10 Best Debut Rock Albums Of The 1980s
5. Murmur - R.E.M.
Despite being one of the leading outfits in the 90s/00s alternative rock movement, R.E.M. actually put their first album out in 1983. Yep, they really are that old.
Murmur hit shelves in April of that year and, once again, the critics salivated all over it. Rolling Stone called it their album of the year; the same year that saw the release of Thriller by Michael Jackson!
Guess you could say R.E.M. ... Beat It.
Sorry, that was poor. Won't happen again.
To give them their flowers, R.E.M. turned out a highly-unconventional record in the dying days of disco. The bouncy guitar sounds of stuff like Radio Free Europe were so far ahead of its time, it's no wonder barely anybody bought the record at the time.
That's the problem with being a visionary; you often only get praised retroactively. Whilst Murmur was a critical hit at the time, it was only many years later that the public realised just how good it was.
Never mind though, because Murmur has now rightfully taken its place amongst the great debut rock albums, even if it arguably came along about ten years too early.