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

Shortlisted for album of the year at the Grammys in 1994. The winner was the soundtrack to The Bodyguard. Surely this should have won

From HoldenM 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.

Amazing album that just blends from one song to the next. A beautiful journey.

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.

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.

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.

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"

https://www.angelfire.com/nv/Badfinger/BANDrem.html

Solid album

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.

For me this stands out from the other REM albums as a clear winner.