Nello1

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For fans of r.e.m., lovers of 90s alternative rock, listeners seeking emotional and meaningful music, and readers interested in rock music history.
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LA RECENSIONE

What to say about an album like this... It's hard to find the exact words to define the emotions you experience while listening to it.

It must be said that this is a very melancholic record, it talks about death and the suicidal instincts that drive people to end it all.
Besides that, it's also an album that tries to strengthen the spirits of those who find themselves in these desperate situations. Just listen to the beautiful "Everybody Hurts" to realize the strength with which Stipe tries to do this. But "Everybody Hurts" is just a pearl of the undisputed masterpiece that is this album.
It ranges from blues hymns like "Drive" to rock ballads like the enigmatic "Find The River"... Of course, passing through songs whose central themes include memory ("Nightswimming"), social criticism ("Ignoreland"), admiration for someone who is no longer there ("Man On The Moon"), or the sadness in realizing you're very close to the end of life ("Try Not To Breathe").

A unique album, I reiterate. It should be counted among the milestones of rock and can easily be placed alongside three other masterpieces by the group, such as "Murmur", "Out Of Time", and "New Adventures In Hi-Fi".

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Summary by Bot

Automatic For The People is a profoundly melancholic album by R.E.M. that addresses themes of death, despair, and hope. Highlighted by iconic songs like 'Everybody Hurts,' it offers both emotional depth and spiritual strength. The album spans diverse themes including memory, social criticism, and acceptance of mortality. It is regarded as one of the band’s masterpieces and a milestone in rock music.

Tracklist Videos

01   Drive (04:31)

02   Try Not to Breathe (03:50)

03   The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (04:09)

04   Everybody Hurts (05:20)

05   New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 (02:15)

06   Sweetness Follows (04:21)

07   Monty Got a Raw Deal (03:17)

08   Ignoreland (04:27)

09   Star Me Kitten (03:16)

10   Man on the Moon (05:14)

11   Nightswimming (04:18)

12   Find the River (03:50)

R.E.M.

Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980. Core lineup included Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills; Bill Berry was the original drummer until 1997. Pioneers of alternative/college rock with a career spanning to their 2011 split.
98 Reviews

Other reviews

By giov

 Days tasting like dust and that persistent insistence on wanting to suffer for everything because it’s only with pain that starts from within that you reach the ultimate limit of closeness to the soul.

 If you’ve never cried to the notes of something, this is just the right time to start, and no questions are allowed, which, in the end, only serve to prolong the wait for our primordial scream.


By Totisque

 "Pain and death. These are the dominant themes in Automatic For The People."

 "Everybody Hurts is an absolute masterpiece by R.E.M., a track of identification along with Losing My Religion."


By STIPE

 The theme of the album is death, but never before has this topic been seen in such a sweet and sublime way.

 Each track on this album is a pearl, each leaving an indelible mark on the heart of the listener.


By Rax

 Michael Stipe so obsessed with pain and death... leaves the listener breathless.

 "Drive" and "Everybody Hurts," two true miracles of compositional minimalism.