Murmur (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Murmur | ||
 |
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| Studio album by R.E.M. | ||
| Released |  11 April 1983 29 August 1983 |
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| Recorded | January 6–February 23, 1983 | |
| Genre | Jangle pop, College rock | |
| Length | 44:11 | |
| Label | I.R.S. Records | |
| Producer(s) | Mitch Easter, Don Dixon | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| R.E.M. chronology | ||
| Chronic Town (EP) (1982) |
Murmur (1983) |
Reckoning (1984) |
Murmur is the first full-length album released by Athens, Georgia alternative rock band R.E.M..
Contents |
[edit] Details
Released in April 1983, Murmur was preceded by the Chronic Town EP the previous year. Murmur's sound characterized the quieter, introverted side of the first wave of alternative rock in the U.S.A.. The sound was new at the time, though not stepping beyond the constructs of traditional rock music. The guitars have a bright ring like chimes that brought on comparisons to The Byrds, and the bass guitar has the bright punchy sound of the Rickenbacker favored by Mike Mills. As the most experienced musician in the group, Mills carries much of the melodic element of the music on the bass, contributing to the moody sound of early R.E.M. albums. Also contributing to this sound is the distant singing of Michael Stipe whose obscure lyrics, sung indistinctly, lend to the mystery and depth of the music. Although more conventional, Murmur also owes a debt to the post-punk movement, with one or two tracks like "9-9" discernibly influenced by Gang of Four. Though Murmur is a much-respected 1980s album, and remains a fan favorite, little about it would foreshadow the huge popularity that would eventually find R.E.M.
The atmospheric and stylistic success of Murmur owes much to the mix, with prominent bass and vocals diminished into the mix, similar to that favored by post-punk band The Psychedelic Furs on their first two recordings. The album was produced and engineered by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, recorded in Charlotte, North Carolina, and released on Miles Copeland III's I.R.S. Records. Among the songs that R.E.M. was playing at their shows at the time, they chose twelve for the album. "Radio Free Europe" and "Sitting Still" had already been released as a single on the local Hib-Tone label but were re-recorded for Murmur in slower tempo. The change shows clearly that R.E.M. had almost completely abandoned punk music stylings by this time. Six other songs–"Permanent Vacation," "Ages of You", "All the Right Friends," "Mystery to Me," "Romance" and Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again"–were recorded but not given a final mix. Some of them would eventually show up on b-sides and are collected on CD on the Eponymous, Dead Letter Office, And I Feel Fine... compilations and the Perfect Square concert DVD.
The cover art features sepia-toned photos of a trestle and kudzu vines covering the ground and nearby trees. The song titles are written over the brown tones in blue, rendering them almost unreadable, particularly with "Moral Kiosk" cutting vertically through the titles.
The trestle featured on the album's cover, originally part of the Georgia Railroad line into downtown Athens, has become something of a local landmark. Plans to demolish the trestle, now commonly referred to as the "Murmur Trestle," met with public outcry. On October 2, 2000, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission voted to save the trestle.[1]
Initially reaching #36 upon its release in the U.S., Murmur was certified gold in 1991. In 1989, it was rated #8 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 197 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [1] Also in 2003, the TV network VH1 named Murmur the 92nd greatest album of all time. Pitchfork Media named Murmur the 5th best album of the 1980's.
In a peculiar nod to the album's stature, the band played it in order, from start to finish, on the final night of their 11-month tour to support "Green" (and after a short break, they proceded to play that album in order as well). That show, at Atlanta's Fox Theater on November 13, 1989, marked the final time that many songs from "Murmur" appeared in the band's set.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.
- "Radio Free Europe" – 4:06
- "Pilgrimage" – 4:30
- "Laughing" – 3:57
- "Talk About the Passion" – 3:23
- "Moral Kiosk" – 3:31
- "Perfect Circle" – 3:29
- "Catapult" – 3:55
- "Sitting Still" – 3:17
- "9-9" – 3:03
- "Shaking Through"1 – 4:30
- "We Walk" – 3:02
- "West of the Fields" – 3:17
[edit] The IRS Years reissue
On January 26, 1993, EMI (which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released Murmur with four bonus tracks:
- "There She Goes Again"
- "9-9" (Live)
- "Gardening at Night" (Live)
- "Catapult" (Live)
The track "There She Goes Again" can be found on Dead Letter Office.
[edit] Notes
1 Includes a brief untitled instrumental after the song's conclusion
[edit] Personnel
- Bill Berry – percussion, drums, bass, piano, vocals
- Peter Buck – guitar
- Mike Mills – bass, drums, piano, vocals
- Michael Stipe – vocals
[edit] Additional personnel
- Don Dixon – bass on "Perfect Circle"
[edit] References
- ^ "Murmur Trestle Information", Athens-Clarke County Online. Retrieved August 17, 2006.
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Billboard 200 | 36 (30 weeks on chart) |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Radio Free Europe" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 25 |
| 1983 | "Radio Free Europe" | Billboard Pop Singles | 78 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | October 10, 1991 |
