Automatic for the People by R.E.M.
Performed by: R.E.M.
Editorial Reviews:
Continuing to specialize in the art of curve-throwing, R.E.M. followed up its 1991 smash, Out of Time, with this fragile album of soft melodies and string arrangements. The sympathetic ballad "Everybody Hurts" must have prevented countless suicide attempts, while the Andy Kaufman tribute "Man on the Moon" (with Michael Stipe affecting an Elvis Presley imitation) and the rock-into-oblivion "Drive" are among the quartet's strongest hits. (The opening line, "Hey, kids, rock and roll," isn't so much a rallying cry as an expression of anxiety.) It takes a few listens for its charms to unfold, but Automatic is the gem between bigger hits Out of Time and Monster. --Steve Knopper
If you like "Automatic for the People by R.E.M. , you might also like ...
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good album but don't get carried away
Comment: This is by no means a classic, not for REM or in pop history. There's nothing all that special here and Everybody Hurts starts to get on my nerves after a few listens. I think the fashionable people were a little too eager to jump on the 'serious' and politically correct bandwagon of the alternative era.
Customer Rating:
Summary: R.E.M. hit their creative peak
Comment: An album about life, death and the anxiety on the fine line between them, R.E.M. bucked convention after the mammoth success of "Losing My Religion" and Out of Time. The skipped touring, went right back into the studio, and opened their souls as they created "Automatic For The People." What started out as a rock project soon began to turn inward, as Michael Stipe lyrically explored love and loss in the early 90's and the band's political discontent.
It's not an accident that the "Rock On" inspired first single "Drive" contained the line "Smack, crack, Bushwacked," as the soul-destroying forces of drugs, addled by the ineptitude of "The War On Drugs," was something the band viewed as stupefying the youth of the day. And like many bands that were losing their innocence in this era of AIDS, R.E.M. saw many friends and colleagues fall victim to a disease that politicians were eager to avoid and spoke of only in judgemental tones. "Try Not To Breathe" and "Nightswimming" takes on the topic, with "Breathe" a companion sitting at a lover's bedside and offering comfort even as their heart breaks, while "Nightswimming" looks back on a more carefree period where ignorance was a childhood privilege spent on "The fear of getting caught, of recklessness and water."
"Everybody Hurts" is "Automatic's" cornerstone, calling for resolve even in these difficult times. (It was accompanied by an effective video, as well.) John Paul Jones' orchestration of this (and three other songs) gently highlighted the plea to "hold on," even as things only looked as if they would never come out of the bleakness. Exploring the same topic more light heartedly was "Man On The Moon," the band's tribute to the late comic Andy Kauffman. Even as it name drops everyone from Elvis Presley to Mott The Hoople, it also teases out the childhood games of Twister and Risk, as it postulates that Andy went to heaven to dig on Elvis and "A truck stop instead of St Peter."
While the brilliant tracks here are among R.E.M.'s best, there were a couple of misfires. I have never been able to find "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" appealing, and "New Orleans Instrumental" always felt like filler to me. Although I like the blistering reprimand of "Ignoreland," its vitriol seemed out of place on an album so introspective and thoughtful. Even with those quibbles, I've come back to this R.E.M. CD almost as often as I do the classics Murmur and Document. After "Automatic," the band seemed to get confused (ala U2 in their Pop period), pounding out the glammy Monster and the by-the-numbers New Adventures in Hi Fi. They have yet to match this album for depth and content, and it remains the last classic R.E.M. album.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent projection
Comment: Luis Mejia - Automatic For The People is definitively one of the most selected pieces of magic popcraft throughout the 90s'; and undoubtly alternative kings R.E.M. most famous work. From beginning to end this album is beautiful and rewarding; the witty introduction in "Drive", the wimsical cult of the nearly fading "Nightswimming", and many other moments cut the album accessible but yet very significative. A 90s' top choice, represented by swifting soft but accute passages of music, lyrical interest and refreshing cohersion; but even for the matter, R.E.M. mainstream hardy tone on their music it's not gone but transformed into a laid back mood. Take a few good listens, as it is a very sensitive album, and anyone can feel identified with the apathic feelings of "Ignoreland", the craftmanship of "Man On The Moon", the playfulness in "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight", the scattered original passages, and of course, the spawning, massive hit "Everybody Hurts", one of the most well known and best arranged ballads.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Comment: The fact that U2's Bono called this 'the greatest country record never made' says enough. This album is incredible.
Every song on the album is a stand-out. The hits such as "Drive", "Everybody Hurts", and "Man on the Moon" speak for themselves.
The brilliant "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", may seem a bit out of place. Peter Buck says the following in the sleevenotes to The Best of REM: "We included this song on Automatic in order to break the prevailing mood of the album. Given that lyrically the record dealt with mortality, the passage of time, suicide and family, we felt that a light spot was needed. In retrospect, the consensus among the band is that this might be a little too lightweight."
Although not a major hit, "Find the River" is incredibly moving and amongst their best (my personal "#1 REM track"). The extra piano crescendo at 3:24 is still my favorite REM moment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: BAD SHIPPING
Comment: It came smashed in the box HORRIBLY WARPED.
but since I'm smart I left it out side to unwarp and it worked but I'm shocked AMAZON let this leave their inventory like that but hey i fixed the problem.
FAST SHIPPING A*
EAN: 0093624505525
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Warner Bros / Wea
Release Date: 1992-10-06
Studio: Warner Bros / Wea
 | Format: Audio CD List Price: $13.98 Our Price: $12.99 Your Save: $ 0.99 ( 7% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Customer Rating:  |
Editorial Reviews:
Continuing to specialize in the art of curve-throwing, R.E.M. followed up its 1991 smash, Out of Time, with this fragile album of soft melodies and string arrangements. The sympathetic ballad "Everybody Hurts" must have prevented countless suicide attempts, while the Andy Kaufman tribute "Man on the Moon" (with Michael Stipe affecting an Elvis Presley imitation) and the rock-into-oblivion "Drive" are among the quartet's strongest hits. (The opening line, "Hey, kids, rock and roll," isn't so much a rallying cry as an expression of anxiety.) It takes a few listens for its charms to unfold, but Automatic is the gem between bigger hits Out of Time and Monster. --Steve Knopper
If you like "Automatic for the People by R.E.M. , you might also like ...
 | Out of Time |
 | Green |
 | Monster |
 | Murmur |
 | Document |
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good album but don't get carried away
Comment: This is by no means a classic, not for REM or in pop history. There's nothing all that special here and Everybody Hurts starts to get on my nerves after a few listens. I think the fashionable people were a little too eager to jump on the 'serious' and politically correct bandwagon of the alternative era.
Customer Rating:
Summary: R.E.M. hit their creative peak
Comment: An album about life, death and the anxiety on the fine line between them, R.E.M. bucked convention after the mammoth success of "Losing My Religion" and Out of Time. The skipped touring, went right back into the studio, and opened their souls as they created "Automatic For The People." What started out as a rock project soon began to turn inward, as Michael Stipe lyrically explored love and loss in the early 90's and the band's political discontent.
It's not an accident that the "Rock On" inspired first single "Drive" contained the line "Smack, crack, Bushwacked," as the soul-destroying forces of drugs, addled by the ineptitude of "The War On Drugs," was something the band viewed as stupefying the youth of the day. And like many bands that were losing their innocence in this era of AIDS, R.E.M. saw many friends and colleagues fall victim to a disease that politicians were eager to avoid and spoke of only in judgemental tones. "Try Not To Breathe" and "Nightswimming" takes on the topic, with "Breathe" a companion sitting at a lover's bedside and offering comfort even as their heart breaks, while "Nightswimming" looks back on a more carefree period where ignorance was a childhood privilege spent on "The fear of getting caught, of recklessness and water."
"Everybody Hurts" is "Automatic's" cornerstone, calling for resolve even in these difficult times. (It was accompanied by an effective video, as well.) John Paul Jones' orchestration of this (and three other songs) gently highlighted the plea to "hold on," even as things only looked as if they would never come out of the bleakness. Exploring the same topic more light heartedly was "Man On The Moon," the band's tribute to the late comic Andy Kauffman. Even as it name drops everyone from Elvis Presley to Mott The Hoople, it also teases out the childhood games of Twister and Risk, as it postulates that Andy went to heaven to dig on Elvis and "A truck stop instead of St Peter."
While the brilliant tracks here are among R.E.M.'s best, there were a couple of misfires. I have never been able to find "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" appealing, and "New Orleans Instrumental" always felt like filler to me. Although I like the blistering reprimand of "Ignoreland," its vitriol seemed out of place on an album so introspective and thoughtful. Even with those quibbles, I've come back to this R.E.M. CD almost as often as I do the classics Murmur and Document. After "Automatic," the band seemed to get confused (ala U2 in their Pop period), pounding out the glammy Monster and the by-the-numbers New Adventures in Hi Fi. They have yet to match this album for depth and content, and it remains the last classic R.E.M. album.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent projection
Comment: Luis Mejia - Automatic For The People is definitively one of the most selected pieces of magic popcraft throughout the 90s'; and undoubtly alternative kings R.E.M. most famous work. From beginning to end this album is beautiful and rewarding; the witty introduction in "Drive", the wimsical cult of the nearly fading "Nightswimming", and many other moments cut the album accessible but yet very significative. A 90s' top choice, represented by swifting soft but accute passages of music, lyrical interest and refreshing cohersion; but even for the matter, R.E.M. mainstream hardy tone on their music it's not gone but transformed into a laid back mood. Take a few good listens, as it is a very sensitive album, and anyone can feel identified with the apathic feelings of "Ignoreland", the craftmanship of "Man On The Moon", the playfulness in "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight", the scattered original passages, and of course, the spawning, massive hit "Everybody Hurts", one of the most well known and best arranged ballads.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Comment: The fact that U2's Bono called this 'the greatest country record never made' says enough. This album is incredible.
Every song on the album is a stand-out. The hits such as "Drive", "Everybody Hurts", and "Man on the Moon" speak for themselves.
The brilliant "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", may seem a bit out of place. Peter Buck says the following in the sleevenotes to The Best of REM: "We included this song on Automatic in order to break the prevailing mood of the album. Given that lyrically the record dealt with mortality, the passage of time, suicide and family, we felt that a light spot was needed. In retrospect, the consensus among the band is that this might be a little too lightweight."
Although not a major hit, "Find the River" is incredibly moving and amongst their best (my personal "#1 REM track"). The extra piano crescendo at 3:24 is still my favorite REM moment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: BAD SHIPPING
Comment: It came smashed in the box HORRIBLY WARPED.
but since I'm smart I left it out side to unwarp and it worked but I'm shocked AMAZON let this leave their inventory like that but hey i fixed the problem.
FAST SHIPPING A*
Technical Details
Binding: Audio CDEAN: 0093624505525
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Warner Bros / Wea
Release Date: 1992-10-06
Studio: Warner Bros / Wea
