Customer Reviews

Murmur

5 star:		(154)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well I can't believe that in the long review I put down there, I didn't really say exactly WHY "murmur" is the greatest album i've ever heard. Sooooo here, finally, in Lester Bangs "Metal Machine Music" fashion, are the reasons.

1. Throughout the entire album, vocalist Michael Stipe purposely makes the lyrics unintelligible so that the listener can more easily interpret the songs for his/herself. This may have also been a way to guarantee keeping this album in the underground so that it would never become popular with the uncool MTV crowd.

2. The talents of bassist Mike Mills should never be overlooked. Ever hear his basswork during the "Straight off the boat, where to go?" section of "Radio Free Europe", or the intro to "Laughing"? That song has THREE separate melodies in its three minutes of existence, and they're ALL great.

3. I read somewhere that the band was so ego-free that they had every instrument and the vocals balanced out in the mix so that no part would stand out. They wanted it to sound like a mush, which I think is really innovative, considering the overblown heavy metal that was popular at the time (this was 1983 remember).

4. A sad lament: Nobody makes their drums sound like the ones in the beginning of "Catapult" anymore.

Excellent drumming that actually sets a mood and isn't just mindless thumpity thump thump. Oh, and Bill Berry also wrote the piano line for "Perfect Circle", and for which we should all be eternally grateful.

5. One of the best "anti-album cover" album covers: the dark kudzu tree field. The words "R.E.M. Murmur" are hardly noticeable, the song titles are arranged out of order (and in large purple smudgy type), the band members look as if they're having the worst day of their life, Michael looks funny with glasses, the title for "Moral Kiosk" is arranged vertically, and they even pick a typeface that's very difficult to read.

6. "Perfect Circle" is the greatest song ever written.

7. Like all classic albums, every time I listen to it I notice something new. Just yesterday, I noticed something that sounds a lot like a Gregorian chant or something during the refrain of "Pilgrimage". You have to really sit down and PAY ATTENTION to the little things, like the piano in "Shaking Through", or the thunder in "We Walk".

8. Trying to figure out what Michael Stipe is singing (especially during the chaotic bridge section in "9-9") is one of the best things about it. It makes you think, but not in a heavy pretensious manner. They could have equally called it "Mumble".

9. It was the very first "alternative" album. It sounded like absolutely nothing that was popular at the time, and it seemed to come from out of nowhere. I think Peter Buck once said something like "We wanted to make a record that had no influences so that nobody could say, 'Oh they sound like this band or that band'". And it came out at the right time. I don't know. It was just like, finally! After years of synth-heavy new wave one hit wonders and disco camp, there FINALLY was the band that meant as much to you as the Beatles and Stones meant to your parents. Ehh... Or something. That's how I felt, anyways. I mean if it wasn't R.E.M. then who was gonna save rock and roll? Okay okay the Replacements, but I mean BESIDES them. Huey Lewis and the News? Phil Collins? Motley Crue? 38 Special? See, the whole reason the words "alternative" and "indie-rock" were invented was because by 1984, MTV and "Thriller" had killed the face of mainstream music and it was albums like this that were considered worthwhile "alternatives" to the mainstream corporate rock sound. "Murmur" started all of that.

10. It's the greatest album ever made ever in the history of music since the beginning of time. But that's just me. You might hate it for some reason. Number two: Zaireeka!

One of the problems with "Eponymous," the 1988 album that is a collection of singles from the first five R.E.M. released on I.R.S., is that it stops a lot of people who jumped on the bandwagon when the Athens group switched to Warner and made it to the top of the music world with their hit "Losing My Religion" from going back and listening to those earlier albums. That would be a mistake, because that would mean missing out on "Murmur," the 1983 album that created R.E.M.'s distinctive sound and which, in retrospect, can be seen as an important album in the history of music as representing the move from post-punk to alternative music. "Murmur" only made it to #178 on the Billboard 200 chart (#36 for the Pop Album version), but this is clearly a case where the tree in the forest most definitely makes a sound, regardless of the number of people there to hear it. Remember that "Rolling Stone" named "Murmur" the best album of 1983, which was the year of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the Police's "Synchronicity."

R.E.M. was formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, originally playing under the name Twisted Kite and performing garage rock covers and original folk-rock songs. "Radio Free Europe," their first single, was recorded in 1981, released on the tiny Hib Tone label, and showed that all of the pieces that would becoming familiar, the jangle pop sound and cryptic lyrics, were already in place: you cannot help singing along with the chorus even if you have no clue what the rest of Michael Stipe's lyrics are saying. The single topped the "Village Voice" poll for Best Independent Single, and landed the group the I.R.S. contract. After an EP, "Chronic Town," the full-length "Murmur" constituted the group's debut album. While there is not another track as solid as "Radio Free Europe" on the album, the rest of the songs are clearly in that vein.

The songs on "Murmur" have an atmospheric quality that is quite distinctive, although you can certainly see strong folk-rock, post-punk, and garage-rock elements throughout, although what R.E.M. does with those elements is unique as well. "Talk About the Passion" is the other signature song from the album, and a prime example of how Stipe's lyrics attain great depth by refusing to be pinned down (although having some lyrics in French is adding insult to injury for those of us who always have trouble understanding what exactly he is singing). "Catapult" is a good example of what a pop song sounds like in R.E.M.'s hands (and the effective way in which bassist Mike Mills often responds to Stipe's vocals in the chorus), with "Pilgrimage" and "Perfect Circle" showing their expanding musical range. This is not to say all of these songs hold up; "Moral Kiosk" sounds rather dated as the exception to the rule. But overall this is a landmark album should end up being one of your favorite R.E.M. albums.

In my own opinion, "Murmur" is one of the greatest albums of the rock era, and completely dwarfs everything else in the R.E.M. catalog. And that catalog is very distinguished, so I don't give this praise lightly. R.E.M took rock influences from the 60's, blended them with a dreamy, contemporary 80's musical backdrop, and folded in the elliptical lyrics and vocals of Michael Stipe, creating a masterpiece for the ages. The songs on "Murmur" are full of sharp hooks that will latch on to your brain, yet they are full of mystery, and will keep you wondering what they are all about. "Radio Free Europe" with its great hook and insistent rhythm is the obvious single choice here, but it's the wonderful harmonies of "Pilgrimage", the acoustical beauty of "Laughing", the chiming guitars of "Sitting Still", and the psychedelia of "9-9" that will keep listeners returning for more.

As good as "Murmur" is, I would definitely not recommend it as the starting point for someone new to R.E.M. who has only been exposed to "Losing My Religion", "Man On The Moon", and other latter-day hits. "Murmur" is not a difficult album to embrace, but it sounds nothing like the 90's version of R.E.M. For those just starting to learn about the group, or for 90's R.E.M. fans wanting to sample the band's 80's work, without too large of a stylistic jolt, a better starting point would be "Lifes Rich Pageant", perhaps R.E.M.'s most accessible album from start to finish. That album features the group working a variety of different styles that they covered in more detail before and since. From there, it's an easier step to work both backwards and forwards in the band's catalog to discover all of the rich treasures that await, including the astonishing "Murmur".

I love soo much music, across many decades, and styles. But at the end of the day, Murmur is my most favorite album of my life. I can't quantify that statement, or substantiate it, it just plainly IS. I saw them several times; reckoning, fables, then later on green. every show exquisite. BUT nothing, not as single musical moment can match a quiet, personal headphone listening to Murmur. It resonates through my soul. And I am glad. It was Soooo out of synch with the plastic fantastic world of that time, so bold, thrust so deeply my pea brain.

Odd too. No women I have shared my life with at various times has appreciated this. No friend. I have known none that have appreciated what Murmur is. But I find my friends on reviews like this. Its nice to know others recognized what this was, and remains even today. I have ripped it several times my self, but going to buy this version as its a deeper re mastering.

<3 all fans of Murmur. For you just know.

This LP is a sanctified relic. The songs breathe life, poignantly document what it felt like to be a young person toward the end of the 20th century. The music was kind and gentle, it suggested joy, it implied mystery, it ignited passion.

As a sophomore in high school, I bought this album when it was released in 1983. IRS originally distributed it with a [price] list price, and I purchased it on a lark. After spending a week with this sublime riddle of an album, I worked backwards and purchased "Chronic Town" (the 5 song EP the band had release in 1982). With "Murmur" and "Chronic Town" under my arm, I moved into a different future. I thought new thoughts, I met new people, I dreamed new dreams, and I had new destinations.

The indecipherable lyrics and murky cover art of "Murmur" only perpetuated the elusive beauty of the music. Everything implied, nothing handed over. Sun shining through a canopy of branches, never full exposure.

RADIO FREE EUROPE: My least favorite song on the album. The song that plays while people are finding their seats. PILGRIMAGE: Here is where the journey begins. The REM aesthetic was all about discovery, passion, mystery. If it's good enough for Chaucer, it's good enough for me. "Take your time...pilgrimage has gained momentum!" Are we looking for the two-headed cow? I'm in... LAUGHING: A gentle song about who knows what. Lighted, laughing at you, with you. Who knows. TALK ABOUT THE PASSION: A simple song, statement of purpose. Let's talk about the passion. Reagan may be in office, but let's explore the unspoken, our hearts and loins so full of passion we must speak. "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world". MORAL KIOSK: It wasn't conservativism, but REM implied a morality. A spirit of community. "So much more attractive inside the moral kiosk". Higher, twilight, but instead... PERFECT CIRCLE: "A perfect circle of acquaintances and friends. Drink another, coin a phrase". A song about friends, and spending time randomly with drunken exuberance and subtle commitment. "Take your dress off and stay real close". CATAPULT: REM's world (from 1982-1984) was very childlike. It evoked innocence, it remembered the youthful skin we were in the process of shedding. Did we miss anything? SITTING STILL: The REM call to action. One of the highlights of REM's early shows. Warned us all to not "waste your time sitting still". I can hear you. Can you hear me? 9-9: Didn't like this song for the longest time. Then it grew on me. And now I've forgotten it. SHAKING THROUGH: Yellow like a geisha doll, wandering, shaking through, pointless discovery. This is a sparkling gem. Could it be that one small boy doesn't... WE WALK: A lilting little ditty about walking, with friend, up the stairs & to the home, through the forest. A favorite for most. WEST OF THE FIELDS: Album closes with a darker feel than at any previous point in the album. The most haunting & memorable bridge on the album. Don't have any frigging idea what this song is about, but sounds like termites are in the foundation, the wells dried up, the truck has been repossessed, sissy ran off with a travelling salesman, and all that's left is whatever the hell lies west of the fields.

I have no idea what this album would sound like to the uninitiated or someone who already knows REM post-1985, but I would like to think that some 17 year old kid could still tap into the magic this music implied, promised & produced back in the day. Oh, and "Reckoning" (which is the electric brother of this album) is every bit as stunning. However, the band's music produced diminishing returns from that point forward. I have enjoyed occassional songs from occassional REM albums since this period, but am usually saddened that the golden sounds of my youth were supplanted by the diamond-studded cash cow.

R.E.M. were four young guys from the college town of Athens, GA. They had released one EP, Chronic Town, before they released their debut album Murmur in 1983. The album had the jangling guitar sounds of The Byrds, the energy and spirit of Patti Smith and a garage band sensibility. Yet it sounded completely original and like nothing else before it. One of the reasons is that the band buried lead singer Michael Stipe's vocal deep in the mix. In many cases his vocals are no more than a mumble and this created an air of intrigue and mystery as to what he was actually saying. Since the band doesn't print its lyrics, one could listen to songs over and over trying decipher them. Even the album's cover of an abandoned train depot covered in brush and bramble shot in distorted black and white adds to the band's mystery. There is also a nice contrast in vocals between the Mr. Stipe and bassist Mike Mills. Mr. Stipe's are deep and low, while Mr. Mills' are at the high end and they balance each other perfectly. Peter Buck provides the basis for the band's sound with his jangling Rickenbacker guitar playing and Bill Berry provides the backbone of the band with his steady beats. The band has the ability to move from the frenetic "Radio Free Europe" and "Catapult" to the beautiful "Perfect Circle" with ease. "Moral Kiosk", "Pilgrimage", "9-9" are all brilliant as is the amazing "Talk about The Passion" which still ranks as one of their all time best songs. Murmur was the basis for the 80's musical genre known as College Rock which then morphed into the Alternative Rock music of the 90's. Very few bands can claim such a revolutionary album as R.E.M. can.

Murmur is arguably the most important American record of the 1980s. It is seen by many as the birth of alternative rock. I can't quite agree with this assessment, but R.E.M.'s debut was literally music to the ears of music fans who couldn't quite relate to post-punk, new wave, and the MTV pop of the early 80s. Seemingly out of nowhere came a record with a rustic, acoustic feel, at a time when electric guitars were wiry and robotic, and synthesizers were on the verge of becoming a lead instrument. One might say that Murmur was to the early 80s was The Band's first LP was to the late 60s. And the fact that Murmur reached #36 on the Billboard Top 200 is a testament to the size of the market that R.E.M. was able to tap (not that that was their intention).

At the risk of making a potentially politically incorrect statement - a concern that I am sensitive to - I would say that R.E.M. were the founders of alternative rock in the same way that Columbus was the one who discovered America. While Murmur certainly sounded different than anything released in well over a decade, I still cannot help but give The Feelies' debut Crazy Rhythms the distinction of being the first alternative record. To me, Crazy Rhythms sounds different enough than what came before it, but enough like what came after it to merit this distinction. In other words, alternative rock was already there, but not many people knew about it. This is where R.E.M. comes in. As I said before, although Murmur had no apparent target audience and practically no commercial viability, it still reached the Top 40. Hence, the importance of Murmur - like that of Christopher Columbus - is immeasurable.

Murmur is a fascinating listen. It sounds like something unearthed from a spot where such a thing has no earthly business being. R.E.M. was influenced by artists from across the punk (The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, Television) and pop (The Byrds, Big Star, The Soft Boys) spectrums, but managed to avoid sounding too much like any of them. This is a case of so many influences perfecting the sound. Like the best albums by the bands they loved, Murmur marks a point when music starts to sound differently. Perhaps the most obvious case of this is that after this album, lyrics could be not only be cryptic, but the vocals themselves unintelligible. The songs on Murmur - like the songs on Crazy Rhythms - do not seem to be about anything. "Perfect Circle", for example, is a fine case of how R.E.M.'s lyrics are more significant in terms of how they are said rather than what the actual words are (eg, "Standing too soon/Shoulders high in the room"). And while R.E.M. was a minimalist band at heart, producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon succeeded in adorning the songs without swallowing them whole, such as in the waltz-like feel of "We Walk".

The disparate styles and sounds that merge to create the mural that Murmur is reflects the disparate backgrounds of the the band's members. Stipe was born in Decatur, GA, but formed his first band while in high school in St. Louis. Meanwhile, Peter Buck was born in northern California, Mike Mills in southern California, and Bill Berry in Deluth, Minnesota. Yet somehow, they were all able to come together at a party in Athens, GA, and henceforth be forever shrouded in the mythology of the American South. And of course, the irony is never lost on critics that the band's name refers to the state of sleep in which dreaming occurs, and thus their music and lyrics would forever be compared to the opaque, symbolic, non-linear images of dreamland.

Musically, Murmur delivers on the promise of the Chronic Town EP, with many of their trademarks firmly in place on the first single, "Radio Free Europe". Michael Stipe's voice isn't quite a drawl, but it has a nasally twang about it that gives it its edge. The arpeggios are invincibly crisp on "Talk About the Passion", and equally slinky on the rocking "Catapult" and "Sitting Still". On "9-9", the guitar richochets in between verses of Velvet Underground-like narration. And the rhythm section is nothing to sneeze at, either. Witness the thumping bass lines on "Laughing", and the footstomping beats of "Pilgrimage" and "Moral Kiosk". Then there is "Shaking Through", which is just beautiful, and "West of the Fields", a forceful closer to an almost flawless record.

R.E.M.'s debut LP was enough to convince skeptics and believers alike that there was probably nothing that the band couldn't do. Within five years, Rolling Stone would deem them "America's Best Rock 'n Roll Band", and few who were in the know would dispute the claim. Five years after that, R.E.M. would be America's biggest rock 'n roll band. Whether this was poetic justice or a travesty depends on your point of view. Either way, the band would always have its first half-dozen or so records to justify their worshipping audience and critical raves. With Murmur, they hit the ground running, and have kept moving, albeit a bit more slowly, for over 20 years since.

If you don't count R.E.M.'s first long E.P (extended play) beginning 'Chronic Town,' then their debut starts here. 'Murmur' their first album is brilliant, deserving all the accolades that are heaped upon it. With brilliant echo effects, a repertoire of ecclectic guitar, including folk, rock, punk, and new-wave patterns, 'Murmur' would be the crowning achievement of any other band. Having romantic, religious, and surreal images, R.E.M. propulsively and hypnotically lives up to the band name with a solid set of songs that work well together. Before alternative was a household world, R.E.M. came up with an avant guard folk-rock, new wave masterpiece before anyone could give the genre a name.

Their pell-mell approach is progressive, but hardly conventional. The opener "Radio Free Europe" and the latter "Sitting Still" stand up to the best punk. But, "Moral Kiosk," "9-9," and "Shaking Through" contain complex, yet mesmerizing fast-forward appeal. They can also bring "dreams of elegian" with the depths of hypnotic songs like "Pilgrimage" and "West of the Fields". (One shouldn't forget that they are an art band among other things. Their rendering of "Pilgrimage" is done with echo effects that resemble Gregorian Chant, and the music to "9-9" musically refers to NFL music used during highlights in the eighties.) If the variety weren't enough, then folk-rock is mastered on the celestial "Talk About the Passion" and "We Walk". Variety is underscored with some intricate musicianship on the exquisite "Perfect Circle". Song for song, 'Murmur' is a throbbing, heartfelt album of excellence. Later, albums would reinvent the band like no other since The Beatles, but on 'Murmur' they already showed they were perfectionists with every aspect of their music.

The cover of "Murmur" shows a black and white photograph of an abandoned railway trestle that has succumbed entirely to kudzu. The music in the album "feels" just like that picture.

Although this music was quite in vogue during my freshman year of college (1984), it doesn't sound dated at all--in fact, I appreciate this album more now than I did then.

To those of you out there who like REM, but are familiar only with their work after, lets say, "Document", you definitely owe it to yourself to listen to this record--it will become a permanent part of your music rotation.

Every track is a gem, but the following are my personal favorites: "Laughing", "Perfect Circle", "Sitting Still", and "Shaking Through." Much has been made of the incomprehensible nature of Stipe's lyrics on this record. It doesn't matter though-- you will be singing along phonetically before too long. Don't bother looking up the lyrics, they are all wrong, in my opinion. Here is my transcription of the first verse of "Sitting Still":

"sname of gah-way-ah-wuh-ree
secrets dop-stop it wuh rin
we could vanin in the sis
we could gather throw up it
up to climb, Katy bah-tuh
catch in time but not may in
city child for love makin'
wastin' time, sittin still"
etc.

Truer words have never been sung. Buy the album!!

I have been in North Carolina in the heat of midsummer and stood in the overgrown valley where there used to be trains at midnight; whistle blasting behind the voodoo woman's red and white cottage. It is the incredibly sweet ache of nostalgia for a memory you can only retrieve in soft-focused fragments. Some piece of yourself that you lost that will never return. That is what this album has always been to me.