Automatic For The People is Awesome

[chinton]

For the longest time I have never really got REM. I picked up UP and everything since then and have been constantly dissapointed inluding by their new record. Recently somebody told me to try they're old stuff so I picked up Automatic. Wow what an awesome album. Nightswimming/Find A River are particuraly amazing. Are all of their early records as good as this? What older ones should I pick up?

[Brando @$$ Fat]

It's good in comparison to their other post-80's stuff (Out of Time is a terrible record).

But their 80's stuff is on the same level as Mozart.

[EvilHenchman]

Murmur and Reckoning. Life's Rich Pageant and Document. Green. Out of Time (in spite of its pop leanings, and its having one of the most annoying songs of the last twenty years in in "Shiny Happy People"). New Adventures in Hi-Fi is vastly underrated.

I keep meaning to check out Accelerate because everyone claims it's the group returning to its old sound.

[chinton]

I might have to check out their old stuff.

But honestly Automatic was amazing. Night Swimming is a great song.

Im so glad I didn't give up after Accelerate.

[The Postmaster General]

Automatic is a great album, and I feel somehow manages to get overlooked. Document was very cool as well - King of Birds is a great song.

Green and Out of Time, together, make a great album with a lot of nonsense. Orange Crush, Pop Song '89 and Losing My Religion...

[chinton]

The problem with Out of Time is that I remember loving a few sings on that but skipping over at least half the tunes on there. Anyway Ill probably check out Document and Lifes Rich Pageant this weekend.

[Psychocandy]

I'm not being deliberately obtuse...New Adventures In Hi-Fi is my favourite REM album. And I pretty much like or love them all except for Around The Sun (which isn't all bad) and Monster (which isn't all bad).

[EvilHenchman]

The problem with Out of Time is that I remember loving a few sings on that but skipping over at least half the tunes on there.

Yeah, now that I really think about it, Out of Time probably is a bit uneven.

I think I let my bias for that album get in the way there. It's a flawed disc that I have an emotional attachment to.

By the by, "Fretless" is a great R.E.M. track on the Until the End of the World soundtrack. Not sure if it's appeared anywhere else (like on that recently released greatest hits deal), but check it out, if you can.