R.E.M. - Murmur Album

R.E.M.’s 1983 debut, the Murmur album, was compared to country rock work from the Byrds, but it clearly features a band that was like no other at the time. Each member of the band added something singularly interesting to make for the unique collective sound (i.e. Peter Buck’s ringing guitar and drummer Bill Berry’s perpetual thumping). R.E.M had the ability to move from the frantic "Radio Free Europe" and "Catapult" to the melodious "Perfect Circle" effortlessly. Murmur was the very first "alternative rock" album. It sounded like absolutely nothing that was popular at the time, and it seemed to come from out of nowhere. Fortunately for us, R.E.M’s sound stayed.