2. R.E.M. :: Murmur

The reason this album is important to me has changed over the years. First, it was because I use to ask me parents to put it on the turntable when I was a little over a year old. So it was an early favorite. Then, it was just because R.E.M. was my favorite band and this happened to be their first album. Now, I think it is more because it actually is a very good album. It represents the band early output well, and has a particularly youthful sound. Stipe’s vocals are mumbled and sound like gibberish at best. Mills keeps the bass insistent throughout while Berry sounds like he is pounding on very hollow drums. And Buck distinctive Byrd-ish guitar delivery is classic. Each song is memorable and distinct. Some choice cuts include "Catapult", which was my favorite song to request in my tender years. Appropriately, the lyrics are "We were little boys / We little girls.....Did we miss anything?" "We Walk" also ranks high for Stipe’s vocal sneer. I also like “Shaking Through” for its almost childish melody and thunder (?) sound effects. Listening to this album, it’s hard to rate songs individually for their strengths since it has been a part of my life so long. I am glad that I don't have to be embarrassed by my youthful musical choices and can still see the influence on my listening choices now. R.E.M. is probably the best representation of 80s college rock, which over their career morphed in Alternative. Although the latter may be a dead term, there is still a lot to listen to from the American Underground 80s, and R.E.M. were a good introduction to a style I am still interested in exploring.