Album of the Week #37: "Murmur" by REM

John

By somewhat popular demand. Discuss the early magic of REM here, how old REM compares to modern stadium REM, etc. Would they have gotten as far if "Radio Free Europe" didn't give them a leg-up way back then? Have they compromised themselves for success or are they still as relevant now as they were back then? Or are they more relevant now?

Lunar Junkie

I love the early 80s REM records, but I like most of the 90s stuff equally - I don't agree with the indie underground consensus frequently put forward that their 'relevance' ends with the IRS period and that anything after that is some kind of commercial sell-out rubbish. They really just kept doing what they were good at (i.e. very melodic, smart, slightly leftfield songs) but gradually removing the layers of obscurity that covered the early records. Everything up to and including 'Up' (an unfairly maligned record, along with 'New Adventures In Hi-Fi') has its share of gold, for me. It's true that they've lost their way somewhat in the last few years, though I hear encouraging reports about their new material. Murmur has a very particular kind of backwoodsy mysterious vibe combined with that surging enthusiasm and vitality that new bands on their debut album often seem to have. They really nailed a particular aesthetic combining the jangly garage rock energy rush with a kind of gothic Americana probably more normally found in folk music. Forms a great set with 'Reckoning' and the 'Chronic Town' EP that probably marks one of the best sequences of early releases by any rock band in the last 25 years. I highly recommend the IRS years DVD (called 'When The Light Is Mine') that came out last year for anybody who likes this period of the band..

Earthhorse

Wait a minute: are we talking about REM or Murmur?

Frankly, both are great. Sure, maybe they're not as relevant or even interesting as they were then but few bands can boast the back catalogue they can. Everything up to Automatic is worth investigating but since then it's the been the odd great song wedged between albums of mediocrity, a word I'd hoped never to use in descriding this band or their work.

With songs like Laughing, Talk About The Passion, Catapult and Sitting Still they began to carve out the acoustic and alternative rock territory that they would pretty much dominate for the next decade or so. A stronger debut album you'll be hard pressed to find.

cashback

Murmur is just a great album. Without a doubt one of my favourite albums even though I don't listen to it that often these days.
So many highlights, Pilgrimage is fantastic, A Perfect Circle is one of the most beautiful songs ever made, We Walk is quirky in a good way and West Of The Fields has such a dramatic sound to it. There isn't a bad song on it.
I still think REM have something to offer, especially if reports from last week are anything to go by.
New Adventures is probably the last album of theirs I loved but hopefully their next will be somewhat of a return to form.

RE*AC*TOR

The thing about Murmur is that it shows us in many ways what REM were really capable of. Like all of the best albums out there, its a coherent piece of work. In my mind it still remains the best work REM produced, although I would agree that they have had several lesser peaks since (although not recently). Also unlike alot of their other albums, Murmur is 100% alt rock, it could almost be used as a defining album for the genre.

The time this album was released is important to note. They were to a large extent the forerunners of this alt rock movement. Fair enough The Violent Femmes had released their debut the previous year, but not to nearly as much commercial success and acclaim. The Pixies would not arrive on the scene for another 6 years.

The album is frenetic, and the "Murmur" of the title, does in fact refer to Stipe's indecipherable lyrics. The lyrics were also downmixed a little - intentionally. The result was an album who's pace owed a lot to punk, but overall in tone it was closer to folk.

This is the only REM album that I have never gotten tired of. That says a lot.

Sir Graball

Great choice for aotw! Murmur was a breath of air in the early eighties. If you lived through that period-Regan,Thatcher, Haughey, mass unemployment ( sorry about the rant) you'd really appreciate REM's earlier stuff.There was a garage fell to it. A mixture of country and folk melodies with obscure and at times painful lyrics like on 'Talk about the Passion';'Perfect Circle' and 'So Central Rain' from Reckoning.
I have to say I preferred 'Reckoning' which apparently they recorded in 8 days. '...Rockville' is a definitive song of that period.It never ages. My 11 year old daughter sings along to the chorus when I play it in the car.
I saw them live in '84 ( I think?) as support to U2. I remember they came on stage in grey Harbour Coats like the Long Riders.
As far as the comparrison with recent work goes I still prefer the IRS stuff but musically they have created some superb songs and 'Out of Time ' and 'Automatic ...' are fine albums .
A good retrospective of IRS is 'Dead Letter Office' and a great 'Best of' released in 1991 which has 16 tracks taken from 'Murmur to 'Document'
Thanks for the retro trip!!!

Time Magazine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA57Pafq_NU

and...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykp0Vq77IBw

Karlusss

This is in my CD player at the moment, coincidentally. One of my favourite albums. It alone absolves REM of whatever sentimental cess or just regular cess they poured out on WB. There's a real sense of mood or atmosphere created that you get with all really great albums. And it would have to be called Murmur. It has the beautiful songs like Perfect Circle or Talk About The Passion, and then the sort of bizarre songs like We Walk and Catapult but for me the highlights are the whacky jangle-rock. It's about time for a proper revival.

RVM

While I really like the album it's never been one of my favourite R.E.M. ones. I always preferred the rockier albums from the IRS years. Document, LRP, Reckoning. Still though, this is where it all began and without this album, we might never have heard of them. And any album which has Sitting Still, West Of The Fields and Talk About The Passion has to be taken seriously

loyatemu

a wonderful album - it is as great as "Around the Sun" is mediocre, and thats really saying something.