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Murmur
Studio album by R.E.M.
Released	April 12, 1983 (1983-04-12)
Recorded	January 6 – February 23, 1983
Studio	Reflection (Charlotte)
Genre	Jangle pop alternative rock post-punk folk rock garage rock
Length	44:11
Label	I.R.S.
Producer	Don Dixon Mitch Easter
R.E.M. chronology
Chronic Town (1982) Murmur (1983) Reckoning (1984)
Singles from Murmur
"Radio Free Europe" Released: June 8, 1983 "Talk About the Passion" Released: November 1983

Murmur is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983, by I.R.S. Records. The album was recorded at Reflection Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, with musicians Don Dixon and Mitch Easter serving as producers. 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's melodic basslines. In 2003, the album was ranked number 197 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". It retained the position in the 2012 list and was raised to number 165 in the 2020 revision.

Style

On Murmur, guitarist Peter Buck took stylistic cues from the Byrds, Television, and the Feelies. Vocalist Michael Stipe has been said to have "elevated mumbled vocals to an art form." The album's rhythm section is heavily influenced by British post-punk, albeit omitting the funk influence associated with the style.

Recording

R.E.M. started preparing for 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. 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 Syncro Sound studios in Boston and added keyboard parts to the track without the band's permission and to their dismay. Unsatisfied, the band members asked the label to let them record with Easter. 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.

On January 6, 1983, R.E.M. entered Reflection Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, 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, to give its music a timeless feel. Berry specifically 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. 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. "Being both musicians, our approach was to leave as little imprint as possible," Dixon said in 1994, referring to himself and Easter. "We felt like our job was to, as cheaply as possible, reproduce what appeared to be just them playing live."

Due to Peter Buck's Fender Twin Reverb being "dead", every song except 'Pilgrimage' featured Easter's Ampeg Gemini II. Mike Mills's Dan Armstrong bass guitar was set aside in favor of a Rickenbacker 4001, owned by Easter's girlfriend.

Recording was completed on February 23, 1983.

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. In 2012, the local government said it cannot afford to keep it and declared in 2016 that it would likely come down. Later that year, the Athens-Clarke County Commission suggested that a trail tax could fund its existence. The Murmur Trestle was approved for demolition in 2019, and work began in 2020 to destroy it. The replacement bridge, part of the Firefly Trail, is composed of three sections: a replica of the original wooden trestle design and two sections of new weathered steel arches. The bridge was opened to the public in April 2023.

Copies of the initial tape edition—catalogue number CS 70604—list The Velvet Underground cover "There She Goes Again" as the final track, but it is not present. This mistake was fixed with subsequent printings. The track was rumored to be intended for Murmur, but removed so that all the tracks would be original and the group would not have to take a royalty cut. The band later distanced itself from this rumor. The cover was included as a b-side to the I.R.S. issue of "Radio Free Europe" instead.

Critical reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Chicago Tribune
Entertainment Weekly	A
Pitchfork	10/10
Q
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Uncut
The Village Voice	A−

Murmur was released in April 1983. The record reached number 36 on the Billboard album chart. 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. Murmur was eventually certified gold (500,000 units shipped) by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1991.

The album drew substantial critical acclaim. Rolling Stone 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 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." 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. 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.

A 2023 listing of the best debut albums by Paste included Murmur at sixth place, stating that "the way Buck’s guitar and Mike Mills’ bass busily bounced around otherwise simple choruses created something entirely new".

Music journalist Andrew Earles highlighted the tracks "Laughing" and "Sitting Still" in his book Gimme Indie Rock, calling them "required listening for absolutely any fan of American underground rock".

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. 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. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, except "West of the Fields" by Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe and Neil Bogan.

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"  – 3:17

Personnel

R.E.M.

• Bill Berry – drums, backing vocals, percussion, bass guitar, piano
• Peter Buck – electric & acoustic guitars
• Mike Mills – bass guitar, backing vocals, piano, organ, acoustic guitar, vibraphone on "Pilgrimage"
• Michael Stipe – lead vocals

Production and additional musicians

• Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City, New York, United States
• Don Dixon – co-producer, additional acoustic guitars
• Mitch Easter – co-producer, additional acoustic guitars, backwards guitar on "Perfect Circle"
• Carl Grasso – art design
• Ann Kinney – art design
• Sandra Lee Phipps – photography and art design

Chart performance

Singles

Certifications

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. This set was recorded by Blair Packham, who'd later find fame as lead singer of The Jitters.

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. 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.

†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

See also

• List of 1980s albums considered the best
• Paisley Underground

References

1. "A Brief History of Jangle Pop". Masterclass.com. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
2. "R.E.M.'s legacy: 6 ways the band changed American music". The Week. September 22, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "R.E.M. - Reckoning review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
4. Sheffield, Rob (December 6, 2001). "Automatic For The People : R.E.M. : Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
5. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). p. 930. ISBN 0-87930-653-X.
6. "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2009.
7. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 December 2023.
8. ^ Earles, Andrew (2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. p. 256.
9. Buckley, p. 71
10. Black, p. 72
11. Buckley, p. 72
12. ^ Buckley, p. 78
13. Buckley, p. 79
14. Buckley, p. 89
15. Hogan, Peter (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of R.E.M. Omnibus Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-7119-4901-8.
16. Rod Brakes (2021-06-03). "Producer Mitch Easter shares the inside story of R.E.M.'s early recording sessions: "It was glorious. They rehearsed a lot just because they liked to play together"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
17. R.E.M. (April 12, 1983). Murmur (liner notes). I.R.S. Records.
18. "Murmur Trestle Information". Archived from the original on February 21, 2001. Retrieved 2005-04-27., Athens-Clarke County Online. Retrieved August 17, 2006.
19. Thompson, Jim (July 9, 2016). "'Murmur' trestle likely to come down someday, commissioner says". Athens Online.
20. Thompson, Jim (August 18, 2016). "Transportation tax could fund work at 'Murmur' trestle in Athens". Athens Online.
21. Allen, Stephanie (July 9, 2021). "Athens' 'Murmur Trestle' being removed, replaced as part of Firefly Trail construction". Athens Online.
22. "Sub-Project 4: Firefly Trail - Trail Creek Crossing | Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website".
23. Satzberg, Steve (February 16, 2024). "Live Review: Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy Play REM's Murmur @ Black Cat — 2/10/24". Parklife DC.
24. Hogan, Peter (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of R.E.M. Omnibus Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-7119-4901-8.
25. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Murmur – R.E.M." AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
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27. Kot, Greg (March 24, 1991). "Traveling Through The Years With R.E.M." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
28. Browne, David (March 22, 1991). "An R.E.M. discography". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
29. Deusner, Stephen M. (November 24, 2008). "R.E.M.: Murmur [Deluxe Edition]". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
30. Lynskey, Dorian (February 2009). "R.E.M.: Murmur". Q. No. 271. p. 120.
31. ^ Pond, Steve (May 26, 1983). "Murmur". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
32. Nawrocki, Tom (2004). "R.E.M.". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 685–687. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
33. Mueller, Andrew (January 12, 2009). "Album review: R.E.M. – Murmur". Uncut. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
34. Christgau, Robert (May 31, 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
35. ^ Buckley, p. 357–358
36. Buckley, p. 95
37. Search for R.E.M.: Gold and Platinum data. RIAA.com. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.
38. Gregg, Jonathan (June 1983). "Murmur review". Record. 2 (8): 22.
39. Buckley, p. 77–78
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Further reading

• Sullivan, Denise, ed. (1998). R.E.M.: Talk about the Passion: an Oral History. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80857-9.
• Platt, John A. (1999). Murmur: R.E.M. Classic rock albums. Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-865062-3.
• Buckley, David (2002). R.E.M.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography (Hardback) (1st ed.). Virgin. ISBN 1-85227-927-3.
• Black, Johnny (2004). Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. (Paperback) (1st ed.). Backbeat. ISBN 0-87930-776-5.

External links

• R.E.M. HQ on Murmur
• Murmur at AllMusic

• Murmur at AllMusic (I.R.S. Vintage Years edition)
• Murmur at AllMusic (Deluxe Edition)

• Murmur at MusicBrainz

• Murmur at MusicBrainz (I.R.S. Vintage Years edition)
• Murmur at MusicBrainz (Deluxe Edition)

• A detailed explanation of the lyrics from Consequence of Sound
• Memories of Murmur on its 40th anniversary

v t e R.E.M.
Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills Michael Stipe Bertis Downs Jefferson Holt
Studio albums	Murmur Reckoning Fables of the Reconstruction Lifes Rich Pageant Document Green Out of Time Automatic for the People Monster New Adventures in Hi-Fi Up Reveal Around the Sun Accelerate Collapse into Now
Live albums	R.E.M. Live Live at The Olympia Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions R.E.M. at the BBC Live at the Borderline 1991
Compilations	Dead Letter Office Eponymous The Best of R.E.M. The Automatic Box Singles Collected In the Attic In Time iTunes Originals And I Feel Fine Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 Complete Rarities (I.R.S. · WB) 7IN—83–88
EPs	Chronic Town Not Bad for No Tour Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes Live from London Reckoning Songs from The Olympia
Other albums	Man on the Moon r.e.m.IX
Singles	"Radio Free Europe" "Talk About the Passion" "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" "Cant Get There from Here" "Driver 8" "Wendell Gee" "Fall on Me" "Superman" "The One I Love" "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" "Finest Worksong" "Orange Crush" "Stand" "Pop Song 89" "Get Up" "Losing My Religion" "Shiny Happy People" "Near Wild Heaven" "Radio Song" "Drive" "Man on the Moon" "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" "Everybody Hurts" "Nightswimming" "Find the River" "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" "Bang and Blame" "Crush with Eyeliner" "Strange Currencies" "Tongue" "E-Bow the Letter" "Bittersweet Me" "Electrolite" "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" "Daysleeper" "Lotus" "At My Most Beautiful" "Suspicion" "The Great Beyond" "Imitation of Life" "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" "I'll Take the Rain" "Bad Day" "Animal" "Leaving New York" "Aftermath" "Electron Blue" "Wanderlust" "#9 Dream" "Supernatural Superserious" "Hollow Man" "Man-Sized Wreath" "Until the Day Is Done" "Mine Smell Like Honey" "Überlin" "Oh My Heart" "We All Go Back to Where We Belong"
Other songs	"Sitting Still" "Gardening at Night" "Perfect Circle" "Pretty Persuasion" "7 Chinese Bros." "Begin the Begin" "Cuyahoga" "Ages of You" "Turn You Inside-Out" "Texarkana" "Country Feedback" "First We Take Manhattan" "Ignoreland" "Dark Globe" "Star 69" "New Test Leper" "All the Right Friends" "Out in the Country"
Videos	Succumbs Tourfilm Pop Screen This Film Is On Parallel Road Movie In View Perfect Square When the Light Is Mine R.E.M. Live Live from Austin, TX REMTV
Support and side projects	Nathan December Buren Fowler Peter Holsapple Barrett Martin Scott McCaughey Bill Rieflin Ken Stringfellow Joey Waronker The Baseball Project Filthy Friends Hindu Love Gods The Minus 5 Tanzplagen Tuatara Tired Pony
Related articles	Discography List of songs Awards Tours 170 College Avenue Peter Buck Athens Andover "I Belong to You" Hib-Tone Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M. Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People
Category

• 1983 debut albums
• Albums produced by Don Dixon (musician)
• Albums produced by Mitch Easter
• I.R.S. Records albums
• R.E.M. albums
• Post-punk albums by American artists
• Garage rock albums by American artists