihan mukava ja toimiva levy. Mun mielestä alkuosa oli kuitenkin vähän tylsä ja biisit todella samantyyppisiä, mut loppulevy oli mun makuun. Laulajan ääni meni myös välillä hermoille, mutta joissakin biiseissä se taas toimi tosi hyvin. Koko levyn fiilis ja rakenne oli kuitenkin todella kaunis. Kiinnitin erityisesti huomiota tän levyn pianoon, mikä sopi todella hyvin tän levyn fiilikseen. Voisin kuunnella uudestaan!

Just a really good album. It’s sad but powerful, can be intense but also relaxing. I don’t love REM but everything about this album, including the sound, is very solid. I remember when the Everybody Hurts music video was on MTV and VH1 allllll the time and I still love that song.

Wow, surprised by how high the ratings are for this one. I've always been an R.E.M. fan, but this album is a bit on the languid side on the whole so I was expecting more 2s (especially since I thought a bunch of people just irrationally hate Michael Stipe). Anyway, this one is a mixed bag for me. The musicianship is high throughout and there are some great songs...but it drags somewhat in the middle. I liked the album overall, I just wish it had a little more juice. A good album for sad days, I guess. Random note: I'm again glad that Spotify gives you lyrics on most songs; "Ignoreland" is entirely unintelligible outside of the chorus, but the lyrics are really good! I wish the mix were better. 4.0

Full of great songs, I have a thing for The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, the vocal melodies in the verse is so satisfying! Every once in a while, I'm thinking this might be the day I'm finally enjoying Man on the Moon, but that day has never come. It never hits for me... Also, I wanna say I do not like Stipe's lyrics, or at least on this record, I've just listened to it, so I don't feel conflicted about that statement. It often feels like placeholder lyrics before you'd come back to make it sound good and meaningful ! To be fair, many albums that I have been through here have awful or lame lyrics and I haven't mentioned it, it's just a shame with this one I think because this could be greater than it is. Oh and my rating is going to be good btw.

Vr 6 feb 2026 22:19 pm Ignoreland (0:00)

Makes me have will to live again. The energy is ELECTRIFYING. Best album I´ve gotten so far. Fucking banger. Makes me feel like a main character.

This is the first time I listened to a full REM album. Drive starts the album and as it started playing I knew this song but I didn’t know why. I liked this song. It’s really good. I love Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon. I knew them from watching too much MTV back when they still kind of showed videos. MTV loved REM. Try Not to Breathe was another standout on this album. I liked most of it.

Gotta hand it to em, den er sgu meget fed den her

Great songs.

Immediately identifiable sound. Unique and emotive. Brilliant lyrics and vocals throughout. Strings and instrumentation are powerful. Great dynamic shifts as the album progresses. Two or three classics that will never be forgotten.

This was really really good. Every song was well done and unique. I dont think I would add any to my playlist but I would love to hear it come on in passing or at a bar/resturant.

Whoa...I knew some REM songs, of course, but this album is...amazing?

Love it. Own it.

Really excellent, feels like a proper complete album.

A near flawless record

REM is a pretty unique group, even for their time. They were part of a counter culture fighting back against the bombast and eccentricities of the 80s, helping to bolster the grunge movement. Hopeful and sad, their music mourns what has been lost but still seeks for better times. Michael Stipe’s vocals being it together while the rest of the band provides wonderful backup vocals and instrumentals. Clear influence from the goth music of the 80s mixed with folk from the 70s help give this album definition. Truly a solid, though not wholly fun, album.

A pretty good album with some great classic rock on it

A 1992 highlight. This album still sounds as fresh and as important as it did 35 years ago. We never really did deserve R.E.M..

Listened 3 times today. Overall a smidge below 4, but gets better on each listen. I realized I have never fully listened to "Everybody Hurts" till today and it is surprisingly really good. Also the last 3, hell 4 songs are immaculate with "Man on the Moon" and "NightSwimming" and maybe my favorite song on the album "Find the River". high 3.5 (rounds to 4)

Having this album pop up today was right time right place. It's been a challenging few days, weeks, months, so listening to this emotional album full of joy and sadness, but importantly hope and optimism, was uplifting in the best way possible. I had heard half the album through various singles and loved the rest. Great record.

Great album, Everybody Hurts was my fav song

Not my favorite REM album, but still a great record. Sweetness Follows is the standout track for me, juxtaposing the beautifully simple instrumentation with the unpleasant subject of the lyrics to great effect.

it's one of those albums where i will bob my head throughout and when the album's done i'll go "mm, good album!".. and that's honestly all i can say about this one, it's hard to find other words for it. it's good! i like it!

Some great songs, but also some that strike me as filler, as with most R.E.M. albums. My personal enjoyment: 3.5/5, but taking into account its huge impact on alt/indie rock, 4/5.

One of my favourite REM albums, albeit still with a couple of lower points: The vocal on sidewinder is so high in stipe’s range that I think it gets grating, and ignoreland is just a skipper. Overall though, some brilliant songs and arrangements, and a good mix of acoustic feel and expansive strings. And Drive is a cracking album opener.

MW: 8.4 Fav: Nightswimming Least Fav: Ignoreland

la più carina everybody hurts, album non male devo dire lo ascolterei se stessi attraversando la route 66 in un van, quelle vibes mi dà

Good one. Liked it. Heard a lot about it but never actually listened. Of course, I knew the single

Forgot just how good this album was

Started really strongly with Drive and I really enjoyed the first three songs. Everybody hurts felt like a tonal change and this was the only song on the album that I’d heard before. Then the middle part of the album felt a bit flat but Man on the Moon, and Nightswimming were very good towards the end.

I have this album on cassette. It's one of two I spent a _lot_ of time listening to back in the early 90s (the other one being Metallica's black album). As such, I can't disentangle this LP from my life at that time. Basically, listening to it again, it makes me very sad to think of how good we had it in the 90s compared with now. Not only was I between 15 and 25 years of age, but the cold war was over, environmental progress was on the radar, and the culture wars and jihads of the 20th century hadn't yet started. This album was one of the soundtracks to a golden age of peace, prosperity and culture. If you didn't dig this back then, I somehow doubt you'll dig it now, basically.

Really liked!!

Dichtbij vijf sterren. De hoogtepunten als drive, nightswimming en man on the moon zijn simpele maar mooie nummers die op een of andere manier een soort nostalgie opwekken. De strijkers zijn erg geslaagd. 8/10

Good album, possibly their last great one. There are certainly some memorable lyrics.

aside from the new orleans instrumental track, this is a great listen …. so many lovely memories of this album and it still holds up as a comforting listen. Stand out track and still one of my favourite songs ever is “night swimming” …. honestly not a die hard REM fan, but have much love for this particular album!

Pretty good. Started sounding like Pink floyd but diverted a bit eventually. Questionable conspiracy slop undertones?

Good songs:

A lot better than expected!

A classic!

Het was een droevige bedoeling op deze Blauwe Maandag. Deze plaat - die door velen, alsmede de band zelf, als R.E.M.'s beste wordt beschouwd - staat vol met melancholische, nostalgische melodiën. De snaar arrangementen, gitaar melodiën, rauwe vocals en poëtische teksten sleuren je mee; als je daarvoor open staat. Tijdens werk, werkte dit niet echt. Echter zijn er natuurlijk af en toe wel dagen dat ik comfort zou kunnen vinden in de klanken van dit album. Naast ballads, staan er ook een paar wat meer 'rocky' tracks in, welke mooi in balans staan met de rest. Alleen The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite lijkt niet helemaal in het plaatje te passen. Grappig genoeg las ik later dat de band dat zelf ook vond achteraf. En dan ja, Everybody Hurts. Wat moet ik er nog over zeggen? Drummer Bill Berry schreef het als een anti suicide nummer, een poging om hoop te bieden en levens te redden, wat schijnbaar gelukt is. Het lied wordt in het album opgevolgd door de instrumentale New Orleans Instruments No. 1, wat ik een hele goede keuze vind. Het geeft de luisteraar even de ruimte om het lied ervoor te laten bezinken en bemediteren (is dat een woord?). Mooi spul. Liked songs: Drive, Try Not To Breathe, Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon, Find The River.

Great songwriting and Stipe’s vocals are iconic