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Automatic For The People |  | Artist: R.E.M.
Label: Warner Bros.
Category: Digital Music Album
Buy New: £4.93
as of 7/9/2010 12:44 BST details
Seller: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
Rating:  69 reviews
Sales Rank: 4420
Genre: adult-alternative-pop-music
Media: MP3 Download
Running Time: 2883 Minutes
ASIN: B001F0SNAI
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 69
 Just brilliant September 4, 2010
B
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is another short and sweet reviews and straight to the point. This is a magnificent album. There are lots of well written and they sound brilliant. It is one of those albums that should be on a list of must listen's before you die. Just brilliant.
 Stop The Violence! No...The Violins! May 27, 2010
N. Messenger (Hong Kong)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I know now why so many people love this album and declare it to be R.E.M' s best work. It is because it has strings.
Yes, there are many R.E.M songs which feature a string section but on no other of their albums do so many of them appear. This imparts a certain warmth and accessibility to the music which is lacking on albums such as 'New Adventures In Hi-fi' and 'Up' (which otherwise are both better records).
But despite that, it's not an album I ever had much desire to listen to. It was such a huge success back in the early 1990s that so often did you hear its songs that subsequently you felt as though you already owned the record. It was very similar to U2's 'The Joshua Tree' in that respect (another album which I tried to avoid at the time of its release but which was nigh on impossible to do!) And like 'The Joshua Tree' for U2, 'AFTP' has become the album many if not most people judge both R.E.M's earlier and later works (usually unfavourably) against. Unlike U2 however REM do not seem to have ever had their 'Achtung Baby' moment...which is a shame.
Listening to 'AFTP' again I'm struck by how many of the songs have a simplistic, repetitive, almost nursery rhyme-like quality to them. I think this also enhances their accessibility. It is also makes some of them rather irritating.
To be honest I think most people associate an album with just a few songs that they like and remember. In this album's case those songs would most likely be 'Everybody Hurts,' 'Man On The Moon,' and 'Nightswimming.'
I've never really warmed to the syrupy, slightly patronising 'Everybody Hurts,' and 'Man On The Moon' makes me think of Jim Carrey for some reason (unfair but true!). In my opinion, the two stand-out tracks on the album are 'Ignoreland' and the aforementioned 'Nightswimming.'
The former is a great rocker, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, the latter is rightly regarded as one of R.E.M's classic songs and that elegiac piano melody never fails to bring a certain moistness to my eyes, a dryness to my throat.
People adroitly forget songs such as the dirge 'Drive,' New Orleans Instrumental No.1,' 'Monty Got A Raw Deal' and the kitten song. Now none of those songs are awful; they may well be among your personal favourites (I particularly like 'Drive,' nursery rhyme quality notwithstanding) but they're not great.
'The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite' might be cheery fun but it is rather silly don't you think? Endearing maybe...but again not great, not a tune that slips into my head one day and whispers "Play me! Play me LOUD!" ('Ignoreland' does that!)
That's it! The word to sum up this album...endearing!
We like 'AFTP', we're so familiar with it now that it has become as comforting as a well-worn, cosy couch. And like omniscient couch potatoes people then judge R.E.M's later and superior recordings to be nowhere near the bench mark.
That's unfair and (unsurprisingly coming from a 'cosy couch') just plain lazy.
 Oh no its their second wobble April 26, 2010
Stephen (Nottingham UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After the album Out of time I hoped when this was released it was every thing back to normal. But I feel this still falls short of their best work IE Green, Document, Lifes Rich and fables. But saying that this does contain two awl-sum tracks Drive and Ignoreland. Its probably me as I perfur their melodic songs and every time Micheal tries to sing an up beat or happy song I just lose intrest as I feel his voice can't carry a happy song. So REM keep it depressing Thanks!
US Music August 29, 2009
WJR (Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
One of the first albums I bought, I got it on tape, but I thought I'd type a review for it anyhow. Two favorites on here "Man on the Moon" and "Find the River". Both of which I play on the guitar myself.
......Modern Classic..............8 Stars....( Again) August 5, 2009
Tommo 18/7 (England)
Automatic for the People.......Stellar!!!......Carries On Where The Legendary " Out Of Time" Left Off.....From The Opening Count Of " Drive" To The Final Notes Of The Criminally Under-rated Classic " Find The River", There Is No Filler Whatsoever........Every Track Is An Original Masterpiece And This Has To Be A Must Own For All Tastes....Why & How Did It Go So Wrong From Here?????.............8 Out Of 5
In My Opinion Of Course...................;0)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 69
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