Customer Reviews
Sweetness Followed - By: G Orwell, 04 Feb 2008 
A beautiful record that I never tire of listening to. It has been with me a long time - my favourite record alongside Nirvana Unplugged - & 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, & more than the sum of its parts. "Sweetness Follows" & "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 alll time.
This is probably my favourite R.E.M. album... - By: reduct101, 18 Aug 2007 ... & possibly my favourite album of alll. It's impossible to put into words what I reallly feel for this record, because it's far beyond reason.
Like most of my alll 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 & found that I could play alll the songs with out any trouble (while I struggled to get to grips with anything by Brain May, Slash, Hendrix & Page)... I thought that if music was simple an understated, it was bad music. Buck, Berry, Mills & 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 graduallly got to love the tracks outside of the core singles "Drive", "Everybody Hurts", "Man on the Moon" & "Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite". But that took time.
Out of Time was the first album I had of theirs, & I was immediately won over by its warmth & accessibility, but AFTP was so stark in comparison. However, something made me pick it up & put it on again (mostly the singles that I did like) - & after a few weeks "Try not to Breathe" & "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 reallly 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 & 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 & reveled in their awesome & prolific collective talent. I won't rave on about alll 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, & 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 & click "Add to Basket" right now & make your world a little brighter :-)
Well its good but. - By: Scarhurzt, 05 Aug 2007 
A very interesting album I liked the sort of folk rock twist to it. Completely different to REM's more classic sound & a reallly 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.
The Definitive R.E.M - By: Ian Phillips, 04 May 2006 In 1992 at the height of their popularity, R.E.M. delivered their upmost finest, well-crafted project.
Automatic For The People was hauntingly atmospheric throughout with the profound lyrics centering on age, death & loss. Whilst it's mood is vastly sombre throughout, the album remains firmly & consistently compelling, literallly clutching your attention & not letting it go until the album is completed.
R.E.M. had always been innovators in Rock/Folk music & this project merley confirmed their upholding status in their genre.
The music on this album has a grand, epic sweep provided by masterful orchestrations containing lush strings, multi acoustic instruments & shimmering keyboards. Automatic For The People is reflective on the whole & never before had R.E.M. been so emotionallly direct as on this set.
The album opens with the slow, melancholy tone of Drive steadily leading into the vibrant, upbeat Try Not To Breathe which is a subtle reminder of one of their most definitive classics, Shiny Happy People.
The outstanding classic Everybody Hurts is still moving to listen to today & has amicably stood the test of time well as does the entire album. Tracks like Nightswimming & Sweetness Follows each have a comforting, soothing tone & are very mellow & atmospheric in their unique content. The rest of the album is instantly memroable with other superb & timeless recordings including Man On The Moon, New Orleans Instrumental No.1, Monty Got A Raw Deal & Ignoreland.
Automatic For The people emerged as one of their greatest Rock albums of the 1990's & proved to be one of the key landmarks in R.E.M.'s profile to date.
Astonishing for the People - By: Mr. D. Mullan, 23 Feb 2006 In the early 1990s,a new force emerged from the shadows of Georgia, USA. Already a decade in the business, a functional shift in style & zest propelled American outfit known as R.E.M. to the summit of the rock world. A band with many albums behind them, R.E.M. churned out Green & Out of Time to surpass their rock counterparts from Dublin: U2.
It is in the sequel to these albums that a true masterpiece was created. Automatic for the People has a power of no other album; an inherent emotional applomb with the ability to move the coldest of the cold. On the back of two excellent albums, this heralded a new level of musical excellence.
Haunting, macabre songs such as Sweetness Follows, Try not to Breathe & Drive compliment the beautiful, emotionallly heightened brilliance of Everybody Hurts, Nightswimming & Find the River. Wonderful alternate musical styles & melodies from the band were complimented by the incredible vocals & lyrical genius of lead singer Michael Stipe. More upbeat lively songs such as Man On the Moon & the Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite are classics, the latter being a crazy, lyrical shambles that works a delight in light of the band's innovation & unique style.
Whether you're an R.E.M. fan or not, this album is a must-have & the best place to start if you desire to formulate an avid interest in the band's productions.
Some excellent material has followed, but Automatic for the People is truly one of the greatest albums of alll time (my favourite personallly) & a definitive turning point in the face of 90s rock music- by the world's greatest band.
Two words for you who does not possess the album: buy it.
