Murmur

REM are the godfathers of indie rock. They were the epicenter of what was then called college rock, which would then mutate into alternative, and finally become indie rock as we know it today. I feel like people take them for granted now, partially because their sound was pretty much completely absorbed by others in their time, and partially because they don't have a particularly aggressive sound - something that I actually appreciate them for. I get tired of rock and roll having to be cranked to 11 all the time. This is easily one of the most important and unique debut albums of the 80s. The jangly guitars, melodic basslines, and toe tapping beats are certainly nice, but I think the real secret sauce is in Michael Stipe's poetic lyrics and seemingly casual but subtly emotive vocal delivery.

R.E.M indeed. This is a snore fest.

Still my favorite REM album, though Reckoning comes damn close. This albums ringing guitars, impossibly tight rhythm section, beautiful backing vocals, soaring melodies and just general youthful exuberance cement this as their best album. REM are a great band and became more mature and polished but they never again matched their early period for pure excitement. Wow! 5 🌟

Depending on who you ask, this is REM’s best album. A debut that contends with some of the best debuts ever. I really enjoy this album. Hooky basslines, jangly guitars and weird lyrics that burst into catchy sing a long choruses. This album laid the groundwork for what was to come later in the 80s underground music scene and how big REM was about to become with albums like Document and Automatic for the People. Favorite song: Radio Free Europe Least favorite song: Shaking Through

Highlights: Laughing, Talk About The Passion, Striking Through Before they were shiny and happy and lost their religion, before everybody hurt, before they crushed with eyeliner...it was Murmur. The breakout album by R.E.M. that reignited America's love with sweeping guitar rock that was increasingly becoming punky- metal- glammy- and loud. R.E.M. would have fallen victim to the loudness wars if not for their just getting everything right, paving the way for acts like Live and Radiohead.

One of the best debut albums of all time and it’s probably not even their best album. Great melodies, great harmonies, great guitar, GREAT bass, great drums. Just all around great. R.E.M. are The Beatles of indie/alternative rock.

warm guitars, sometimes naive sometimes deeply melancholic. feels like walking with band t-shirts, my headphones connected to my walk-man under a sunny campus, green paves the way.

Couldn't get into this one. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood but it just seemed so instantly forgettable

Interesting to hear an early REM album from the eighties. The music was okay, but did not blow me away either.

-major keys -jangly clean guitars -the same fast, aggressive drumming on almost every song This is feel good music. It's definitely not a chore to listen to. However, listening to this album further cemented my opinion that REM is a band that does one thing well and that thing is not particularly memorable or original. My favorite track was 9-9.

Top-notch record, recorded by nobodies in a nowhere town that shot them into the spotlight (beating out Thriller!!). The only issue I have is the sometimes too-clean composition that reflects a band piecing together in a studio rather than REM's legendary stage presence and ensemble. The key to the band in my opinion is there meticulous knowledge and reverence of the history of rock music. The Byrds, Patti Smith, Television, Wire, Neil Young, and local acts like Pylon and B-52s are all here, though in a fresh way that uses nods rather than outright plagarism. Moral Kiosk, Laughing, Radio Free, it's clear these young men from Athens had something that no one else did.

For whatever reason, I’ve never kicked the tires on Murmur. Monster would be my go-to and I like Green is fair enough, too. This is pretty great, especially as a debut. Didn’t realize they had their shit together like this from the get-go. Dialed back a bit sonically, but that’s to be expected; what’s unexpected though is how tight the songwriting is. Stipe sounds great as usual and Buck’s playing is understated but still carries great weight. I don’t think this’ll change anyone’s mind about REM, but this is an awesome change of pace record for me personally as a semi-fan. Very cool. 3.5

This debut album is pleasant enough. Good early indie music with a nice vibe that foreshadows even better things to come from this band. However it gets repetitive very soon.

I know some later R.E.M. (Losing My Religion) but found this pretty boring. The songs blurred together a bit, and I got the impression of a less dynamic Tragically Hip.

Bop K admittedly i was zoned out for a lot of it but it was just banger after banger Relistened to it driving home in the dark and ive never felt more like an irresponsible teen that will grow into a girl dad

Two R.E.M. records in a row! What are the chances?! This is a formidable debut. The band feels so fully formed and distinctive right out of the gate. My personal preferences for jangley guitar make this a really nice listen. It's a sparer version of the R.E.M. that would come to dominate the airwaves in the 90s, and I appreciate what it reveals about the band's musical dynamic. It's right in my wheelhouse. Some interesting range here, too. I'm hearing more of a post-punk vibe than I expected from R.E.M. on tracks like "9-9" and the triumphant piano-powered "Shaking Through". Of course, Stipe's vocals and lyrics are characteristically personal, introspective, and haunted throughout. I feel like this record gets a little lost in R.E.M.'s long career. If this was all they ever made, it would be a cult classic. Favourite songs: Radio Free Europe, Talk About the Passion, Moral Kiosk, Sitting Still, Shaking Through Rating: 4.5/5

Great album. Probably my second fav REM. Early REM is the best REM!! 4.5/5

Personally, Murmur was one of those life-changing records that shifted the direction of my music tastes. R.E.M.'s sound was refreshing and much needed. Around this time I discovered other like-minded bands, the Replacements, Husker Du, Violent Femmes, etc. ,bands outside mainstream radio (college rock) and this music was the reason the 80's actually had some great music. I'll always have a special place for the first four R.E.M. records (especially the first two) in my collection and all of them are essential listens!

I would listen to this album all day, every day and never get tired of it. A top three R.E.M. album, flawless from top to bottom.

One of the most important and significant Alt Rock records of all time

Perfect R.E.M album, as I guess everyone knows..

Excellent album. A delight to be reacquainted with it.

I love this record. Moral Kiosk is one of my favorite REM songs.

Great album! Very nice rhythms. Good for vibing

They knew what they needed to sound like.

I didn't know that post-punk became alternative rock but now I do.

Rock.

All the songs seem to run together and I didn’t vibe with the first half. However the second half of the album does pick up and get better. This album requires you to be in a certain mood to fully understand and enjoy it, and it really strikes a chord when it does hit. The musicianship is excellent though and the guitars sound fantastic.

Pulled out the Vinyl for this one, cooled down the beers, and let Hank (son) hear what pure unadulterated rock n roll sounds like. Thoroughly enjoyed it, as I do every time. Not a song on this I don’t love. Perfect.

Had not listened to REM debut previously - and found it more fun that had been expecting. I do like a lot of REM songs but had to admit that do find a lot of them fairly middling. Was therefore surprised by the energy of this record - would like to listen again - so sneaks a low 4.

Murmur Not sure I’ve listened to this, I get a bit mixed up with their albums from Murmur to Green. I do like REM a lot, but I’m nowhere near an aficionado, so I was quite surprised at how fully formed and ‘REM’ this felt stylistically, I had thought it might be an album of them feeling for their sound, but the jangly guitars, rhythm patterns, bouncy bass and melodic character are all in place, and it it feels reminiscent of their albums post New Adventures in HiFi, Perfect Circle for example sounds like it could have come straight off Reveal or Around the Sun. I suppose what’s missing is a really great song or two. Despite Radio Free Europe and Talk About the Passion being very good, and there being no bad songs at all, there is nothing that truly transcends as some of their later songs do. Having said that, it is still clearly a very good album, especially for a debut. And despite the lack of a killer song or two, as a whole 45 minutes it's a very coherent and enjoyable listen, with well crafted songs and the requisite amount of enigmatic lyrics and vocals. Not much more I can say, its a solid 4. 👁️‍🗨️👁️‍🗨️👁️‍🗨️👁️‍🗨️ Playlist submission: Radio Free Europe

I got my bit of jingle and a whole lot of jangle.

Joyita new wave, 4 estrellas

R.E.M. brought the heat. What a sick album.

Fav song: Laughing I've always really loved the way R.E.M albums sound. They have this summertime dryness to the production. I also adore the way Michael Stipe sings, his voice is amazing. One of the greats for sure. I'd have given this album a 5 stars but I don't think any of the songs really massively stuck out as killers to me, but the R.E.M vibe alone deserves a 4 at least.

Really good album

It's been a while since I got a really good album. Although I've never heard of the album before, it pleasantly surprised me. The instruments and vocals make songs that are creative and come together nice. The drums are especially good. The only song that wasn't great was, "We Walk" but otherwise definitely a good album to hear. Glad I got to listen to this album, 4/5

Some albums in this project pop up like an unexpected visit or call from an old friend. How are you doing REM? Where have you been? Keep in touch. I miss you.

I liked it, a less obvious recommendation than expected

Can see how its influential Alt Indie rock but it took me a couple of listens to start to get it. A real grower that I get more out of the more i play it. Given its release date this must have been one of the first crossover records from the Alt-Rock scene which exploded in the early 90s. 4/5

Uno de los primeros álbumes que dio a luz a lo indie?? Estaba bien pero nada particularmente interesante 🤔

Nothing stood out good or bad

Sorta background rock. Unremarkable to me but not bad

Jangly and catchy, but not exactly memorable

Overall kinda bland to me

I liked Moral Kiosk but can't speak much about the rest.

Love the REM sound, brings me back. I'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars having just listened to it. I will think a little on it but I think 3 overall. Solid but nothing too spectacular.

Murmur has not helped me decide whether I find R.E.M. boring. I certainly find them boring some of the time, but ‘Radio Free Europe’ is exciting. Rest cheerfully slided past my ears without residue on first listen. Then I listened to this in OUR NEW CAR and they made more sense. The passion one stood out in particular. Is this car music? I still have trouble remembering most of the record, but I felt happier when it came on automatically when I worked out how to start the engine again. Maybe the connection is boredom: driving is boring at its best, a good kind of boredom. This is an important record, and I respect how they manage to pin down a distinctive aesthetic straight out of the gate. Calling their first album "Murmur" is gloriously on the nose, vaulting past the introductory, peak and self-parody phases straight to the post-modern. Feigned kindness has me refrain from repeating Chris Morris's cruel dark mirror description of Stipe, but I mention its existence in case it reminds S or anyone else here of it to bring a nasty smile.

Surprised R.E.M. has more than one on the list and this not being my second choice I may be very surprised they have 3 on here

I forgot about this while I was listening to it.

I historically have been pretty ambivalent towards REM. They're one of those bands whom I respect for what they have contributed to the world of music, but I don't choose to listen to. This album was a pleasant surprise. No standout songs, nothing to make it GOOD per se, but Michael Stipe is less whiny here than my audio memory of him would indicate.

Ehh

Ehhh

A little prom bandy

I don’t think I understand this band

What are they singing about

So I genuinely have very little to say about this. I kinda sorta liked some of the songs, but not much at all. The songs sounded the same to me and I was very bored. It was kind of a chore to get through this album if I’m being completely honest. Perfect Circle might be one of the most boring songs I’ve ever heard. Maybe I’m just tired, but these songs are seriously unbearably boring to me. The cover art is kind of intriguing. I think my neighbors have started to smoke. I keep smelling weed really strongly whenever I go out at night or open my window. This project has introduced me to a few songs I really like like Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths, but now I’m just starting to realize that music critics and snobs hate to have fun and only like boring music. I’m so bored with listening to this album that I’m talking about other groups and personal matters in the notes. I’m only like 10 albums in though, so hopefully they will get better.

This is pretty much the beginning of the entire college band/indie rock scene...and the influence on every indie rock band since. Also the soundtrack of my late high school and early college years. Favorite track: We Walk

Radio free Europe.

There's a sameness to all these songs, but the best ones — "Radio Free Europe," "Catapult," "Pilgrimage" and "West of the Fields" are as listenable as ever. R.E.M. didn't make bad records.

Well, I just really like this album (mumbling and all), but I'm not sure that it's a classic 5*... even if Apple Music claims that it redefined the college music scene of the time. It's damn good.

Indie music with great, innovative harmonies

I think this matches The Smiths and that is saying something. This is much more uplifting in places. It really nails a pop rock band downbeat upbeat sweet spot. And all for this for a debut at a time when everyone else had big hair is nothing short of miraculous. 'Laughing' surely one of their best tracks if the 80s - nay, ever. Superb.

The most gothic music ever written in a major key

Rolling high on these as I enter the final week. Little bit more boring than Document or Automatic, but I'm rarely unhappy to see R.E.M. come up

A+. Then and now. Timeless.

great album

Esto en 1983 era entrar otra dimensión, por sonido, actitud, calidad, lírica, imagen... que a día de hoy no ha ha perdido vigencia alguna. Uno de los mejores debuts posibles, a galope entre Buck y Perry (más un excelso Mills en bajo y coros), con claros ecos de los mejores Byrds, Harrison, Velvet, Big Star... tonos limpios de guitarra y mínima electrónica o tecnología, no hace falta mucho para componer una obra de arte. Comenzar con Radio Free Europe es algo que muy muy pocas bandas se pueden permitir. No hay una sola canción que baje del notable muy alto. ¿No es Pilgrimage una maravilla de principio a fin?¿No brilla como un rayo de sol Shaking through? ¿No es We walk un encantador ejemplo de amateurismo? Otros clásicos son, obviamente, Talk about the passion, Perfect circle y Sitting still. Su continuación con Recknoning es otra joya, como practicamente todos sus discos (salvo Around the sun o parte de Reveal). Disco y carrera ejemplares. Imprescindibles. 5/5

Less glitzy than the REM songs everyone knows but a brilliantly constructed album

Beaucoup plus energique que ce que je peux citer ou me rappeler pour REM.

One of my favorite albums ever. Their later stuff is still pretty great but this first one was just next level for me. Also the Chronic Town EP should be included listening with this. The album cover as well is one of my favorite ever-it’s amazing how making it black and white makes the Kudzu seem as ominous as it does to other plants. Also I went to UGA so obviously have a soft spot for this. 9th perfect rating so far after 583 albums Rating: 5.0

One of the best debut albums of the 80s and one of my favorite albums. I vascilate between Murmur and Reckoning as my favorite R.E.M. albums. So much to love here, Peter Buck's ringing guitar, lockstep rhythm section , Michael Stipe's mysterious lyrics and unique delivery and the perfect backing vocals from Mike Mills. This came as a shock to me when it arrived. No one else was doing pop music this accessible and accomplished. 5 stars

a long long time coming 5/5....even some of the songs i didnt think i remembered popped vibrantly. there is something ab this record that is situated perfectly between an alien wilderness and a comforting home, maybe u Make a home out of the wilderness but its more like the wilderness felt like home all along in some unarticulatable way. idk if literally anyone else gets those types of feelings and images from this record, but i can point at the v least to the combination of cryptic and warm elements as a springboard for all kinds of potential effects. i basically have no idea what micheal stipe is trying to say at any point but im still filled with the unavoidable sense of "man. that guy knew exactly what he was talking about." i feel like im remembering this sentiment from somewhere (i cant recall exactly) but its kind of crazy this is a debut album too...ik they had an EP before this, but this still sounds like the kind of quietly confident and seasoned record u usually only get from an artist who's six or seven records deep into their discog. it doesnt clamor for ur attention, it just lets everything speak for itself. when i lie on the ground, the grass and moss will wrap me up in a blanket

Jangly, mysterious, cryptic, dance-able. The R.E.M debut shines with powerful and verbose lyrics that don't hide their influences. From American alternative bands to the post-punk British indie movement, this album is a beautiful statement of what indie/alternative music can achieve when the only motivation is creativity. A gem that I will cherish and definitively will be on my rotation for a while. The guitar intro of 9-9 is so avant-garde that feels like something released last year. What an album.

The second greatest American band, only behind the Beach Boys, and one of the strongest ever debut albums from anyone.

it's quite a coincidence the recommendation of rem's murmur the same day david lynch dies.

Few bands accomplished more with such moderate talent, or got more mileage out of relatively simple hooks and the most basic of melodies and harmonies. A testament to the work ethic and vision and chemistry of four uniquely (if modestly) skilled folks making distinctive music to their own inimitable specs. (Well they were imitable, it would turn out, but to excellent effect and the distinct benefit of millions of listeners down the years, largely because they created something so necessary and relatable.) “Radio Free Europe” is a clarion call – was then, and resonates just as clearly and powerfully now. The affecting “Laughing” and liltingly, lovely “Perfect Circle” are side 1 highlights. “Shaking Thru” sets up a strong close with “We Walk” (more lilting, though waltzier this time) and the driving “West of the Field” that let everyone know there was more to come. But “Sitting Still” … one can barely speak to the depth of the emotion it summons … one of those all-time-life songs … of world-historical importance in one’s own world, as it were (of which more below). There is a certain element of inexplicability to all great works of art – and Murmur has it (not just talking about Stipe’s lyrics or vocals, either). Ultimately, this works entirely better than any involved party had a right to expect. For context, one recognizes the seeming slightness of a few cuts and has always found “Catapult” annoying to a fairly significant degree. And one can make a case that Reckoning is a straight-up superior record – with notably crisper production, a touch more polish and confidence (certainly it belongs on this list, as does Fables). But being first matters – and this was first, solidifying the new category/sub-genre of college rock (a milieu in which one would spend vast, vast hours, 1988-1992, in nearby ATL). But let’s be clear, this is off-the-charts originality and few bands would deliver at such scale and consistency. They paid off the promise of jangle first made by the Byrds decades before. They brought light and earnestness where the Velvets brought darkness and self-consciousness. Accolades are all deserved – one of best-ever debuts, top 100 (or 50 or 20) of ‘80s; beating out U2 War, Police Synchronicity and Thriller (for feck’s sake) for Rolling Stone album of the year in ‘83 is critical prescience at its best and unconventionally wise, too. All for such a modest record, really. So one rounds up REM being the band one quite literally grew up with and has seen more than any others, on every tour from Murmur to (at least) Monster, having seen them in amusement parks (with Fixx and Flock of Seagulls [who opened for whom?]), small gyms (D. Boon’s last show, in Dec ‘85, Charlotte, NC) for last show of Fables tour (when Stipe might still put a paper bag on his head) and then outdoor amphitheater (B’ham) for opening show of Life’s Rich Pageant tour that next fall, amazing Thanksgiving weekend shows at the Fox in Atlanta for four or five years running in college years. More importantly to be reminded of the soul work this music can do, reminding us of our own identities across long stretches of time: to wit, listening to “Sitting Still” for the first time in years, in late middle age, on a winter day, the record having shown up on this list, when life is very much too much on one’s mind, could scarcely be more soothing or solaceful, offering elevation and inspiration – and not just warm blanket of memory, but looking forward, too. But it’s the great reaching out at the end, the promise of connectivity – ”I can hear you / can you hear me?”, an all-time closing lyric [seek the Reckoning tour videos on YouTube) – prompting one to hope and optimism and trust in the future and bringing the best of oneself to all relationships and all life’s complications – just as did 40+ years ago when life being too much with one had a different valence and flavor. Still, kudzu and Rickenbackers forever!

Radio Free Europe Talk About the Passion Sitting Still

R.e.m. is one of my favourite bands, but being born in the early eighties, it is the nineties version of the band i fell in love with. I have listened to some of the older stuff, but I think this is the first time in ages i listen to this record from start to finish, and I think it is a brilliant piece of poprock. R.e.m. is in some ways the indierock version of Madonna, in the sense that they seemed to always incorporate the sound of the age the records were release, and at the same time sound like themselves. One of few bands that kept going for decades, without ever releasing a weak record.

R.E.M. are soo underrated. Loved this album. 🤩❤️

Another case of first song/first album that is an absolute mission statement. And then they just don't let up - until track 10. The journey is an absolute master class. The excellence of the song writing is matched only by the extraordinary production which constantly surprises and shines a unique light that separated them from all corners of their generation. They filtered through the past and laid the tracks that so many traveled on for the next 40 years. Always a treat to revisit.

A groundbreaking gem of a debut. Paved the way for just about every 'indie' rock band.

80s rock perfection.

Iconic album

Great album

This one was a staple in my house growing up. Parents were big time REM fans. Hard for me to listen to this objectively. First thing that I noticed this time through was the bass, and shocking I didn’t think of this before. It’s way up in the mix, in some cases the intro to the song, treble up and used more like a guitar or piano are used. The bass/drums are in a way what really creates this REM sound and then everything else on top of that. Big fan of this album. There really isn’t a bad song on here. Production is also pretty great. I may just have Steely Dan on my mind, but REM is the Steely Dan of alt/indie music? Very ambitious/serious and setting the bar a generation musicians.

Loved this album. The first five tracks are hits in my opinion - talk about the passion and moral kiosk were my favorites The next few tracks were interesting enough, but nothing super sticky. This is probably where my only negative feedback comes from. The drums began to sound really non inventive and just your standard 4/4, hi hat, snare drum sound with basic fills. 9-9 is a bad song 😂 All in all, this album was fantastic. The vocals harmonies were always on point and each song had the identity of REM. I can’t believe this came out in 1983. My brain cant compute how this was coming out alongside Poison, Motley Crue and Guns N Roses… it sounds so much more like 90s rock

Probably somewhere in my top 25 or so bands, especially from this time period and genre, though until last year for some reason hadn’t gone all the way through Murmur. Definitely a little more raw and less melodic than the rest of their catalogue - but an amazing debut. Stipe is an all time front man, love him as a singer and lyricist. Buck is a totally underrated and unconventional guitarist, and agree I love the mix on the bass on this album especially.

A step further in their musical development giving larger hints to what they would eventually evolve into

Klasse!

REM ist so unterschätzt irgendwie, Radio Free Europe ist ein Banger

Holy shit this took a few listens to click and when it did it REALLY did. I had this down as a 3/5 on first listen. I never listened to early R.E.M. until now, despite knowing how important they were and all that just because I found their big hits from the 90s to be really whiny and annoying. I think there was a Seinfeld effect thing happening where so many bands took from this sound that the original is not as exciting to me but I gave it a second chance and it got really good. Sometimes it reminds me of Wire and sometimes it reminds me of Crowded House. There's some really great bass lines in here. The opening bass line in Pilgrimage that is played on bass, piano and vibraphone at the same time is insane. I like it a lot I guess it really is just more mellow and melodic post-punk which is exactly what alternative rock basically is lol

REM is/has always been one of the most important bands for me. I grew up in the mid-90s, so albums like Automatic for the People and Monster were crucial for me. But my sister grew up in the 80s where the IRS records held greater sway. Thanks to her I was able to experience this band across time and get a sense of their development over time. For me this band never lost what made them them, even if they lagged later in their career. When you hear an album like this one you can hear the band’s resonance across time. I love every song on this album, just like I do almost all of their work.

Yeah, easily their best. This record pretty much defined college radio in the 1980s.

beautiful

One of my favorite REM albums.

For REMs debut before a long running career, it's amazing how much of their sound was pretty developed at this point. Of course they evolved their style later to be a bit more poppy at times, and it's fair to say Murmur doesn't have many big anthems that would've contributed to them becoming stadium fillers, but it's extremely accomplished. The jangly guitars and Stipe's vocal style which are their signatures are definitely here. The lyrics are very obscure and every song is interesting, he certainly doesn't write in clichés. There's just something inherently listenable about these tracks for me, they bounce along with a groove I find very addictive. I can see why this kind of alt-rock wouldn't be for everyone but I'm a fan and it's a great debut so 5*

The rythmic guitar and the raspy vocals make this a unique experience and gives a feeling of melancholy only post-punk/new wave can give you. The lyrics are shrouded in mysticism and need not hold much meaning. A good listen if you feel dreadful, but it might break your mind trying to understand the lyrics.

I think that this was really excellent. It's crazy that this came out in 1983 considering how good it sounds and how much stuff in the 90s clearly took inspiration. The instrumentation is really simple and the vocals are bare and the whole thing sounds really good and moody. Awesome album cover as well. Favorite tracks are perfect circles and West of the Fields.

I always liked REM after being introduced to them through Independence Day. This album is poppier than Losing My Religion, more serious than Shiney Happy People, and lacks the energy of It's the End of the World. I liked it. I equate REM with the early 90's but looking back at the discography there is a big hit of 80's new wave and goth rock here. I might have to throw on a best of REM.