Album of the Day: R.E.M. - Murmur

As a '90s kid, my first introduction to R.E.M. was through their late '80s/early '90s work, which is considered to be the highest point in their career.  Yet, in doing research on critical reception of their catalogue, I found that there is a large following who believe that their strongest output was during their I.R.S. Records years (1982-1987).  And upon initial listens a few years ago, I just could not get into those albums the way I did albums like Green, Out of Time, or Automatic for the People (their first three albums with Warner Bros. records).  But now that enough time has passed, I've found there is a lot to love about these early albums.

Murmur (1983)

Murmur was R.E.M.'s first real chance to show the mainstream audience what they were all about.  During the creation of this album, they wisely fought back against producer notes that would have made their tracks sound like every other '80s pop rock band at the time, opting to go for a more folky, timeless feel.  There are still plenty of songs that are difficult to decipher, but the strong and confident compositions showed that this was a band who knew what they were doing.

1) Radio Free Europe - 4/5
This is a re-recording of R.E.M.'s first ever produced single.  While that original version will pop up on compilation albums down the line, this version was a lot of listeners' first introduction to R.E.M.  Stipe and the band claim that they prefer their original faster-paced rendition as it's a bit more raw, but due to the sheer amount of times I've heard this one (on the radio, of course), I find this is a serviceable replacement and a great track to start the album with.

2) Pilgrimage - 5/5
It's songs like this that make me enjoy listening to entire albums and not just relying on the singles.  I feel this one would easily fit alongside "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" on the radio.  It's one of those songs that promotes good vibes with an uplifting melody and a call to leave hate behind and learn on your personal journeys.

3) Laughing - 3/5
I can't think of much to say for this one.  It's definitely a pleasant listen, it just gets a bit lost among the stronger offerings on the album.  It's nice, easy-listening, positive filler.

4) Talk About the Passion - 5/5
Slowly, R.E.M. would work it's way into more political messages with their music.  This early offering was a big success with it's soft, non-intrusive, yet meaningful lyrics.  It highlights suffering and the lack of urgency around fixing said suffering.  Arguably the best song on the album.

5) Moral Kiosk - 3/5
Like "Laughing," we have another fun song to listen to in between the other songs.  This one is a bit stronger with it's imagery, though it's also a bit more confusing.  It's hard to fully grasp these songs, even after repeated listens, but I know I have fun trying to figure this one out.

6) Perfect Circle - 5/5
Similar to "Gardening at Night" and my other all-time favorite R.E.M. songs, "Perfect Circle" evokes a time of youth.  Here we have the idea of children playing a game and yet there is a hesitancy as we survey the scene and suggest that time is fleeting and we are growing up too fast.  And I just like the idea of a "perfect circle of acquaintances and friends."

7) Catapult - 4/5
Again, I'm not quite sure what is happening in this one, but I know it's extremely fun.  It's tracks like this that make me realize what all those I.R.S. fanboys were talking about in terms of quality.

8) Sitting Still - 3/5
Along with "Radio Free Europe," this is one of the first R.E.M. songs recorded (though it was re-recorded for this album).  It was the original B-side to that early single and it almost seems to be challenging the listener to interpret meaning from it.  It's important enough to warrant it's own Wikipedia page, but to me it falls along with a couple of the other average-yet-enjoyable songs on the album.

9) 9-9 - 2/5
Nine songs deep and we finally hit a song I'd consider to be "one of the weak ones."  It almost feels like an R.E.M. version of a U2 song, which is fine, but it kind of feels out of place.  Although it's growing on me through repeated listens, it's not one I'd actively seek out to listen to for fun.

10) Shaking Through - 3/5
I think I enjoy this song because it reminds me of better later R.E.M. songs.  So it has room for improvement.

11) We Walk - 3/5
Well, it's a bit hokey, but there is such a joy in this melody that I couldn't bear to rank it too low.  While I wouldn't consider it great by any means, it would be perfect in the background of a cute romantic comedy scene.

12) West of the Fields - 2/5
Like "9-9," this isn't a bad song per se, I just find it to be a bit repetitive.  It's melody and chorus doesn't quite click with me the rest of this album does.  It's a shame that it ends the album on a blander note.  Not a terrible one though, of course.

Music Video: Radio Free Europe

Well, that was just as confusing as the song.  Nice garden, though.

Overall: 3.55 - B
This album really impressed me the more I listened to it.  I don't know if I'm quite ready to call it their best, but it is a stellar first outing and it's clear why R.E.M. hit it big and continued to reign in the alternative rock scene throughout the '80s.  I feel the album does tend to drag on it's weaker B-side, but there aren't any outright disasters in this mix.  The highlights are really strong and it was nice to learn that there was more to this album than just "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion."