R.E.M. Album Deep Dives #1: Murmur

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

My god this album Is a masterpiece

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

It’s so fantastic

[@curly_wyn]

R.E.M. is my favorite band of all time! 🖤❤️‍🩹 Awesome series; this album is ranked #3 for me of their discography!

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

It’s a fantastic listen!

[@myopia2020]

R.E.M. is one of my favorite bands, so am really looking forward to this deep dive! I saw them live several times. The most memorable personal moment was when Michael Stipe came over to our group waiting in line in front of a chain-link fence. Michael, throat wrapped in a black scarf, ambles over to our group, sheepishly smiles and says "Hi, guys" then quickly walks away to do the sound check. He seemed so painfully shy. Two hours later he bursts on stage in a silver suit. The transformation was startling. Onstage he's Mr. Charisma and one of the most charismatic front-men I've ever seen...I love "Perfect Circle" but it holds painful memories. One morning, I had a premonition that someone had passed away. An hour later I learned this was true. "Perfect Circle" is the song I was listening to that day and still associate it with that. Great video as always!😊

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Wow, what a concert experience! Michael Stipe is my favorite frontman because in spite of the showmanship there was no arrogance behind it. Perfect Circle has such a sad quality to it so I can imagine it evoking a painful memory. Thanks for watching!

[@amyf_spot7511]

I got into REM in 1987 when a guy I liked in high school asked me if I liked REM and I lied and said why yes, yes I do like REM and turns I did like them! Other than being from Athens and living in a church, I don’t know a whole lot about how they got started. Guess that’s about to change! And there’s a Police connection to boot??? Nice. Looking forward to this series! Murmur is such a great album- glad you’re doing this… thanks!!

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks Amy! This is going to be a fun series for sure. I honestly had forgotten about the Police connection until I started researching this video.

[@CBCDs]

Sitting Still is the highlight for me too. Also Shaking Through and We Walk

[@flowhypno4524]

Love it, thanks for sharing the enthusiasm! I remember going into my friend Alvah’s basement in Jacksonville FL 1982 or 3- And he pulls up the Blue tinted square with a medieval gargoyle - “Jim you gotta hear this!” Chronic Town. For me, Gardening at Night remains the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, and it stays that way whenever I listen to it. They opened up a tap into the creative healing spirit of the Deep South, which remains a real antidote to the whiskey knife fighting music my hometown is known for. It’s wonderful to look back on their career with other fans. Many thanks

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thank you! Chronic Town is such a mini masterpiece. Happy to say I own it on vinyl, cassette and CD. Always enjoy hearing from other R.E.M. fans. My favorite band of the 80’s hands down.

[@MP-TheNewGuy]

R.E.M. is one of my all-time favorites. Hard to choose a favorite album. After watching the deep dive of Murmur, I would say Murmur is my favorite, but I know it changes on my mood. It is usually one of the first 5 albums though. I lived in Athens for 5 years, but it was after they gotten big and stopped playing Athens. Of course they played a surprise show a year or two after I left.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

I was going to say Murmur was my favorite also…until I gave Reckoning another spin. Both are such great albums.

[@aaronmuthaalamare4165]

Killer video Jeff! I learned a lot on this video! I’m really happy you’re continuing your deep dives!! 👍🤘🤘

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thank you brother! Me too!

[@georgezajkowski2723]

One day Mike Halloran hosted WABX Dangerous Exposure and he played GARDENING AT NIGHT. I never heard anything like that. Best thing was Stipe's mumbling. I thought he sang GOT A MINUTE NOW my brother thought DIAMOND IN YOUR LIFE. I became a life long fan. I love the IRS years. Can't wait for more episodes Jeff!

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks George! There is an interview clip where Michael Stipe talks about how fans misinterpret his lyrics and he says that he thinks some of the lyrics fans mishear are actually better than the ones he wrote.

[@georgezajkowski2723]

@@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486 Hahaaa that wacky Stipe!

[@mistery-ed7900]

Excellent album! Loved it from first hearing it (yikes!) 40 years ago. I haven't played it in too many years and after hearing those clips I know what I'm going to listen to when my wife wakes up from her nap

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

It’s still my favorite R.E.M album after all these years! Happy listening!

[@mistery-ed7900]

@@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486 Playing it right now!

[@davidellis5141]

​@mistery-ed 40 years ago .. I was just starting college & trying to get a part-time gig at Rhino Records Westwood which at that time had Steve Wynn , Chris D , Mychal Gilmore & Nels Cline as employees & Phast Phreddie ! I got hired ..eventually.

[@mistery-ed7900]

@@davidellis5141 Before they moved that store I drove down to So Cal with a trunkload of cassettes, LPs and CDs and Rhino took everything I brought. I got like a thousand for it. I'm sure they made a profit. That was 20 years ago.

[@davidellis5141]

@mistery-ed They did a parking lot sale first weekend of every month & made a killing on stuff they paid 10 cents to a quarter for.

[@masseysmaineentertainment]

Jeff - awesome to see this. REM is my favorite band of all time and Murmur is one of my top 5 debut albums of all time.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thank you! I don’t know why it took me so long to do this video series. R.E.M. are the best band of the 80’s in my opinion.

[@subwaygoddess1]

I was turned on to Chronic Town when it came out. I fell in love with R.E.M., Stumble is my favorite song, and life was never the same after I heard it! Murmur is my favorite of their albums, Pilgrimage my favorite on the album.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

I love those early R.E.M. albums.

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

The cassette looks awesome

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

This will be an epic series

[@johnmiller3689]

So excited for this, you do an incredible job on these deep dives. In the words of the Minutemen this band was my life after I saw them in 85 on the Preconstruction tour they did before the Fables tour. This is an amazing debut but I think Reckoning is even better. Perfect Circle is perfect. Can't wait for these, thanks Jeff

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks John! I got into R.E.M right after Life’s Rich Pageant was released and have been a huge fan ever since. I’m ashamed to say I never saw them live. Hope you enjoy the series! 👍👍

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

Talk about the passion is so great

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

I love that one

[@thomaswery3087]

Exellent Jeff love these deep dives then I pull out albums that I haven't listened to for a while

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks Thomas! I hadn’t played this album in a while either but it just reminded me how good it is!.

[@ChrisPropfeMusicallyObsessed]

Awesome video!!!! I’m not too familiar with this album but I will do a “deep dive” listening very soon. Your collection is incredible and you are a master at putting these type of videos together!

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thank you brother! I’m really looking forward to this series!

[@Nathan-cu6eg]

Oh dang, so I just recently got into the early REM albums which is weird being a 90s kid. Your right. These albums sound so good

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks Nathan! I’m glad you discovered these great albums. They were so unique back in the day.

[@davidellis5141]

Murmur was by far my favorite album of 1983. Pilgrimage & A Perfect Circle my favorite tracks. What a debut ! 40 Years ago .. I had the word teen in my age 😆 🤣

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

An incredible debut and one of my all time favorites!

[@vikingbrace]

Excellent job Jeff! I used to have cassettes (recorded from friends) of the real early REM so I don’t even remember this album anymore. I’m going to have to go back and get some of the ones before Document. Great deep dive!

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks Gary! The pre-Document albums are the best for my money. Some people would disagree but they can eat a pile of shit.

[@tricolore31]

Great video

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thank you!

[@danielsinnott2343]

My favorite of the IRS records. Fantastic record. I was late to the party as I was born in 1981 so got into these earlier albums a little later. My favorites off this album are Radio Free Europe, Laughing, Perfect Circle, and Sitting Still although there's not a bad track on the album.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Yes, one of the more impressive debuts of the 80’s.

[@CBCDs]

I’ve been waiting for you to do R.E.M.! I was thinking about doing one on them myself but the editing/getting clips sort of intimidates me. I might try one for Blur. My favorite part is the videos you make for the songs.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thank you! I’m glad you appreciate them. ☺️

[@ThePhantomBeatlemaniac-t2r]

Mysterious, moody, cryptic, intriguing, murky, fresh, and inspired. These are just some of the words that appropriately describe this album. It's a remarkable achievement for a band to have put out as its debut. I agree completely that it's a masterpiece. When this came out, it didn't sound in its totality like anything else, obvious influences regardless. I never get tired of Michael Stipe's voice, whatever he's singing. I'm pretty sure I think he's the second best vocalist in the history of rock, right behind John Lennon. At the very least, he's tied for second place in my book with Paul McCartney.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

THIS has always been my favorite version of R.E.M, these early pre-fame IRS records.

[@kiernanthomas6006]

All of the members wrote lyrics. Not just Stipe. Especially Bill and Mike (Dont go back to Rockville, Perfect circle ect....) Especially as their career progressed.

[@favoritethings3065]

Hey Jeff!….while waiting for your next Led Zeppelin deep dive, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to start you REM series. I grew up hearing their hits, but was never into REM. (I was into the other Atlanta band of that period- the B-52’s). But WOW!….What a great sounding debut!….I’m about to download it. Thanks for turning me on to REM properly. Are you a B-52’s fan? Maybe a future deep dive series?

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

I love the B52’s! Hell yeah I will do a deep dive on them in the future! Glad you are digging R.E.M!

[@1REMfan]

Murmur is not the first REM album I heard, it’s probably the fifth so I have a different take on it. I like it, but I don’t think it is their best like a lot of people do. But as I said, I do like it. By the way, can you do one of these for Chronic Town?

[@johnnycashlives316]

Nice

[@johnnycashlives316]

Thoughts on Pylon and Love Tractor jeff?

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

I’ve never heard them!

[@jonfleenor461]

RFE album version good but inferior to the original single

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

That original single has so much more energy.