Amazon.com essential recording: Though critics swamped R.E.M.'s 1983 full-length debut with country-rock comparisons to the Byrds, Murmur sounds like no one else. The title is an apt description of Michael Stipe's singing style, although his smooth pop vocal mannerisms sweeten the enigmatic poetry. Like all great bands, R.E.M.'s individual parts (Peter Buck's ringing guitar, drummer Bill Berry's persistent thumping, and Mike Mills's unifying bass) are as interesting as the collective sound. The album-opening "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" endure as its radio singles, but the rest of the songs hang together well taken as a whole. --Steve Knopper
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Need I say more than awesome!
REM is constantly one of the best Rock n Roll bands ever. Spanning over three decades (more to come) and releasing so many CDs that I have an entire row of my CD rack dedicated to them, this is one of ... Read More
Rating: - Nightswimming
I have been in North Carolina in the heat of midsummer and stood in the overgrown valley where there used to be trains at midnight; whistle blasting behind the voodoo woman's red and white cottage. It ... Read More
Rating: - Good Chemistry, Catchy Songs, Great Music
Murmur was the R.E.M.'s first full-length debut (Chronic Town was their first -- an EP, after many years of performing in small clubs) and the timing was perfect. This Athens, Georgia band was what music ... Read More
Rating: - Sound track to my Soul
I love soo much music, across many decades, and styles. But at the end of the day, Murmur is my most favorite album of my life. I can't quantify that statement, or substantiate it, it just plainly IS. I ... Read More
Rating: - Amazing
One of my favorite albums that I always seem to come back to. This was my first and REM album before getting hooked on them and getting Reckoning. It doesn't seem to have any weak parts. Starts strong with ... Read More
