10 Rock Albums That Were Ahead Of Their Time

10. Murmur - R.E.M.

As the '70s started to turn a corner, the new age of music in the '80s was about to be highly focused on image. Though there were the likes of glam rock in the last decade, the arrival of MTV almost made your visuals as important as the music, with bands looking to strut their stuff whenever they showed up to make music videos. So in that kind of atmosphere, it is jarring when you saw this little art rock outfit out of Athens, Georgia climbing the album charts alongside the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince.

Around the same time that the blockbuster '80s were starting, R.E.M's debut Murmur became an unlikely hit on the college rock scene, with songs that were borderline incomprehensible half the time because of Michael Stipe's unique approach to vocals. It didn't even matter what he was singing though, with fans taking these ramblings and interpreting what it means to them, having a bit of a friend to help you through your adolescence on songs like Perfect Circle and Radio Free Europe.

Though there were these kind of acts that were a bit less mainstream at the time, the success of Murmur became the cornerstone of what would become alternative rock once the '90s exploded, with everyone from Eddie Vedder to Kurt Cobain talking about how much they loved the band. Rock and roll was definitely getting glamorized around this time, but you don't need that many layers of makeup when the songs speak for themselves.