Leaving behind the garagey jangle pop of their first recordings, R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of their trademark sound for their full-length debut album, Murmur. Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the album -- one that sounds eerily timeless. Even though it is firmly in the tradition of American folk-rock, post-punk, and garage rock, Murmur sounds as if it appeared out of nowhere, without any ties to the past, present, or future. Part of the distinctiveness lies in the atmospheric production, which exudes a detached sense of mystery, but it also comes from the remarkably accomplished songwriting. The songs on Murmur sound as if they've existed forever, yet they subvert folk and pop conventions by taking unpredictable twists and turns into melodic, evocative territory, whether it's the measured riffs of "Pilgrimage," the melancholic "Talk About the Passion," or the winding guitars and pianos of "Perfect Circle." R.E.M. may have made albums as good as Murmur in the years following its release, but they never again made anything that sounded quite like it.
So I was thinking about some of the most memorable moments I have witnessed during live concerts and I will offer a few and would love to hear some of yours.They could be great moments- or horrendous moments- but they just have to be memorable.Here are four:Most Memorable: Seeing REM in a small club- Toad's Place in New Haven- circa 1984. It was pretty packed but, back then (before the club exp...
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God, who else came out with a ridiculously interesting and unique first album like these guys. you know when i was a runty little kid in 9th grade i went around telling everyone they were crazy for not liking R.E.M. those upper classmen clowns used to try to tell me that they couldn't play their instruments. well listen to this live recording and tell me they couldn't. you can find this whol...
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It's all about the R.E.M. about the moment. Try sharing a house with two rabid fans of a band and see what happens.Perfect Circle is the song of the day today, yesterday was Beat A Drum from Reveal. Opposite ends of the career, equally beautiful.
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...and you also know you're getting old when you read this right here, yo.R.E.M., Van Halen Lead 2007 Rock Hall ClassR.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, the Ronettes and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 12 during a ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. To be eligible for induction, this year's class had to release their first ...
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...and you also know you're getting old when you read this right here, yo.R.E.M., Van Halen Lead 2007 Rock Hall ClassR.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, the Ronettes and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 12 during a ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. To be eligible for induction, this year's class had to release their first ...
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Today I went to our local music store and traded in some discs for the newly remastered Deluxe Edition of R.E.M.'s Murmur. Michelle and I sat, reminisced while listening to Murmur. Today it rained while Murmur played as we talked and re-experienced this amazing album. It was the perfect mood with the rain falling, my baby at my side and R.E.M. turned up in our living room. Murmur takes me back ...
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Starting early tomorrow morning, I'll be traveling for the next 5 weeks:June 13-17: London (music and museums)June 17-July 6: Finland (family and friends)July 6-11: Bristol, UK (work: conference)July 11-16: Madrid (music and museums)For a lot of this time I'll have only sporadic Internet access. Apologies in advance for missing your posts and comment threads. It will truly be my loss.Here's a v...
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So I was thinking about some of the most memorable moments I have witnessed during live concerts and I will offer a few and would love to hear some of yours.They could be great moments- or horrendous moments- but they just have to be memorable.Here are four:Most Memorable: Seeing REM in a small club- Toad's Place in New Haven- circa 1984. It was pretty packed but, back then (before the club exp...
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it has been a while since i've dug into old sleeves but this morning's drive was oh so special...r.e.m.'s murmur just piloted me all the way through the misty ocean beach twin peaks corona heights down through market street across duboce to the bridge and across to oakland and up up to workhappy friday to all.
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God, who else came out with a ridiculously interesting and unique first album like these guys. you know when i was a runty little kid in 9th grade i went around telling everyone they were crazy for not liking R.E.M. those upper classmen clowns used to try to tell me that they couldn't play their instruments. well listen to this live recording and tell me they couldn't. you can find this whol...
More >
God, who else came out with a ridiculously interesting and unique first album like these guys. you know when i was a runty little kid in 9th grade i went around telling everyone they were crazy for not liking R.E.M. those upper classmen clowns used to try to tell me that they couldn't play their instruments. well listen to this live recording and tell me they couldn't. you can find this whol...
More >
MUSIC NEWS - Recognized even by non-fans as a great album, R.E.M. 's Murmur changed the landscape of new-wave, alternative rock music. To celebrate its' quarter century historical release, R.E.M. is planning to release a remastered version of their 1983 debut full-length album on November 25 via Universal in a special edition, according to a press release. The "Murmur" 25th Anniversary D...
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I was 16 in 1983. During that year, through a couple of Friends, I encountered a handful of albums that changed my life. I won't bore you with the list, but one of them was R.E.M.'s Murmur . Fans of "Alt-Country" and Uncle Tupelo would do well to go back and listen to the stripped down renderings on this album and find inspiration. After all, Peter Buck did produce an Uncle Tupelo album. Thi...
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It's all about the R.E.M. about the moment. Try sharing a house with two rabid fans of a band and see what happens.Perfect Circle is the song of the day today, yesterday was Beat A Drum from Reveal. Opposite ends of the career, equally beautiful.
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Radio Free Europe |
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| 2 Pilgrimage |
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| 3 Laughing |
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| 4 Talk About the Passion |
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| 5 Moral Kiosk |
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| 6 Perfect Circle |
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| 7 Catapult |
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| 8 Sitting Still |
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| 9 9-9 |
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| 10 Shaking Through |
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| 11 We Walk |
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| 12 West of the Fields |
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© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Murmur")
