Murmur

Tracks:

Radio Free Europe
Pilgrimage
Laughing
Talk About The Passion
Moral Kiosk
Perfect Circle
Catapult
Sitting Still
9-9
Shaking Through
We Walk
West Of The Fields

Amazon.com essential recording

Though critics swamped R.E.M.'s 1983 full-length debut with country-rock comparisons to the Byrds, Murmur sounds like no one else. The title is an apt description of Michael Stipe's singing style, although his smooth pop vocal mannerisms sweeten the enigmatic poetry. Like all great bands, R.E.M.'s individual parts (Peter Buck's ringing guitar, drummer Bill Berry's persistent thumping, and Mike Mills's unifying bass) are as interesting as the collective sound. The album-opening "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" endure as its radio singles, but the rest of the songs hang together well taken as a whole. --Steve Knopper

Customer Reviews:

Debut near-masterpiece.......2007-07-06

Debut album for R.E.M. was acclaimed and rightfully so. The sound of R.E.M. has never been easy to classify, especially since their entire catalog is about as eclectic as you could imagine, but they manage a spare, quiet rock sound that's as much pop as country. No one sounded like them in 1983 and it's still nearly impossible to figure out what Stipe is singing (or understanding just what the heck he was talking about). The music doesn't demand attention either and its quiet subtlety even during the heavier parts has never quite been duplicated.

The first half is nearly perfect and the second half doesn't flag too bad in its wake. Forgotten by some, a tad overestimated by others, it's still a great album, and probably the closest they'll ever come to a masterpiece (it's just a hair short, but close enough for me to grudgingly give it five stars). "Radio Free Europe" was their first (and still one of their best) hits, and helped identify the new sub-genre of college radio, "Catapult" has a phenomenal opening, and "Perfect Circle" still might be their all-time best song.

Best cuts: "Perfect Circle," "Pilgrimage," "Radio Free Europe," "Shaking Through," "Laughing," "Catapult," "Talk About Passion," "West of the Fields," "Moral Kiosk"

R.E.M. arrives .......2007-05-11

This was one of the best albums of the mid-'80s. Forget the hair metal, forget the synth-pop, that all sucked. Now R.E.M., that's something different. No superstars, no excess, no power trips. Just four guys playing THE most earnest rock I have ever heard this side of Blood on the Tracks. That's why you hear songs like Radio Free Europe and Talk About the Passion on the radio today, whereas Twisted Sister and Poison's hits might occasionally pop up on a VH1: Behind the Music or I Love the '80s special.
So, what do I like about this album?? For one, "no-standout" mix is great. And Michael Stipe is arguably the best vocalist (NOT singer - there's a difference, albeit a subtle one) ever. His voice is more of a fourth instrument, and what an instrument to have! And these songs have killer hooks. Just try to resist humming the likes of Radio Free Europe, Talk About the Passion and Pilgramage under your breath as you go about your routine. IT CAN'T BE DONE!
And how about those songs? I think Radio Free Europe is R.E.M.'s most famous - if it's not, it's up there. Godo reason, too. The song embodies everything I like about R.E.M. Amazingly, it's not my favorite - I think Talk About the Passion is better myself, but that's just me. Actually, the first seven songs are hard to beat: Besides the aforementioned two, there's also Pilgrimage, Laughing, Moral Kiosk, Perfect Circle, and Catapult. But the second half falters, which is why this only earns four songs: all it really has to offer is Shaking Through, and there are a few fillers (9-9, We Walk, West of Fields).
Oh, and the lyrics... gotta bring those up. Because they're VERY hard to understand. When you actually manage to pick them out (or find them online, as I had to do), they're pretty vague. That's okay, I like vague lyrics. Good for the brain.
So yeah, great album. Alternative rock back when it was meaningful music.

The perfect debut.......2007-04-02

Although there aren't many REM albums that fail to enlighten, come to think of it I don't think theres a REM album that I would call bad but this now classic 1983 debut is defitnatly REM's finest album to date it's the icing on the cake of there extraordinary 27 year career.

Murmur really is a unique album like with all great albums never seems dated. This album shows that right from the beginning Michael Stipe has always had a beautiful singing voice,which really shows on here, really this record has so much going for it, if they had called it a day after making this they would have ensured themselves a place in music history YES Murmur is that good.

With Murmur Michael uses his voice more as an instrument a way to generate sound with the instruments rather then a way of communicating to the audience if you listen to this album then any of the latter releases you notice a difference to the lyrics and vocal delivery.

This record has so many good songs its hard to pick a standout tracks or the one significant song because there all amazing.

If you had to choose one REM album to listen to whether out of curiosity or just to hear what all the fuss is about buy Murmur it's the best of the best.

Maybe It's Just Me.......2006-11-02

I don't think I've ever seen a bad review of this album. I just don't get it. Admittedly, I ignored it when it came out, mistakenly thinking R.E.M. was just another 80's Techno band that would fade away. I finally purchased it in the late 90's, after R.E.M. conquered the world. "Talk About The Passion" and "Perfect Circle" are top notch, but, for the most part, most of these songs wouldn't have made the cut on any other R.E.M. album.

Resusitated the Heartbeat of Music.......2006-09-06

If you don't count R.E.M.'s first long E.P (extended play) beginning 'Chronic Town,' then their debut starts here. 'Murmur' their first album is brilliant, deserving all the accolades that are heaped upon it. With brilliant echo effects, a repertoire of ecclectic guitar, including folk, rock, punk, and new-wave patterns, 'Murmur' would be the crowning achievement of any other band. Having romantic, religious, and surreal images, R.E.M. propulsively and hypnotically lives up to the band name with a solid set of songs that work well together. Before alternative was a household world, R.E.M. came up with an avant guard folk-rock, new wave masterpiece before anyone could give the genre a name.

Their pell-mell approach is progressive, but hardly conventional. The opener "Radio Free Europe" and the latter "Sitting Still" stand up to the best punk. But, "Moral Kiosk," "9-9," and "Shaking Through" contain complex, yet mesmerizing fast-forward appeal. They can also bring "dreams of elegian" with the depths of hypnotic songs like "Pilgrimage" and "West of the Fields". (One shouldn't forget that they are an art band among other things. Their rendering of "Pilgrimage" is done with echo effects that resemble Gregorian Chant, and the music to "9-9" musically refers to NFL music used during highlights in the eighties.) If the variety weren't enough, then folk-rock is mastered on the celestial "Talk About the Passion" and "We Walk". Variety is underscored with some intricate musicianship on the exquisite "Perfect Circle". Song for song, 'Murmur' is a throbbing, heartfelt album of excellence. Later, albums would reinvent the band like no other since The Beatles, but on 'Murmur' they already showed they were perfectionists with every aspect of their music.

Average customer rating:

Debut near-masterpiece
R.E.M. arrives
The perfect debut
Maybe It's Just Me
Resusitated the Heartbeat of Music

Murmur
R.E.M.
Manufacturer: Mobile Fidelity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Jangle Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000000IUC
Release Date: 1995-09-12

Tracks:

Radio Free Europe
Pilgrimage
Laughing
Talk About The Passion
Moral Kiosk
Perfect Circle
Catapult
Sitting Still
9-9
Shaking Through
We Walk
West Of The Fields

Amazon.com essential recording

Customer Reviews:

Debut near-masterpiece.......2007-07-06

R.E.M. arrives .......2007-05-11

The perfect debut.......2007-04-02

Maybe It's Just Me.......2006-11-02

Resusitated the Heartbeat of Music.......2006-09-06

Average customer rating:

A big step forward
SFK's journey into the "Pop-Rock" genre
Outstanding Commercially-Friendly Alternative Music
good, but...
my favorite albulm to date..

Echolalia
Something For Kate
Manufacturer: Murmur
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
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Odyssey Number Five
The Official Fiction
Desert Lights

ASIN: B00005LNZC
Release Date: 2001-07-02

Tracks:

Stunt Show
Three Dimensions
Jerry, Stand Up
Monsters
Old Pictures
You Only Hide...
Feeding The Birds And Hoping For Something In Return
Twenty Years
Say Something
Manmade Horse
Happy Endings
Seasick
White

Customer Reviews:

A big step forward.......2006-11-12

This is the bands first step towards the mainstream with a much more polished sound than their earlier albums Elsewhere for 8 minutes and Beautiful Sharks whiclst I think still maintaining their edge. I loved Dempsey's voice in the first two albums and it's only got better with one of his best vocal efforts to date on first single Monsters. Other album highlights include Three Dimensions and You Only Hide......

SFK's journey into the "Pop-Rock" genre.......2004-03-21

Dont get me wrong, this isn't your typical pop-rock crap seen on MTV, This is SFK!!! Hell... they sounded great doing their cover of "genie in a bottle" by aguilera, they are really that damn good.

This albumn however sounds alot more mainstream than their previous efforts. It's debatable if this is a good thing or not (im on the negative side). But their are alot of great songs here, and lyrically they have kept their extrodinarally high standard.

Highlights:

Monsters - A kindof Cliche kindof song, with a very typical song structure, but the trick here is his voice, Paul gives one of his best voices to this song, and no doubt you'll be craving to hear this song more and more.

Feeding the birds - I love this song, it starts off slow, and by the end you'll be wondering when Paul will stop and take a breath. It's really original song-writing which is a real breath of fresh air.

Seasick - Probably my Fav on the Album, great lyrics, great voice, great guitar... overall a great song.

Outstanding Commercially-Friendly Alternative Music.......2003-11-25

Ask any Australian who their favourite modern alternative bands are, and chances are they'll say Powderfinger, The Whitlams and Something for Kate. It is the latter, described as "the thinking person's rock band", that is a strong three-piece outfit that has come a long way from being just a Melbourne pub band.

Chief writer Paul Dempsey has explained of keeping notebooks full of lyrics - sentences, phrases and whatever else. So when the band (commonly referred to as SFK) has the music, the next move is to go searching through the notebooks for accompanying lyrics. The result is a band that not only has great music, but also possibly the best lyrics going around today.

"Echolalia" is the band's third official album, though there have been others not counted, such as "Q & A with Dean Martin". Like other bands, such as The Whitlams and Coldplay, their singles may not sell so much (in Australia, anyway), but their albums are instant best sellers. There were about three tracks released from "Echolalia". "Three Dimensions" (which contains the album's title word) is catchy, and at some stages one note is repeated on the keyboard, reminiscent of train gates, or indeed plain traffic. "Say Something" takes this theme, which perfectly fits in with the line "the faces have become like traffic". The result is extremely catchy frenzied activity in less than three minutes. And "Monsters" is about the things that trap us, and is good quality soft alternative music.

"Stunt Show" is a perfect opening track, one of the best on the album. It starts off with an acoustic guitar, and builds from there. The lyrics, like most songs on this album, are just brilliant.

"Jerry, Stand Up" is dramatic, and gets better the more you think about it, and the more you listen to it. Originally, I'd brushed over this song a bit, but two years later I've realised how excellent it really is. Some parts of it seem to have things in common with a Coldplay song, "A Rush of Blood to the Head" - it's not blindingly obvious, but it is a slight comparison. However, the "Echolalia" album was released a year before the "A Rush of Blood to the Head" album.

"Old Pictures" isn't exceptionally extraordinary, but it has an enjoyable bridge. "You Only Hide..." is a gentle, slow track, and it would make for a very nice live track. (Sure enough, it is played live as a B-side on the "Déjà Vu" single, from the August 2003 released fourth album, "The Official Fiction".) And "Twenty Years" is a companionable, solid track.

"Feeding the Birds and Hoping for Something in Return" is the track that stands out the most. It's about panic, and the music and lyrics clearly reflect this - in fact, it is these lyrics that are the best on the album, and the overall package is remarkable. Another standout is "Happy Endings", which is hard to describe, but it's definitely special, again with good quality lyrics.

"Manmade Horse" has music reminiscent of Westerns, on a journey into unknown territory. "Seasick" has the title's feeling clearly demonstrated in the music. And "White", the closing track, is seemingly simple, but thoroughly enjoyable.

As with a lot of Australian music, foreign audiences may not be very aware of this band, but they have performed in places such as Germany. And sometime this year, they toured (or will tour) Europe as a support band for another Aussie band, silverchair. Personally, I prefer Something for Kate, and many will agree. If intelligent alternative music takes your fancy, then take an interest in SFK.

good, but..........2003-04-18

Something for Kate is a slightly interesting Australian act. Musicaly they fall comfortably into the very crowded Aussie indie-rock fold. Lyrically they are light years apart from other acts due to Singer / songwriter Paul Dempsey. He has a coarse grungy voice, but his delivery is more restrained and mature. His lyrics are quite good - "mature grunge" might be an appropriate tag.

Echolalia is their most refined album to date and has some good tracks like: stunt show, monsters, 20 years. Other moments on the disc drag a bit too much and good lyrics don't exactly make a great album. Dempsey at times seems detached and his delivery is slightly monotonous. The band sounds quite clinical at times and one gets the impression that they are bored as they simply chug away safely to Dempsey's voice. I feel that Dempsey might be limited by his bandmates as the music is quite generic and doesn't match his lyrical charge. An exception to this is the final track where Dempsey uses a different approach and the band also breaks out with airy keyboards and create a good atmosphere.

This band needs to spice things up a little more in order to realy stand out.

my favorite albulm to date.........2003-01-15

I actually heard about SFK from an australian friend-and am now thouroughly convinced that it is some of the best music out there. I'm very into artists like John Mayer and Pete Yorn, but Paul Dempsey's voice is far and away my favorite. Echolalia is essentially a rock albulm composed of slightly melancholy songs; which, when coupled with Dempsey's voice make for a soothing, yet always entertaining CD.

Average customer rating:

interesting chamber works
Memories of childhood and trees

Spirit Murmur

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000006ZJ
Release Date: 1994-08-02

Tracks:

Bagatelle No 1, Op 30 No 1
Bagatelle No 2, Op 30 No 2
Bagatelle No 3, Op 30 No 3
Bagatelle No 4, Op 30 No 4
String Quartet No 1, Op 8: I. Prelude
II. Fugue With Four Subjects
III. Andante lamentando
IV. Fugue
Suite from String Quartet No 2: I. Gamelan In Sosi Style
Suite from String Quartet No 2: II. Spirit Murmur
Suite from String Quartet No 2: III. Hymn
String Quartet No 3 Op 208 No 1: I. Andante- Adagio
II. Andante-Poco Allegretto
Quartet No 4 Op 208 No 2: I. Adagio ma non troppo
Quartet No 4 Op 208 No 2: II. Fugue
Quartet No 4 Op 208 No 2: III. Adagio; Andante con moto; Allegro
Song of the Ch'in

Customer Reviews:

interesting chamber works.......2005-10-08

The music on this disc is good consistently. I found the textures in the more varied Bagatelles more stimulating than the more repititious quartets but it is all good and doesn't sound like just another quartet. The elements of Eastern music add quite a bit of interest. The recording quality is excellent. In writing this it was difficult to add much to the extensive comments of Mr. Bullock but I hope that another voice asserting the quality of this music will encourage the reader to go off the beaten path and give this stuff a try.

Memories of childhood and trees.......2002-05-24

The American composer, Alan Hovhaness, died in 2000, aged 89. Like many Americans, Hovhaness felt an emotional attachment to two countries - the USA, where he was born (in Massachusetts) and Armenia, the land of his father. This led to a love of Armenian music and then to explorations much further east, including India and China, with all these elements helping to form his mature style. His concern was with beauty and his best works have a `visionary' feel which evoke a feeling in the listener of something beyond. Despite writing over 60 symphonies, he is not really a symphonic composer: he rarely resorts to development or tonality in an architectural sense. His love of fugues highlights his admiration of Bach. The music is totally accessible and anyone wary of modern music need have no fears.

This delightful disc contains three complete string quartets (1,3 and 4), the Suite from String Quartet No 2 and a set of Bagatelles. Finally, there is `Song of the Ch'in' by the Chinese composer, Zhou Long. Hovhaness's huge output can be seen from quartets 3 and 4 being grouped together under Op.208 (Nos 1 & 2).

The Bagatelles are all very short, charming pieces in different styles. The 1st quartet begins with a short prelude consisting of a quirky melody and is followed by a strict fugue with four subjects. It may suggest an dry academic exercise but is finely written. Next is a beautiful elegiac slow movement. The quartet ends with yet another fugue which initially bears a striking resemblance to the one in the famous Mysterious Mountain symphony (No.2).

The Suite from his quartet no.3 consists of three movements from the longer work which had at least seven. Why he thought it necessary to extract a suite lasting less than five minutes long is not explained. The first is Gamelan in Sosi style, the second Spirit Murmur and the last Hymn. Charming miniatures.

The 3rd quartet is titled `Reflections on my Childhood' (Childhood Fantasia in New England). The first movement is a beautiful meditation with a modal and liturgical feel to it, followed by music of more eastern flavour, perhaps reflecting the young boy's New England upbringing, followed by the growing awareness of his Armenian heritage. The liturgical gentleness returns at the beginning of the second movement. `Armenian' episodes reappear but this time are integrated into the gentle flow except for the last, extended one, which has the last say. A beautiful piece full of gentle nostalgia.

`The Ancient Tree' (Under the Ancient Maple Tree) is the title of his 4th quartet. It is a touching requiem to a beautiful tree on Hovhaness's uncle's farm in New Hampshire which was destroyed by lightning. As a boy, he remembers the glorious views he commanded from this point. It begins with a beautiful adagio, again modal in feel, which reflects the bitter-sweet memories of things past and gone forever. The inevitable fugue follows but the main theme has the character of a rustic dance. The final movement begins adagio with some music of heart-breaking beauty. A brighter mood gradually appears and the piece ends with a fast, celebratory passage.

Zhou Long's `Song of the Ch'in' for string quartet dates from 1982. The Ch'in is a Chinese zither and this piece reflects the various ways of playing it - plucking, ornaments etc.. It is a quite complex but approachable work with elements of Chinese and Western music.