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The true pioneer of alternative rock will be debated until the end of time, but there's little doubt about R.E.M.'s place in its history.
In 2007 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - in the band's first year of eligibility, no less. Twenty-four years earlier, the band released its debut album, Murmur, that landed at the top of nearly every possible "best of" list.
More than four decades after its release, the album still stands the test of time.
Murmur Lands on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Debut Albums
Rolling Stone created a list of the best debut albums of all time and only 10 managed to beat out R.E.M.'s iconic introduction.
"Murmur is full of ringing guitar and mystery. The lyrics and the melodies seem buried, almost subliminal, and even the songs with something approximating hooks, such as 'Radio Free Europe' and 'Sitting Still,' resist clarity," Rolling Stone wrote. "Murmur was a founding document of alternative rock, released just as Gen X was heading off to college."
Murmur Came After Big Move From R.E.M.
Lead singer Michael Stipe and the rest of the band grew tired of the practices under producer Stephen Hague and eventually requested to produce their debut album with Mitch Easter.
Having previously worked with Easter at his garage studio in Winston-Salem, NC, R.E.M. made yet another move as the band traveled 80 miles further south to Reflection Studios in Charlotte
“We wanted to do it in the South with people who were fresh at making rock’n’roll records,” Peter Buck told Rolling Stone. “In Charlotte, we could sit up all night and mess around, have ideas, and not worry too much.”
“We wanted to have this kind of timeless record,” he added of the debut album.
The album initially underperformed with 200,000 records sold, but launched what would become a Hall of Fame career.
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