Category Archives: R E-m

R.E.M.

Overview
R.E.M. put “indie rock” on the map; they put “college rock” on the map, and they put “alternative rock” on the map, and it is because of R.E.M. that terms like “left of dial” were even coined. R.E.M.’s first three albums “Murmur” from 1983, “Reckoning” from 1984, and “Fables of the Reconstruction” from 1985 are quintessential indie rock albums, but most of today’s indie rock fans don’t know this, and they have no idea how pivotal those first three R.E.M. albums were to the indie rock scene. It’s the same for alternative rock. After R.E.M’s first three indie rock albums, they released “Life’s Rich Pageant” in 1986 and “Document” in 1988 (while still on the “I.R.S.” independent label), and those two albums completely set the stage for the alternative rock that would dominate the 1990’s and still dominates much the modern rock music scene today. After “Document,” R.E.M. signed with Warner Brothers for $80M (the largest record deal in history at that time), so they were by definition no longer an indie rock band. Here’s the interesting thing, though. With that move to Warner Brothers, R.E.M. redefined what the term indie rock meant. Up until then, it literally meant that you were on an independent label. R.E.M.’s deal with Warner marked the turning point where the term indie rock became more of a genre of music and type of sound, rather than who was producing your records, and this still holds true today. Many of the bands that indie rock fans cite as their favorite bands are on major labels, and not on independent labels.

To me, R.E.M.’s indie rock roots are the most interesting—and overlooked—part of their career, and their first 5 albums are absolutely my favorites, but their career certainly did not end there. To date (2010), they have released 15 studio albums, and they are one of the most popular alternative rock bands of all time.  In 2007, R.E.M. was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame.

Styles and Genres
Indie Rock, Alternative Rock

Key Band Line-Up
Bill Berry – drums, backing vocals
Peter Buck – guitar
Mike Mills – bass guitar, backing vocals
Michael Stipe – lead vocals

Current Band Line-Up
Peter Buck – guitar, bass guitar, mandolin
Mike Mills – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
Michael Stipe – lead vocals

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R.E.M. Murmur- 1983
RMR Album Rating- 10

Sometimes taking an alternate route proves to be the best route.  At a time when keyboards, synthesizers, and crystal clear production dominated modern rock, R.E.M. stuck to the basics, creating an entirely new genre of music known today as alternative rock.

R.E.M.’s sound on “Murmur” was completely different than what anyone else was doing in 1983. Everything is understated. Peter Buck’s guitar sound is the backbone of the album, and although you won’t find any soaring guitar solos on “Murmur,” his finger work on both ends of the guitar is quite stunning if you pay attention. Rather than just strumming through chords, he picks at both ends of the guitar, which is a technique much more indicative of blue-grass than rock, but it works well and gives the record a very jangly sound. The other key components of the record are Stipe’s vocals, which he intentionally murmurs through (hence the name of the album), and its production, which is intentionally kept muddy. The production of “Murmur” was a bold move, and it is quite a contrast from the crystal clear production that most early 80’s albums received due to new recording technologies. Lastly, “Murmur” has a very organic feel to it, and every instrument sounds very real.

The band refused to use any type of synthesized or artificial sounds on the album, and they were clearly going against the grain on this.  Just look at the top three albums of 1983, which were Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which is clearly dominated by synth’s, The Police’s “Synchronicity,” which marked a change from their reggae-rock roots to a more synth oriented sound, and Men at Work’s debut “Business as Usual,” which helped launch the synth dominated new wave movement and genre. “Murmur” took the opposite approach, and although it didn’t immediately pay off, it didn’t go unnoticed either. Rolling Stone Magazine named “Murmur” the best album of 1983. Which was quite an accolade considering it was up against “Thriller,” the best selling album of all time.

“Radio Free Europe” opens the album. It is catchy, upbeat, and energetic. However, as good as the song is, it is not an accurate representation of the rest of the album, which is much more subdued and toned down. For me, the album really starts after “Radio Free Europe.” Nonetheless, it’s still a great song (Click here to listen to Radio Free Europe)

My favorite tracks are “Moral Kiosk,” “Perfect Circle,” “Sitting Still,” and “Shaking Through,” but all the songs are winners, and “Pilgrimage,” “Laughing,” “Talk About The Passion,” and “West of Fields” are really just as good.

“Moral Kiosk” is fairly upbeat compared to the other tracks, and it has an interesting concept about life being “more attractive inside the moral Kiosk.” “Perfect Circle” is one of the most lethargic tracks on the record, and the song is beautifully drenched in emotional murmured resonance. Then on “Sitting Still” there’s great Jangly guitar work from Buck and perfectly indecipherable vocals from Stipe.

Click here to listen to Moral Kiosk
Click here to listen to Sitting Still
Click here to listen to Perfect Circle

Lastly, the instrumentation and vocals are in complete harmony on “Shaking Through. The sound of Stipe’s singing is more important than the words he uses, but the actual lyrics (if you can decipher them) are my favorite on the album, especially the refrain of “Yellow like a geisha gown/ denial all the way/ shaking through/ opportune/ shaking through/ opportune.” Then the song climaxes with Stipe yelling “In my life,” which is arguably the most powerful line on the album, considering how murmured the rest of his vocals are. (Click here to listen to Shaking Through)

“Murmur” is a landmark album. It completely ignored the trends of the time, and in doing so– it completely drew the blue print for indie and alternative rock. It is also a completely timeless album and one that will always be in my regular listening rotation.

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