Product Description

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE is a classic of "alternative" rock. Released soon after OUT OF TIME, it shows R.E.M. on a creative roll with no shortage of original ideas. Bold songs such as ominous "Drive" and the empathetic "Everybody Hurts" demonstrated that the band were not reluctant to experiment, while the Karl Denver opening on "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" and the elegiac Andy Kaufman tribute "Man On The Moon" were as good as anything they had ever recorded. Even with thedeparture of original drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. are still very much alive here, setting a high bar for their subsequent recordings.

Track Listing

1. Drive
2. Try Not To Breathe
3. Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
4. Everybody Hurts
5. New Orleans Instrumental No 1
6. Sweetness Follows
7. Monty Got A Raw Deal
8. Ignoreland
9. Star Me Kitten
10. Man On The Moon
11. Nightswimming
12. Find The River

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1363 in Music
• Released on: 1992-09-30
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Not quite as flawless as a masterpiece should be--what's the slight "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" doing among such remarkably grounded material?--Automatic For The People still deserves its reputation as one of REM's best. Another link in the band's chain of 90's classics, it hits each mood--the glum teen-spirit report of "Drive", the sensual wash of "Star Me Kitten" and the gorgeously transcendent "Find The River,"--perfectly. Fittingly, Michael Stipe's lyrics are among his most coherent and empathetic. This will be recalled, and listened to, as a great work long after REM have packed it in. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Sweetness Followed
A beautiful record that I never tire of listening to. It has been with me a long time - my favourite record alongside Nirvana Unplugged - and has a terrific soothing quality.
The only thing I would question is the inclusion of "Ignoreland" which hints at their later political actions but does little to complement the album's mood of brooding but optimistic introspection.
Strangely, perhaps, I'm not a big fan of "Everybody Hurts" either. But the rest of the album is sheer brilliance, and more than the sum of its parts. "Sweetness Follows" and "Nightswimming" in particular are sublime.
The band would never be the same after Bill Berry left, witness his input into songs like "Find the River", probably my favourite track of all time.

This is probably my favourite R.E.M. album...
... and possibly my favourite album of all. It's impossible to put into words what I really feel for this record, because it's far beyond reason.

Like most of my all time faves, this disc didn't have me hooked from the start. In fact, I thought it was the most overrated piece of junk ever! But back then I was a spotty teenager who'd recently picked up the guitar and found that I could play all the songs with out any trouble (while I struggled to get to grips with anything by Brain May, Slash, Hendrix and Page)... I thought that if music was simple an understated, it was bad music. Buck, Berry, Mills and Stipe taught me that there was more to making great music than blistering musicianship. Over the months of listening to it, I found that I gradually got to love the tracks outside of the core singles "Drive", "Everybody Hurts", "Man on the Moon" and "Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite". But that took time.

Out of Time was the first album I had of theirs, and I was immediately won over by its warmth and accessibility, but AFTP was so stark in comparison. However, something made me pick it up and put it on again (mostly the singles that I did like) - and after a few weeks "Try not to Breathe" and "Find the River" became the most special tracks for me. One by one, other tracks followed, until I couldn't fault a single note (although, it really is the notes they don't play, the dead air, that makes this record so different). With the passage of many months, this band went from zeros to heroes in my eyes until I wore out my tape and had to replace it with a CD.

You'd think I would have learned from this experience, but when I first heard their follow-up, Monster, I absolutely hated it with a passion. Of course, within a month I'd reversed my opinion completely. Then I went through their back catalog and reveled in their awesome and prolific collective talent. I won't rave on about all their other albums here, but suffice to say their work has been consistently brilliant from the very start up until they released Around the Sun, where it took a dip. Not to end on a negative note, I believe that The Worst Joke Ever is one of the most earcatching melodies I've heard in a long time.

Oh, and one last (and very important) thing - AFTP is not, by any means whatsoever, depressing in any way (as many claimed at the time). It is one of the most hope-filled, comforting beautiful records you could ever own - so hurry up and click "Add to Basket" right now and make your world a little brighter :-)

Well its good but.
A very interesting album I liked the sort of folk rock twist to it. Completely different to REM's more classic sound and a really great song in there too: "Everybody Hurts" but its not a 5 star by any means. For every song I liked on here there was another that was just plainly boring. The lyrics also range from beautiful to abysmal. This album should not be ignored but there is just music done like this which is better. Its not up there (in my opinion) with other great albums. Definately worth it for £5.00 though.