Automatic For The People (studio album) by R.E.M.

Automatic For The People by R.E.M.
Year: 1992
Overall rank: 49th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 2,201 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Best album of 1992 (1st)
Award Top 10 albums of the 1990s (6th)
Award Top 50 albums of all time (49th)
Product Details
Availability

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Automatic for the People, REM 1992 - Cassette, yellow shell
Condition: Very Good


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REM Automatic For The People CD in Wooden Box Limited Edition R.E.M. Art Cards.
Condition: Brand New


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REM CD's: Murmur-Reckoning-Document-Green-Eponymous-Automatic for the People++
Condition: Good


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R.E.M. bestography

Automatic For The People is ranked as the best album by R.E.M..

R.E.M. album bestography « Higher ranked (-) This album (49th) Lower ranked (136th) »
No album foundAutomatic For The PeopleMurmur

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Automatic For The People track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Rating: 88 (565 votes)Comments: 8
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8.
Rating: 80 (406 votes)Comments: 3
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9.
Rating: 78 (387 votes)Comments: 5
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11.
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Rating: 90 (590 votes)Comments: 11
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12.
Rating: 87 (477 votes)Comments: 4
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Automatic For The People rankings

Automatic For The People collection

Automatic For The People ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 2,201 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 2,201 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
90/100
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08/25/2025 19:08 djrodo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 95781/100
 
90/100
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08/24/2025 06:37 nextorgd  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,09083/100
 
90/100
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08/20/2025 20:09 liquidbottle  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 29789/100
 
80/100
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08/19/2025 03:54 LadyGodiva  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,63682/100
 
90/100
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08/07/2025 02:53 ScottJones  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 9284/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 84.0/100, a mean average of 83.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.6.

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Automatic For The People comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 08/07/2025 02:54
I liked the balance between orchestral strings and the array of folk and rock instrumentation employed by the band. The music is very well put together and it held my interest, to my surprise, despite having heard much of it multiple times. And also despite not being a big fan of the general gloomy tone of this album. But musically it's exceptional.
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Rating:  
95/100
From 04/18/2025 07:38
Shortlisted for album of the year at the Grammys in 1994. The winner was the soundtrack to The Bodyguard. Surely this should have won
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Rating:  
95/100
From 03/24/2025 13:54
Is Automatic for the People the best R.E.M. album? There's a strong argument. The perfect intersection of commercial and critical success with the longevity to match. Their most cinematic and, at times, most haunting. The rascals that made Murmur and Reckoning have grown up a lot, as has their sound, and all without sacrificing a lick of quality along the way. They themselves may as well have put a man on the moon.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 09/07/2023 19:19
Amazing album that just blends from one song to the next. A beautiful journey.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/06/2023 11:54
One of their best records, although I prefer their early stuff, but here we have some great ones I especially like Drive, Try Not To Breathe and Man On The Moon, Nightswimming is quite beautiful too.
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Rating:  
80/100
From 07/05/2023 21:55
I was not expecting to love this album, given the amount of scorn I've seen directed toward it by fans of early R.E.M. Given how much I love 'Murmur' and 'Fables,' and having already heard (and not loved) Everybody Hurts", I was fully expecting to share this opinion.
However, even in accepting that many of the songs on 'Automatic' are cheesy as all hell, I can't help but find R.E.M.'s particular brand of starry-eyed balladry irresistible. On the best tracks here, there is a deliberate Velvet-Underground-esque minimalism being displayed that, to my ears, pushes aside any accusations of this being mere "radio" or "stadium" rock. I think the biggest reason these songs work for me is because they feel genuine and earnest--I do not believe R.E.M. was sacrificing any artistic integrity by recording these pop-oriented tracks, because they are still tastefully arranged and produced, with chord progressions that flow effortlessly forward under Stipe's soaring vocal melodies and wistful musings. This is the somber sound of R.E.M. turning 30, and to me, it's every bit as essential and 'alternative' as their early work.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/09/2023 11:07
This is the groups most consistent record with there being a lot of absolute classic R.E.M songs throughout the whole run time. There is the occasional filler track, especially around the middle part, which holds it back from being amongst the truly elite albums. Despite this, when the music is good on here it is fantastic with the big hits being the obvious examples of this. There are several more songs that back this up as well that go a little bit on under the radar such as Try Not To Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite and Ignoreland. It is the conclusion that makes this record so memorable however with that closing 3 track run being an exceptional finish to any album. The quality is just flowing right at the end and it is such a beautiful way to end a great record. Overall, this is the best R.E.M record in my opinion as it is the most consistent as well as being the most enjoyable.
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Rating:  
75/100
From 01/13/2023 19:38
It is a general consensus among music critics that "Automatic for the People" is one of REM's best albums. For many people it is probably also known as the album with the major international hit "Man on the Moon". This song was, however, not the album's highest ranking single on the Billboard Hot 100 or the UK Singles Charts. No less than six numbers ended up as singles, which might suggest a very commercial album. However, this is far from the case. Several of the songs are fairly dark and neither upbeat nor rocking.
Oddly enough the group had intensions before going in the studio to record the follow-up to the very popular and very catchy album "Out of Time", to create a more rocking album. Indeed, one could argue that only "Ignoreland" is a real rocker.

My favorites are, in addition to the unique "Man on the Moon," "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Find the River", "Everybody Hurts", "Try Not to Breathe", "Monty Got a Raw Deal" and "Nightswimming"

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Rating:  
75/100
From 08/31/2022 03:32
Solid album
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Rating:  
90/100
From 04/13/2022 10:39
I am a huge fan of REM before they joined a major label and believe that the level of album quality ultimately went down at that point however, with this album they achieved their magnum opus. This album wasn't just commercially successful with the fantastic hits it possessed, their was so much emotional depth and a remarkably new sound for the band that was fresh and exciting.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1992
1. Automatic For The People by R.E.M.
2. Rage Against The Machine by Rage Against The Machine
3. Dirt by Alice In Chains
4. Slanted And Enchanted by Pavement
5. Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin
6. The Chronic by Dr. Dre
7. Angel Dust by Faith No More
8. Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
9. Down Colorful Hill by Red House Painters
10. Wish by The Cure
11. Bone Machine by Tom Waits
12. Dirty by Sonic Youth
13. Images And Words by Dream Theater
14. Vulgar Display Of Power by Pantera
15. Harvest Moon by Neil Young
16. Core by Stone Temple Pilots
17. Check Your Head by Beastie Boys
18. Love Deluxe by Sade
19. Copper Blue by Sugar
20. Dry by PJ Harvey
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