Classic Albums No. 26 - REM - Automatic for the People

[o]

I looked at the list and considered Bob Dylan as we've not had an album by him yet, also considered Nirvana as they were the start of grunge and seismic shift change, but in the end went for an album I've got, people may disagree it's not their best, so we shall see.

REM - Automatic for the people

Side one – "Drive side"

"Drive" – 4:31
"Try Not to Breathe" – 3:50
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
"Everybody Hurts" – 5:17
"New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" – 2:13
"Sweetness Follows" – 4:19

Side two – "Ride side"

"Monty Got a Raw Deal" – 3:17
"Ignoreland" – 4:24
"Star Me Kitten" – 3:15
"Man on the Moon" – 5:13
"Nightswimming" – 4:16
"Find the River" – 3:50

[Shireblogger]

I loved this when it came out, but haven't listened to it for a while. A good choice.

[LT]

Some great tracks

[TheThorne]

Practically perfect one of my top 10 albums of all time, need an excuse to play it again.

I actually played my vinyl a year or so ago when i got my new turntable to celebrate

[Earl Purple]

The only album Carol and I both had when we met.

[-Big Dan-]

Great album without a doubt, but in my opinion, the much-underrated 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi' was better.

[Deleted]

Liked it then but don't like REM now

[wonderwall]

oh will go back and listen there best album for me all time classic

[vastar iner]

I never quite know what to make of REM. They seem to have been around forever, with some brilliant pure pop songs, which were never really acclaimed as such because REM are not considered a pop act. So what are they? Alt-rock? Difficult to associate that with such gorgeous tracks as “Stand” and “End Of The World”. And they did “Shiny Happy People”, which is as close as a “look at me, mum, I want a number 1 hit” abortion as you can get.

So how alt are they?

Let’s give this a go. “Drive”. Is this Springsteen? If they are driving, it is through a dark mountain storm. It is definitely brooding, but it never really goes anywhere. There’s no real chorus, it is a series of verses, and it sounds as if it is building up to a climax that never arrives. Perhaps this is going to be a theme for the album - it is a coherent piece rather than a collection of songs. In which case this is the scene setter.

Now we move to an Oirisih folksong. But it’s the same sort of thing as “Drive”. It is the same thing over and over again. It is building up. To what? Nothing. It is an extremely slow crescendo to the point of invisibility.

It picks up a bit with a take on “Wimoweh”. This is really again a pop song, great singalong and upbeat. No idea what the heck it’s about. Snake handlers? Not sure. And then it takes itself riiiiiiiight back down with “Everybody Hurts”. This sounds really out of place on this album. Listening to it afresh, why was it not such a gigantic hit? What were REM’s label doing? They seemed to be releasing everything on here as a single. It undermines the impact of what is an astonishing song. Whereas the preceding songs seem to be waiting for a climax that never arrives, this one deliberately plays for it, kicks it back, re-builds and re-builds, and then climaxes with a stupendous acme.

And then an instrumental. Wut? I’m betting this gets skipped a lot on CDs. And “Sweetness Follows”. It’s back to the opening track again. Same sort of thing, same sort of pace, same sort of structure. And the next one is a mix of the first two; the Celtic stuff and the brooding same-pace monoculture. I’m not really digging this album. It’s mostly filler. Decent filler, it’s better than the Thriller filler, but filler nonetheless. It’s more something for the background than something to interrogate and get something deeper out.

And what do we get in “Ignoreland”? Same again. Same pace. Same type of song. Just a bit more shouty. And then something else monopaced and monocultured, but just a dirge.

“Man On The Moon” really underlines what this album is. Standard. What slightly elevates it above the herd is that the single-quality tracks, of which this is the third, are very, very good indeed. But the filler adds nothing other than wastes time and generate royalties. The -algia part of nostalgia means pain, and this track is indeed painful in its memories of the past, when Andy Kaufman could goof on wrestling matches, and things seemed to be better.

OK. “Nightswimming”. This sounds like it is meant to be the sort of chart-fodder epic along the lines of “More Than Words” or “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. I hate those records. This isn’t as bad as those, but it seems gratuitous that it’s just Stipe’s voice - which is too whiny to be so far to the forefront - plus piano and occasional strings. It also means I have to focus on the lyrics, which is also a problem, as they’re pretentiously nonsensical. Especially the bit about the moon orbiting the sun. If it orbited the sun, it would be a planet. Or an asteroid. Cretin.

Overall. Hm. It’s a bit…nothing. I can’t really get enervated about the album as an album. It has highlight tracks, but really, this is a cash-in. After years of toiling they’d finally hit it big. I can imagine the phone call. “Michael, they’re buying anything with your name on. Get something out NOW, I don’t care if it’s crap.” So they did. They had a couple of tracks ready and then filled the rest in with blather. And what happened next? They released SIX singles from it. Six. That’s OVER half of the f***ing album. I can understand it with the likes of Jackson and Madonna, whose fans hadn’t reached double figures and couldn’t afford the album, but REM? Where’s the social conscience in that? How many trees were destroyed to make the CD boxes? All for cheap cash. It’s a bit gash. And even then they naused it up. “Everybody Hurts” was the no. 1 in waiting. They started with “Drive”? Wow.

So. 4/10. And that’s because there are 3 great songs on it. The rest…meh.

Nice cover though.

[vastar iner]

Bump...

[TheThorne]

Although 'Automatic For The People' is one of my top 10 albums I do agree with many of your points . 'Drive' was a strange choice for first single but I think it was a statement of intent rather than saying we think this is the one that will be huge, I really think we were not ready for 'Everybody Hurts' Drive was needed to break us in gently to give an idea of the typical sound of the album. They would to the same thing again with 'Monster' and then 'what's the frequency Kenneth?' a more subtle change rather than going straight in with 'Crush with eyeliner' .

Alsi it was the first track the beginning and that for me is what it is about this album is a journey and complete , I tend to shuffle and mix up music these days but 'AFTM' must be played in order even the instrumental. Yes there are highs and lows but overall you feel better at the end every time.

I am sorry I love it all as one thing , I wouldnt take anything away from it and yeh 'Man On The Moon' is one of the best songs ever but no its complete and nearly perfect.

9.9999999/10

[raliverpool]

I have not got the time to write a proper review, but I rate it as their best album, and it is in my all time top 12 albums.

Whilst it's general and specific themes of loss and mourning resonate with me more now then they did back then. Just as it sounds better today than it did back then.

Hence it is a comfortable 10/10.

[Shireblogger]

REM – Automatic For The People

Context
I was an early (by British standards) convert to REM, buying “Document” in the autumn of 1987. Four studio albums later, they were the biggest rock band in the world, and “Automatic For The People” kept them at their peak. It finished at #2 in my year end chart for 1992 (behind The Christians “Happy In Hell”).
8/10

General Overview
What is most striking about “Automatic…” is the songcraft. The band is equally adept at poignancy and pleading – “Everybody Hurts” – as it is with straight-forward pop rock – “Man On The Moon”. It feels like a collaborative effort, where all four band members respect one another, and take pride in their collective contributions. The problem is that some of the tracks don’t reward repeat listening.
7/10

Intro & Outro
An Americana opening. Indie Rock with elements of Country and Hard Rock. “Smack, crack, bushwacked” is a great opening couplet, but, like the rest of the lyrics to “Drive”, it is pretty meaningless. The closing track, “Find The River” is a gentle, sentimental number, and is one of my favourite tracks on the album. I love both the day-dreaming words and the gurgling, meandering tune.
7/10

Music
One of the best elements of the album is the absolute lack of repetition – not two tracks sound the same. Yet, simultaneously, it feels like a proper album, with all songs part of one piece. It is a rare trick to be able to pull off, where each successive cut is different from its predecessor, but still feels as if it is hewn from the same rock. ”Man On The Moon” could be a country music hit, with different lyrics, and yet it is the pivot around which the rest of the album spins.
9/10

Lyrics
Michael Stipe has no fear. “Ignoreland” is a strong anti-Republican polemic – “How to walk in dignity, with throw-up on your shoes”. “Man On The Moon” tackles conspiracy theory. “Nightswimming” remembers the joyful antics of carefree youth – “I’m not sure these people understand, it’s not like years ago.” And, of course, the hugely important “Everybody Hurts”, which I suspect has given hope to thousands of people in a state of despair. He is a fine lyricist, studiously avoids cliché, and endeavours to say something original every time he puts pen to paper.
8/10

Production & Sound
Restraint is the name of the game. Scott Litt manages the quiet moments on the album with consummate skill, and the louder, faster sections also work perfectly. Best exemplar of this is “Everybody Hurts”, which is delicate and sensitive, but transitions to full-on guitar and strings for the “Hold on, hold on…” part of the chorus. In a similar vein, the voice-and-piano combination on “Nightswimming” works delightfully, and resists the temptation to build melodramatically. And listen out for the harmonica on “Ignoreland” – it isn’t over-emphasised, but its contribution is subtle and significant.
10/10

High Points
“The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” is my favourite track, because it showcases all of the best facets of REM. Melodious with a catchy chorus, a witty middle-American story, no superfluous instruments but still full-bodied (thanks in part to John Paul Jones’ strings), and different from any other song they had previously released. “Man On The Moon” and “Find The River” are the other choice cuts.
8/10

Low Points
“New Orleans Instrumental No.1” is pointless and dull. I’m not a fan of “Sweetness Follows” (listless), or “Star Me Kitten” (sleep-inducing), but I don’t skip either of these tracks when I play the CD.
3/10

Packaging
I’m not a fan. The blurred black-and-white photograph on the cover looks sinister and is artless (sorry Michael). And whilst Anton Corbijn’s photographs are very good, he had already done this better with U2 and Depeche Mode. No printed lyrics either.
3/10

On balance
“Automatic For The People” remains an interesting album. It doesn’t have any outstanding high points, and has too many tedious tracks for my ears. For me it is only REM’s fourth best album, but I comprehend why it has received so much critical praise.
7/10

TOTAL SCORE
Today I need something more sub-sub-substantial.
70/100.

For Haven:
7/10