Twenty-five years since R.E.M.’s Murmur was released. A quarter of a century. How can that be?
Twenty-five years ago I was a high school student who regularly took buses to New Brunswick and NYC to buy records. I bought Murmur on one of those trips over the summer, having fallen for Chronic Town some months earlier. I fell for it pretty much immediately. Murmur was part of one of the all-time great musical hot streaks: R.E.M. simply could do no wrong between Chronic Town and Lifes Rich Pageant. To be an R.E.M. fan during that time was to experience Beatlemania on a micro-level – or, more to the point, a Bob Dylan level of scholarship. R.E.M. fans loved R.E.M.: would travel to see them, visit their early Athens landmarks like religious shrines, dissect each mumbled lyric fragment for meaning, check out other bands and songwriters that they recommended. You felt like you were part of an exclusive but sizable group.
Perhaps the greatest compliment to Murmur is that new generations keep discovering it. In honor of a new deluxe reissue, tonight next Monday night, my friend/editor Annie will host a tribute to Murmur on her KDHX radio show, “International Pop Overthrow.” She will play the album in its entirety, interview co-producer Don Dixon, and throw in some tracks by R.E.M.’s friends, tourmates and kindred spirits. No podcast, so tune in to 88.1 FM (if you’re here in STL) or be sure to listen online.
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