Vinyl Vault

Out of Athens, Georgia, the quartet known as R.E.M. started an unlikely revolution by proving that you can play mainstream rock and roll without being signed to a mainstream label. Their 1983 debut album Murmur helped to birth the movement known as indie rock, and it’s being re-released along with a live bonus disc in commemoration of its 25th anniversary. That makes it as good a time as any to re-evaluate Murmur using the song-by-song album review.

Murmur (1983, I.R.S. Records)

Side A

  A1. “Radio Free Europe”
This opening blast finds all of the elements already in place: Bill Berry’s snapping drums, Mike Mills’ melodic bass, Peter Buck’s oh-so-influential jangly guitar, and Michael Stipe singing about…well, it’s gibberish, really, but it somehow makes perfect sense. The odd bridge is a sign that the band had more in its pocket than straight-ahead rock. This song deserves its place in the rock pantheon as the track that kicked off a whole genre.

  A2. “Pilgrimage”
Those opening notes almost have an Oriental feel to them, but the song quickly resolves into a brilliant chorus. Later on we get a glimpse of the nifty vocal interplay between Stipe and Mills that would mark so many of the band’s classic songs.

  A3. “Laughing”
Mills’ moody bass lines start things off before making way for Buck’s crystalline acoustic. “Misconstrued” is a word that could describe many of Stipe’s lyrics, but the emotion in his unique voice helps convey any message he desires.

  A4. “Talk About the Passion”
This song shows the band achieving an impressive complexity that belies the fact that it’s their debut album. Listen to the way they shift effortlessly between acoustic and electric sections and make way for the strings to add their comment toward the end. If I had to guess, I would say that Stipe is taking aim at religious hypocrisy here. But whatever passion he’s on about in the lyrics, his passionate singing is undeniably outstanding.

  A5. “Moral Kiosk”
That bizarre title sounds like the name of a pretentious college band that R.E.M. might have inspired but is actually an example of Stipe’s evocative wordplay. The thumping chorus is endlessly fascinating even thought the refrain mainly consists of wordless moans and grunts.

  A6. “Perfect Circle”
The wistful piano ballad is usually credited by the band to drummer Berry, who created a lovely melody for Stipe’s mournful imagery. It foreshadows the sure hand the band would have with gentle tracks in albums ahead.

Side B

  B1. “Catapult”
Solid interaction between Buck and Mills get this number off to a fine start, but it never really soars from there and gets repetitive quick.

  B2. “Sitting Still”
Here is one time when Stipe’s incoherent ramblings are a negative, because the accessibility of the melody could have really been helped along by some solid lyrics. He sings in the chorus “I can hear you;” wish that we could say the same.

  B3. “9-9”
It’s a bit too unfocused and frantic to be saved by the urgent chorus.

  B4. “Shaking Through”
The piano and Buck’s chiming guitar fills gives this a Sweethearts Of The Rodeo tinge, but other than that, it’s a bit unmemorable.

  B5. “We Walk”
The bouncy 50’s beat is out of left field. The song does little to build on that eccentricity, although I suppose Stipe’s crazed hiccupping at the end give it novelty value.

  B6. “West of the Fields”
The closer is a bit subdued, although the band gives a nice, taut performance. I like the soaring bridge, but this one falls a bit short.

Bonus Disc

Recorded at a 1983 tour stop in Toronto, the extra disc finds the group playing much of Murmur, along with selections from their 1982 EP Chronic Town (including the excellent “Gardening At Night.”) Songs that would appear on later albums also make appearances, along with a Velvet Underground cover (“There She Goes Again”). It’s interesting to hear “Radio Free Europe” already transforming into an anthem, but most of the live versions don’t really add anything to the studio cuts. Michael Stipe’s dynamic frontman qualities were already in evidence though, and it’s fascinating to hear the smattered applause get stronger throughout the show. More for completists than casual fans, the bonus disc still holds value as a glimpse at the group before they were superstars, winning fans over song by song.

The Bottom Line

Although its second half lacks the songs that make the first half such a rush, Murmur still flashes the unpolished sparks of life that would eventually lift the band from indie status into the realms of rock royalty. And, in terms of influence, Murmur is more like a bellow.

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