R.E.M. - Murmur

[joshthevegan]

Following positive critical reviews and decent record sales for Chronic Town, I.R.S. Records saw a bright future for R.E.M., and so they arranged to have the band record their debut full-length with Stephen Hague. Hague was a producer that was to come to some fame of his own for working with bands like New Order, Public Image Ltd., Pet Shop Boys, and Robbie Robertson. I.R.S. chose Hague because he was a slightly higher image producer for the band to work with, and they felt the band deserved the chance to record a good, clean sounding record.

These sessions proved unsuccessful, though. R.E.M. and Hague did not see eye to eye on a number of issues. Coming from a synth pop background, he favored adding keyboards to the mix, and the band wanted a more "timeless" sound to the record. Hague also sought absolute technical perfection from the players, requesting many, many takes on select tracks. This did not sit well with the band, who was more used to performing live, and allowing mistakes to be part of the experience of the performance.

Ultimately, R.E.M. asked I.R.S. for the opportunity to record again with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, with whom the band had recorded Chronic Town. The label agreed, pending a sample. The sample proved to be convincing enough, and the sessions were underway.

Because of the nature of the earlier sessions, the band pushed even further into minimalist grounds, excluding guitar solos and electronic keyboards altogether, and opting for a looser feel. The only studio tricks that were employed involved re-recording a few vocal sections if a certain spot was not as powerful as others in a given take.

The result is a lasting, powerful record that was a true unique in its time, and still stands as one today. Peter Buck's jangly, clean tone guitar ringing like wind chimes over Mike Mills' punchy bass lines and Bill Berry's 1960's-garage-rock take on the drumkit. The real star of the show here, though, is Michael Stipe's distant, ethereal vocals. As on the earlier releases, cryptic lyrics abound, floating whistfully by on a young man's hopeful voice.

Murmur is varied musically like the psyche of any person coming of age in the world. Upbeat rockers like "Catapult" and "Laughing" are balanced beautifully by ballads like "Perfect Circle." From the re-recording of "Radio Free Europe" to "West of the Fields," Murmur feels like a comforting yet confusing arrival after the searching on the early releases. It is no wonder, then, that Rolling Stone called it the "Album of the Year 1983," beating out such juggernauts as Michael Jackson's Thriller and U2's War.

Murmur - 9 out of 10

Included below is the video for the re-recording of "Radio Free Europe," the video for "Talk About the Passion," a TV promo for Murmur, and the band performing a song they wrote accepting their CMJ Award