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From:R.E.M. , A&M ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#6313 |
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3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 (4.5 Stars) A murmur-able debut, 2005-01-19
R.E.M debuted in a memorable way with "Murmur", an album that seamlessly blends jangle-rock (eg: The Byrds), folk, punk, and pop into one nifty package. Although it's not R.E.M.'s absolute best album (in my opinion at least), it's one of their best for sure. This album also sounds incredibly fresh for something out of 1983.
Songs like "Radio Free Europe", "Catapault", and "Sitting Still" are shimmering, jangly, deliciously catchy pop/rock tunes. Although many of Michael Stipe's mumbly lyrics are politically charged (which gives "Murmur" a punk element), the emphasis is clearly on catchy hooks.
Other songs rely on pretty melodies, like the gorgeous mid-tempo pop of "Pilgrimage", the delicate "Perfect Circle" (led by some nice piano work), and the sweeping ballad "Talk About the Passion".
There's a wide conveyance of mood through the music on here. "Laughing" has a stark, somewhat desolate feel. "Moral Kiosk" and the brooding closer "West of the Fields" sound urgent and serious. The folksy "We Walk" feels breezy and carefree.
Other highlights include the artsy "9-9" and the incandescent "Shaking Through".
It's hard to say any negative things about "Murmur", because there's not a whole lot of flaws on here. If you're new to R.E.M., their debut is a good place to start.
Best Songs: Pilgrimage, Talk About the Passion, Perfect Circle, Catapault, 9-9, Shaking Through.
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
......but not a whisper, 2005-01-19
"Murmur" when it was released in the early 80's, was just another excellent album by an up and coming band, the era was full of them. "Murmur" promised the kind of potential most bands falter in the face of, but R.E.M lived up to it, and then some. Amazing from one end to the other, these are perfectly constructed little songs that even revel in the beauty of their own flaws. No one could have known that 10 years later R.E.M would be the biggest band in the world by listening to "Murmur", and that (along with some of it's immediate successors) is one of this album's greatest strengths. R.E.M didn't stumble on an album this good their first time out just because they happened to record the excellent group of songs that made it up. There is a feeling that marries every song here to one another, and when listening to "Murmur" as a whole, the old and recognizable realization that debut albums are rarely this good puts in an appearance (forgiving the period of course). Made up of perfect melodies, choruses and quality songwriting, "Murmur" truly highlights what a rare feat it is for something to sound this excellent and be so green at the same time.
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
"Speak in tongues with a broken lip", 2005-01-15
Murmur was R.E.M.'s first full-length album released in 1983 to much critical acclaim. It includes one of their best singles, the classic "Radio Free Europe" (although I like the version off Eponymous a little better than the original). In my opinion, it would not be their most solid album (that would be 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction) but it is bursting with beautiful songs and Michael Stipe's "mumuring" vocals.
Besides "Radio Free Europe," my favorite track off Murmur is "9-9." The overall sound is amazing. It is exotic at times and then rocks at other times. The backing vocals are excellent on it as well. "Perfect Circle" is absolutely beautiful as is, to a slightly lesser extent, "Talk About the Passion." I remember hearing on an R.E.M. rockumentary that the band really felt like they had come together with the song "Perfect Circle" and I can understand why. It has a mature sound and, with the piano, is one of their best ballads. The upbeat "Catapult" is another one of my favorites. It has a "native" sound to it for lack of a better term as does "Pilgrimage" which is a little drawn-out with a bridge I'm not crazy about but is otherwise a nice track.
Of the rest of the tracks, only the rocker "West of the Fields" stands out. "Moral Kiosk" is my least favorite as there is just too much going on, and Stipe's yodeling part doesn't help. It lacks the simplified beauty of most R.E.M. songs. "Shaking Through" is another weaker track and "Laughing" and the cute "We Walk" are nice but not as memorable as the rest. Still, this album is solid and an excellent debut by the boys from Athens.
4 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
The Best REM Album you can find, 2004-12-20
My apologies, as my review is specifically for the Import Version of Murmur, with 4 extra bonus tracks. As a package of outstanding catchy rock foot stomping songs, REM's debut album still stands out as their best. My favourite all-time REM track has to be "Moral Kiosk" - the beat is so infectious, my head just keeps nodding to it each time I listen to it. I place this song along with "Gardening At Night(Live)", and their cover of Pylon's "Crazy" (found on Singles Collected album) as REM's finest moments. "Radio Free Europe" sounds good and has that contagious REM beat but gets tiresome to listen to after repeated playback. The haunting guitar riffs near the end of "Perfect Circle" shows a direct influence from Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers album. REM's cover of The Velvet Underground's "There She Goes Again" is so beautifully done that I'm sure Lou Reed would be proud of them. "Gardening at Night (Live)" is choke packed with energy and lively percussion beat, yet with cathartic undulations flowing from it. "Laughing" has that groovy bass intro that gets me interested even more in the album. REM does show some influence from Gang Of Four, especially in "9-9". Everything is in place, the guitar, the percussion beat, bass...nothing can be more perfect than REM's magnum opus, "Murmur".
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
The Best Album of 1983, 2004-11-24
I can't believe that I first heard a song from this album on the radio in North Carolina in 1983 - twenty one years ago. Of course, I immediately bought it. At the end of the year, Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed it to be the album of the year, despite the fact that the band was completely unknown at the time and up against the blockbuster Michael Jackson album, "Thriller." It was surprising even then - that Rolling Stone would bite one of the hands that fed it money and access and award the title of best album to Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe. Surprising, but bona fide, fer sure.
I have listened to this on vinyl, on cassette and on disc. I have listened to it while patrolling the firebreaks of Ft. Bragg, while driving home through the Smokey Mountains, during Macroeconomics and College Algebra, and UCC Article 2, and Criminal Procedure I and II. In Egypt, the Sudan, Panama and Grenada. I listened again on my honeymoon, and on the first trip home with my new son, Joseph (although he had heard it in the womb, I'll wager). This album and its two brothers, Reckoning and Dead Letter Office, have been my most faithful companions - they are always there when you need them, and they never fail on their promise. They are true - as true as anything can be.
Murmur is not just the title - it is an apt description of the effect it has on you. Here's what you do - get a bottle of Wild Turkey, and fill up a glass with ice. Pour yourself a couple of fingers, turn this album on and turn out the lights. Close your eyes and listen to it - listen to the noises. Let it cover you like the salty water of a sensory deprivation tank. You will feel the murmur, gentle but demanding. Damn if it's not comfortable - but maybe that's just me.
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