Murmur (album)

Murmur
A train trestle covered in thick kudzu with "R.E.M. / MURMUR" written in blue
Studio album by R.E.M.
Released April 12, 1983 (1983-04-12)
Recorded January 6 – February 23, 1983
Studio Reflection Studios, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Genre
Length 44:11
Label I.R.S.
Producer
R.E.M. chronology
Chronic Town
(1982)		 Murmur
(1983)		 Reckoning
(1984)
Singles from Murmur
  1. "Radio Free Europe"
    Released: June 8, 1983
  2. "Talk About the Passion"
    Released: November 1983

Murmur is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983 by I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by lead singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bass guitarist Mike Mills' melodic basslines.

Recording

R.E.M. started recording their debut album in December 1982. I.R.S. paired R.E.M. with producer Stephen Hague, who had a higher profile than the band's previous producer Mitch Easter.[4] Hague's emphasis on technical perfection did not suit the band; the producer made the group perform multiple takes of the song "Catapult", which demoralized drummer Bill Berry. Also, Hague took the completed track to Synchro Sound studios in Boston and added keyboard parts to the track without the band's permission and to their dismay.[5] Unsatisfied, the band members asked the label to let them record with Easter.[6] I.R.S. agreed to a "tryout" session, allowing the band to travel to North Carolina and record the song "Pilgrimage" with Easter and producing partner Don Dixon. After hearing the track, I.R.S. permitted the group to record the album with Dixon and Easter.[7]

R.E.M. entered Reflection Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina in January 1983 to begin recording sessions with Easter and Dixon. Much of the band's material for the album had been tested on preceding tours. Because of its bad experience with Hague, the band recorded the album via a process of negation, refusing to incorporate rock music clichés such as guitar solos or then-popular synthesizers, in order to give its music a timeless feel.[7] Berry in particular was resistant to "odd" musical suggestions, insisting that his drums be recorded in a drummer's booth, a practice that was antiquated at the time.[8] Dixon and Easter took a hands-off approach to much of the recording process. The pair would only fix up a vocal track or ask lead singer Michael Stipe to re-record a vocal if it was very substandard.[9]

Music

Murmur's sound characterized the quieter, introverted side of the first wave of alternative rock in the United States. The sound was new at the time, though not stepping beyond the constructs of traditional rock music. The guitars have a bright, ring-like chime that brought on comparisons to The Byrds, and the bass guitar has the bright punchy sound of the Rickenbacker favored by Mike Mills. 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.

In a rare instance of R.E.M. co-writing, Stipe asked friend Neil Bogan to contribute lyrics to "West of the Fields."

Packaging

The front cover features an image of a large quantity of the noxious weed kudzu, which grows so rapidly that it overtakes the landscape and kills other plants by completely shading them. The trestle featured on the back cover of the original vinyl LP release, 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.[10] In 2012, the local government said it can't afford to keep it and called the wooden edifice unsafe.[11]

Copies of the initial tape edition—catalogue number CS 70604—list "There She Goes Again" as the final track, but it is not present. This mistake was fixed with subsequent printings.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Blender[13]
Chicago Tribune[14]
Entertainment WeeklyA[15]
Pitchfork Media10/10[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]
Slant Magazine[19]
Uncut[20]
The Village VoiceA−[21]

Murmur was released in April 1983. The record reached number 36 on the Billboard album chart.[22] A re-recorded version of "Radio Free Europe" was the album's lead single and reached number 78 on the Billboard singles chart that year. Despite the acclaim awarded the album, by the end of 1983 Murmur had only sold about 200,000 copies, which I.R.S.'s Jay Boberg felt was below expectations.[23] Murmur was eventually certified gold (500,000 units shipped) by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1991.[24]

The album drew substantial critical acclaim. Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album four out of five stars. Reviewer Steve Pond felt the album fulfilled the promise the band showed on Chronic Town. He wrote, "Murmur is the record on which [R.E.M.] trade that potential for results: an intelligent, enigmatic, deeply involving album, it reveals a depth and cohesiveness to R.E.M. that the EP could only suggest." He concluded, "R.E.M. is clearly the important Athens band."[17] Jonathan Gregg of Record described Murmur as "a splendid little film noir of an album, austere but rich in implication." He particularly praised the band's distinctive "twitchy, restless dance beat" and the incomprehensibility of the album's meaning, noting that Stipe's already enigmatic lyrics are often hard to make out due to being sung with a deliberate slur, lost in a muddy mix, and/or drowned out by the instrumental work, resulting in an impressive sense of meaning even as the meaning itself is not understood.[25] It was Rolling Stone's Best Album of 1983, beating Michael Jackson's Thriller, The Police's Synchronicity and U2's War. Buck noted in 2002 that I.R.S. was "mind-boggled" by the album's positive reviews, especially in the British press, since R.E.M. had not yet toured that country.[26]

Accolades

Since its release, Murmur has featured heavily in various "must have" lists compiled by the music media. In 1989, it was rated number eight on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.[27] In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Murmur the 92nd greatest album of all time. Some of the more prominent of these lists to feature Murmur are shown below; this information is adapted from acclaimedmusic.net.

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Rolling Stone U.S. Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years[28] 1987 #58
Spin U.S. 100 Alternative Albums[29] 1995 #8
Pitchfork Media U.S. Top 100 Albums of the 1980s[30] 2002 #5
Rolling Stone U.S. The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[31] 2003 #197
Blender U.S. 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die[32] 2003
Q U.K. The 40 Best Records of the 80s[33] 2006 #6
Mojo U.K. The 100 Records That Changed the World[34] 2007 #75
Slant Magazine US Best Albums of the 1980s[35] 2012 #13
Rolling Stone US The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time[36] 2013 #18

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, except where noted

Side one
  1. "Radio Free Europe" – 4:06
  2. "Pilgrimage" – 4:30
  3. "Laughing" – 3:57
  4. "Talk About the Passion" – 3:23
  5. "Moral Kiosk" – 3:31
  6. "Perfect Circle" – 3:29
Side two
  1. "Catapult" – 3:55
  2. "Sitting Still" – 3:17
  3. "9–9" – 3:03
  4. "Shaking Through" – 4:30
  5. "We Walk" – 3:02
  6. "West of the Fields" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe, and Neil Bogan) – 3:17
1992 The IRS Vintage Years edition bonus tracks
  1. "There She Goes Again" (Lou Reed) – 2:48
  2. "9–9" (Live in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, July 13, 1983) – 3:04
  3. "Gardening at Night" (Live in Boston) – 3:47
  4. "Catapult" (Live in Seattle, Washington, United States, June 27, 1984) – 4:03
2008 Deluxe Edition bonus disc (Live at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto, July 9, 1983)
  1. "Laughing" – 3:51
  2. "Pilgrimage" – 4:08
  3. "There She Goes Again" (Reed) – 2:43
  4. "Seven Chinese Brothers" – 4:15
  5. "Talk About the Passion" – 3:02
  6. "Sitting Still" – 4:11
  7. "Harborcoat" – 3:45
  8. "Catapult" – 3:51
  9. "Gardening at Night" – 3:33
  10. "9-9" – 3:16
  11. "Just a Touch" – 2:27
  12. "West of the Fields" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe, and Bogan) – 3:06
  13. "Radio Free Europe" – 4:57
  14. "We Walk" – 2:55
  15. "1,000,000" – 3:05
  16. "Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)" – 3:58

A vintage radio promo for the album is hidden in the pregap of the bonus disc.

Personnel

Production and additional musicians

Chart performance

Album
Year Chart Position
1983 US Billboard 200 36[22]
1994 UK Albums Chart 100[22]
1996 111[22]
2009 199 (Deluxe Edition)[38]
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1983 "Radio Free Europe" Billboard Mainstream Rock 25
1983 "Radio Free Europe" Billboard Pop Singles 78

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – U.S. Gold October 10, 1991

Release history

Murmur was bundled together with Chronic Town and Reckoning in the United Kingdom as The Originals in 1993.

On November 25, 2008, I.R.S. Records, A&M, and Universal Music released a 25th anniversary edition two-disc reissue of Murmur. Disc one features the standard 12-track album, digitally remastered, and disc two contains a previously unreleased live concert the band played at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada, on July 9, 1983. In addition to Murmur songs, the set includes tunes from the Chronic Town EP, a Velvet Underground cover, and early versions of songs from Reckoning and Lifes Rich Pageant.[39] The release also includes a fold-out poster insert, featuring exclusive essays by producers Don Dixon and Mitch Easter, as well as former I.R.S. executives Jay Boberg, Sig Sigworth, and art designer Carl Grasso.[40]

Murmur
Region Date Label Format Catalog
United States April 12, 1983 I.R.S. vinyl LP SP 70604
44797-0014-1
Compact Disc 44797-0014-2
cassette tape 44797-0014-4
CS 70604
United Kingdom August 29, 1983 I.R.S. LP 70014
United States 1983 I.R.S./A&M Compact Disc 70014
The Netherlands 1983 Illegal LP 25433
South Africa 1983 I.R.S./CBS LP ASF-2886
Worldwide 1990 A&M Compact Disc 70014
Worldwide 1991 A&M Compact Disc 129
The Netherlands July 31, 1992 EMI Compact Disc 7 13158 2†
The Netherlands 1992 I.R.S. LP 4653781
United States 1995 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab LP 231‡
Compact Disc 642‡
Europe 1999 EMI Compact Disc 13158†
Europe 2000 I.R.S. Compact Disc 7131582†
Asia 2007 Toshiba/EMI Compact Disc 53571
United States November 25, 2008 I.R.S./Universal Music Group Compact Disc B0012251-02•

†I.R.S. Vintage Years edition, with bonus tracks
‡Remastered edition on 180-gram vinyl and gold Compact Disc
•Remastered Deluxe Edition, with Live at Larry's Hide-Away bonus disc

The Originals
Region Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 1995 I.R.S./EMI CD box set 7243 8 35088 2 2

See also

References

  1. ↑ "R.E.M.'s legacy: 6 ways the band changed American music". The Week. September 22, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "R.E.M. - Reckoning review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (December 6, 2001). "Automatic For The People : R.E.M. : Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  4. ↑ Buckley, p. 71
  5. ↑ Black, p. 72
  6. ↑ Buckley, p. 72
  7. 1 2 Buckley, p. 78
  8. ↑ Buckley, p. 79
  9. ↑ Buckley, p. 89
  10. ↑ "Murmur Trestle Information" at the Wayback Machine (archived February 21, 2001), Athens-Clarke County Online. Retrieved August 17, 2006.
  11. ↑ For R.E.M. Fans, Tunes May Linger But Trestle Faces Day of Reckoning Wall Street Journal; Feb. 6, 2012
  12. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Murmur – R.E.M.". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Back Catalogue: R.E.M.". Blender (67): 106. March 2008.
  14. ↑ Kot, Greg (March 24, 1991). "Traveling Through The Years With R.E.M.". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ Browne, David (March 22, 1991). "An R.E.M. discography". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  16. ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. (November 24, 2008). "R.E.M.: Murmur [Deluxe Edition]". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Pond, Steve (May 12, 1983). "Murmur". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  18. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 685–67. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
  19. ↑ Schrodt, Paul (October 30, 2003). "R.E.M.: Murmur". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  20. ↑ Mueller, Andrew (January 12, 2009). "R.E.M. – Murmur". Uncut. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  21. ↑ Christgau, Robert (May 31, 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Buckley, p. 357–358
  23. ↑ Buckley, p. 95
  24. ↑ Search for R.E.M.: Gold and Platinum data. RIAA.com. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.
  25. ↑ Gregg, Jonathan (June 1983). "Murmur review". Record. 2 (8): 22.
  26. ↑ Buckley, p. 77–78
  27. ↑ "Rocklist.net Rolling Stone Lists - Main Page". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. 2002-10-17. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  28. ↑ "Rolling Stone Top 100 Albums of the Last Twenty Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  29. ↑ "100 Alternative Albums". Spin. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  31. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  32. ↑ "500 CDs You Must Own: Alternative Rock at Blender.com". Blender. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  33. ↑ "The 40 Best Records of the 80s". Q. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  34. ↑ "The 100 Records That Changed the World". Q. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  35. ↑ The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s | Feature | Slant Magazine
  36. ↑ "The Top 100 Debut Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  37. 1 2 3 ['REM: Perfect Circle', Tony Fletcher, Omnibus Press (p85-86)
  38. ↑ "Chart Log UK – Chart Coverage and Record Sales 2009 and Special Single-File Version". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  39. ↑ R.E.M. Announce Murmur Deluxe Edition
  40. ↑ R.E.M.HQ: NEWS - Murmur Deluxe Edition

Further reading

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