What I'm presenting tonight will either come as something of a revelation or a bit of rehash. I say rehash because most of this collection of outtakes and alternate versions has been previously situated in a numerous bootlegs of varying audio quality, depth and sequencing. I didn't assemble this collection, I'm merely dispatching it as I found it.
REM's Murmur was/is/always will be every bit the landmark it's touted as being. A gale force surge of
fresh air that sounds untouchable and out of place today as it did when
it made it's bow in 1983. The formula? A tapestry of oblique prose, minor-key
melodies and forward thinking, yet disarmingly warm charm.
Murmur's un-superfical notions must have presented itself as a stark anomaly for it's era. Then again, I wasn't on board for it when it officially surfaced, out of sheer ignorance and inaccessibility. I wasn't tuned into college radio back then, yet the record shaped and defined that humble left span of bandwidth, one which I would not only sacredly internalize, but eventually play an active roll in. Fast forward ten years later and the mainstream not only embraced REM, but the format in which
Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and
Bill Berry perhaps unwittingly staked their collective reputations in. Numerous Grammys, platinum records, and arena tours would ensue, but that first REM record (not to mention the preceding
Chronic Town ep and Hib Tone version of the "Radio Free Europe" single) would remain peerless...even by it's own architects.
The tracklist and source details are as follows. Some tracks were omitted due to eventual official release. The variances between the album and these alternate takes are sometimes minimal, and in instances significant. Please note, "Laughing" (track 25) cuts out early.
01. Catapult (Stephen Hague Vers. 1)
02. Pilgrimage (Mitch Easter Vers. 1)
1983-02-16 (rough mixes w/Mitch Easter)
03. Pilgrimage (vers. 2)
04. Catapult
05. Perfect Circle
06. 9-9
07. West Of The Fields
Live In Studio
08. Band Talking
09. That Beat
10. Pretty Persuasion - omitted due to being officially released
11. All The Right Friends
12. Tighten Up - omitted due to being officially released
13. There She Goes Again
14. Moon River - omitted due to being officially released
Murmur basic & rough mixes
15. Talk About The Passion
16. West Of The Fields
17. Moral Kiosk
18. Sitting Still
19. Ages Of You
20. Perfect Circle
21. We Walk
22. 9-9
23. Shaking Through
24. Romance
25. Laughing (cuts out)
MP3 or
FLAC
13 comments:
Another amazing batch and the only downside is waiting another year, making me miss Boogie Woogie Flu and its always impressive Hanukkah stuff, and of course Yo Lo Tengo.
Shehecheyanu
Eight nights of awesome music is the best way to end this sad, frustrating year. Thanks again for all your dedication and hard work. Can't wait to see what treasures you uncover in 2018!
Don
Awesome music! Thanks for sharing! Have a great day. UK band Miccoli released their new single Idle Stranger. Miccoli
Miccoli Music
Miccoli band
Thank you for this post and for all the great music over the year.
You are absolutely right that if you were not there at the time you cannot really understand the impact of R.E.M. and Murmur. This is not being snobby, but more a reflection that the effect of R.E.M. became so great that only a decade later a newcomer could not comprehend why the band and their music were so refreshing and even revolutionary. (Plus too many of the young folks say, "Oh, R.E.M. I love 'Everybody Hurts'."! That's a joke -- sort of.)
Anyway, thanks.
I took some of these and other alternate versions from various sources and created an alternative version of the album.
Find it here at my blog: https://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com/2014/09/r-e-m-murmuring-demos-alts.html
There are other R.E.M. shares there also, such as an alternate version of the Chronic Town EP...
If it's not too much to ask any chance you could reup "So Punk, Barely Visible To The Naked Eye"? Cheers!
Yo. One year ago I posted this comment:
http://wilfullyobscure.blogspot.pe/2007/12/summercamp-tonight-ep-1997.html
I got the CD! I will upload it in flac and 320 KBPS mp3 soon. I haven't forgotten just had a busy year. Thanks for letting me know that album exists! :D See you soon broskis!
Thank you again for all your great shares (during the holidays) and throughout the year! Much appreciated!
I appreciate the kind words everyone. And thanks for your shares Rob. Love the site.
I can see why the band hated the Hague version-but man...the vocal mix is awesome.
Chance of a re-up?
Thank you so much!
I'd love these to be reuploaded!
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