Rem - Murmur
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Free Music Notes for Murmur
Free Music Review: Brilliant. One of Rock's Greatest Albums.
Hit: 5 Stars
The cover of "Murmur" shows a black and white photograph of an abandoned railway trestle that has succumbed entirely to kudzu. The music in the album "feels" just like that picture.
Although this music was quite in vogue during my freshman year of college (1984), it doesn't sound dated at all--in fact, I appreciate this album more now than I did then.
To those of you out there who like REM, but are familiar only with their work after, lets say, "Document", you definitely owe it to yourself to listen to this record--it will become a permanent part of your music rotation.
Every track is a gem, but the following are my personal favorites: "Laughing", "Perfect Circle", "Sitting Still", and "Shaking Through." Much has been made of the incomprehensible nature of Stipe's lyrics on this record. It doesn't matter though-- you will be singing along phonetically before too long. Don't bother looking up the lyrics, they are all wrong, in my opinion. Here is my transcription of the first verse of "Sitting Still":
"sname of gah-way-ah-wuh-ree
secrets dop-stop it wuh rin
we could vanin in the sis
we could gather throw up it
up to climb, Katy bah-tuh
catch in time but not may in
city child for love makin'
wastin' time, sittin still"
etc.
Truer words have never been sung. Buy the album!!
Free Music Review: Absolutely stunning
Hit: 5 Stars
This unpretentious album released by, at that time, and unpretentious band named REM, captures everything that is right about Rock Music. It is beautiful, melancholic, catchy, sad and inspiring all at once and contains songs that are so stunningly simple yet utterly brilliant at the same time. The hooks are simple but catchy and the lyrics incomprehensible, but who cares? This is the only album that has ever made me cry, and I'm a guy who NEVER cries. I defy anyone to listen to 'Laughing' or 'Talk about the Passion' and not be moved in some way or another.This album is sheer brilliance in that it is so simple, yet complex; confusing yet crystal clear. Most importantly, it is accessible to anyone and it is fairly obvious on the strength of this why REM went on to be so successful. Although they made some stunning albums, none ever quite captured the sound or the magic that this one did. Thanks guys for making an album that is truly timeless, one that has defined my life in many ways and one that everyone deserves to own, even though so few do. In a music world where all emotion seems so fake (Backstreet Boys or Ricky Martin anyone?), this album shines with true honesty and beauty and really defines how many of us feel. Thank you REM, for this amazing album that is as essential to any collection as anything by the Beatles.
Free Music Review: Out of Time
Hit: 5 Stars
No, I don't mean R.E.M.'s breakout album that came out 8 years later. I mean that "Murmur" has a sound that really was out of its time compared to other 80s music.It's a bold, I-don't-care album with some terrific, catchy tunes. "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" are classics that definitely stand the test of time -- unlike much of the songs from the time "Murmur" debuted.
The rest of the album is very solid, especially for a debut album. Not a clunker in the bunch. This is testimony to R.E.M.'s brilliance from the get-go and their adaptability. Just think of how many other bands from 1983 that were merely one-hit wonders!
However, I think this is an album that those new to R.E.M. should hold off on getting until they've had a chance to get familiar with the band through albums like "Automatic for the People" and "Out of Time", which I think have sound that is little easier to connect with. Then, venture deeper into the band's history and pick up "Murmur" to get a sense of the band's original sound and how it evolved over time. (For those R.E.M. junkies that don't have "Murmur" in their collections, what are you waiting for? If you don't have it, you have a gaping hole in your R.E.M. collection!)
Free Music Review: Master Piece
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the type of album that you cherish from the day you start hearing it, to the day you are dead( lol). Its amazing to read all these reviews and see that its not only me that felt that this album is much more than a CD, its more like a soundtrack to all the happy and sad moments in your life. To everybody, this album represents something different, and thats what makes an album great. What song do you start with when all of them are perfect? I think I should have to start with "perfect circle" (I wonder if Maynard got the name of his other band after he heard this song), its just so simple but deep. It can change your mood as soon as you hear the first note. "Talk about the passion" is another perfect song that for some reason, always makes me think of ex girlfreinds!!! "We Walk" is like a happy go lucky song, very uplifting. I could go on and on, but it would just be repeating what everyone else has said. The bottom line is, they dont make albums like these anymore. Todays music is way to commercial and cold to ever sound like these beautifull collection of moods. I wish I could have seen REM perform this whole abum live, I think I would have died listening to them play "Laughing" live or "Sitting still" This album should be mandatory to every human being, there would be no war in the world.Free Music Review: The Best REM Album you can find
Hit: 5 Stars
My apologies, as my review is specifically for the Import Version of Murmur, with 4 extra bonus tracks. As a package of outstanding catchy rock foot stomping songs, REM's debut album still stands out as their best. My favourite all-time REM track has to be "Moral Kiosk" - the beat is so infectious, my head just keeps nodding to it each time I listen to it. I place this song along with "Gardening At Night(Live)", and their cover of Pylon's "Crazy" (found on Singles Collected album) as REM's finest moments. "Radio Free Europe" sounds good and has that contagious REM beat but gets tiresome to listen to after repeated playback. The haunting guitar riffs near the end of "Perfect Circle" shows a direct influence from Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers album. REM's cover of The Velvet Underground's "There She Goes Again" is so beautifully done that I'm sure Lou Reed would be proud of them. "Gardening at Night (Live)" is choke packed with energy and lively percussion beat, yet with cathartic undulations flowing from it. "Laughing" has that groovy bass intro that gets me interested even more in the album. REM does show some influence from Gang Of Four, especially in "9-9". Everything is in place, the guitar, the percussion beat, bass...nothing can be more perfect than REM's magnum opus, "Murmur".