When 'Thiller' was topping the charts, the Rolling Stone mag critics named 'Murmur' the album of the year. I went out and bought the cassette, the same day. Been a big fan ever since. 'Driver 8' is fantastic and this version is double fantastic.
My favorite REM song. My time in rural Wisconsin as a kid was full of trains and rail culture. Detroit cars coming in, steel for the up North ship yards, lumber, cattle to Oscar Meyer livestock yards, feed cars, commuters on an old electric line, strawberries loaded in crates right from the field to rail car on a country crossing near the farm. It was beautiful for some reason. Sights, sounds, soaked in Americana long gone. Weird how a song about mode of travel can remind one so much of home.
Maybe the problem is that all the best songs have been written now. Anything new that's almost great gets written off as derivative and not breaking new ground. Rock n roll was amazing for our generation.
I agree jamie, im 60, heard it 1st in 1987. Reminds me of the beatles rubber soul type songs. I had to learn it on guitar righr away. Still play it today. Ty 4 your comments.
Underated tho, my dad is in his mid 50s I'm 28 now and as a child growing up, we would jam these early rem songs riding in the car. Along with other bands like Rush, the police, nirvana, pearl jam, stone temple pilots, and a little heavy stuff like Alice in chains... That's just to name a few. I was pretty much raised on all these bands, mom and dad didn't stay together and divorced. But I have to say one thing among other things that kept me and dad close was music, and I have to say he had good taste and I'm glad he raised me on good music such as this. Rem is still one of my favorite bands to this day, and dad always said Stipe was a genius lol. Good music and good times and I will pass these timeless tunes on down to my kids :)
I have always been a punk rock fan and love loud sloppy rock n roll. I've always discredited clean sounding rock n roll. I heard "try not to breathe" by REM and all that changed. I found myself listening to every REM album and performances. They blow me away everytime. They sound so clean but so pure and raw. It's like hearing clean southern punk rock. One of my favorite bands of all time. TIMELESS
If you are my age - 50 - and you heard REM on college radio in 83/84 - do your kids/nieces/nephews a big musical favour. Remind them where REAL music comes from. Don't be daunted by all the over-processed, focused-grouped spam they're told is "music". It's like hot dogs and high-fructose corn syrup and such. Can't change it all at once. Just be a good dad/mom/uncle/auntie and REMIND them. Show them. Real is as real does.
+Jacquie Maurice I'm not 50, I'm 34, but I have a deep deep love of R.E.M. I used to sing Be Mine to my daughter before she was born and as a lullaby, and sometimes Electrolite. I've played R.E.M. in the car plenty and she can recognize it. She enjoys Automatic for the People and one of her favorite songs is Hyena. I'm really proud of her musical awareness.
Well I'm 15, and I've liked R. E. M. Since I was like 11. Of course I heard "it's the end of the world as we know it(and I feel fine)" first, haha.. But Now I like all sorts of things. From zeppelin to Pantera. R. E. M. Was my first favorite band, and will always be my favorite. Driver 8 is one of the best.
One of the few bands that really stand out to me in the 80's. No one sounded like them. Love the rawness of the vid...its like they invited you over for a beer to check out their new song.
William Billeaud Yes, but he spent a great deal of his childhood moving around the South (Alabama, Texas, and finally Georgia). I think it's safe to say he probably picked up a drawl somewhere along the line.
I went to high school with him. People there say "yous" as opposed to "yall". Michael Stipes had no southern accent, but perhaps he had no problem mimicking a southern accent for his own purposes after high school.
+William Billeaud He was born in Decatur, Georgia, and lived several places - most in the South - before his family moved to Illinois when he was a teen. His father's family was from Georgia and his mother's family was from Mississippi. Maybe he had no problem repressing a southern accent for his own purposes in high school.
A friend of mine's uncle manned an 8-wheeled locomotive our of Whitefish Montana and I'll always associate this song with the stories this older man told me about running the passes through northern Montana. A true 8 wheel locomotive is huge. Saw this on USA Nightflight when I was about 14.
I still have this entire segment from MTVs 120 ,minutes on VHS. My favorite version of this song hands down and sure wish I could play it on my old Yamaha acoustic. And those curls!!!
+Lisa Knell The curls and the lips. He walked past me once in SF with his much younger boyfriend as I was sitting on my stoop. I didn't say anything knowing how shy he is
it's not hard to play at all. I figured it out so an y b one can. you tube also has lessons for most songs or you can get the chords on ultimate guitar
God I miss Rem. Reminds me of doing up my first house in 1998 listening to their greatest hits CD. Don't go back to Rockville and driver 8 were my favourites
I hope that youtube et al have the common sense to keep videos like this available so the music can be appreciated in its true state. I was born after this video was recorded, and I love REM, but its videos like these that allow me to appreciate the truth behind the sound at a greater level...thanks maccafixx for seeing it our way!
These guys look no older than 12 years old and they are playing and singing their song that sounds like it’s been with us forever. The song, the Kingston Trio, would cover! Amazing video
They made this look so easy that I spent all my time forming bands until about '96 when that fell apart. Tried to forget about it for many years, but the urge to do just what they're doing here won't go away, and now I'm at it again. They did it for three decades and have been retired for nearly a decade more, and here I am still chasing after it. Now and then, something gels, and there we are, three or four of us in a room just banging out a song we made up like it's the most natural thing in the world. That's how life is supposed to be. Or at least that's what I saw in this exact video. And I think it really was that way for them, but for most of us, so many things get in the way.
Yes stay with it, it obviously makes you happy. I had 27 yrs playing. Quit for a while (20 yrs) to make $ ect. Started back at it 3 yrs ago. It was the 1st song I relearned. I'm 60 now going on 16 LOL. Been retired 17 yrs mostly adrift. Once I started playing Ang, i built a small studio in the back yard with 20 guitars & basses. It's all I ever wanted to do. I'm too old & ugly to be out giging in my eyes, so I just play for my own enjoyment. I play better than ever now, more mature I guess. Besides, what most people listen to now isn't music, it's refried, freeze dried, reconstituted, cookie cutter crap or plain morose. Depressing. I like the old bands alot better. Some of todays are good, not many really. I can play about 10,000 songs I learned as a teen by ear off records. Best wishes. Stay at it because you love it. PEACE
I watched this when it first aired and recorded it on a VHS tape. My favorite REM song, I love the acoustic guitars and Michael’s curly locks and twang! ❤
Man, I miss shows like "The Cutting Edge" and "120 Minutes"! I must've missed this episode, but at lease I saw it in 2021 after the Snowmegeddon of Texas!
i'm fairly certain this is a most objective opinion from a boy who grew up in the 80s reppin front end genX. top five, in no particular order: U2, the Smiths, the Cure, REM, Echo and the Bunnymen.
REM is a band u will never see again.. the combo created a sound and vibe and feeling and and and... never gonna have it again What I love is when i listened to REM early on didnt have a video so i just listened.. Murmur to Eponymous
Wow, this is incredible. I wonder how much more material like this is out there. I have been listening to REM ever since the release of Chronic Town. This is the first time I have ever heard this.
Bittersweet memories. I don't know if I should be happy I was around when this type of music got it's wings, or sad that that time has passed and kids these days never really get to experience this greatness. Young people are happy with fields of mediocrity, instead of ecstatic for the really important musical experiences out there. Great song, love R.E.M.!
Omg this is so F’ing amazing!!! REM is my all time favorite band...thank you for your amazing music. I’ve never seen this before/bravo👏 you made my life worth living when I was really struggling in the 90’s
Every year or so I look up this song and play it on loop for about 3 hours. Yes I'm an unrepentant nerd with o/c tendencies. I also have the gift of musical discernment. So do you or you wouldn't be here 🐆
That was excellent. I'm the same age as Stipe so..... it's surreal to see how young we looked back then! Thanks REM for filling my years with your music! You are loved
In 1984, They played at my University. I was only 14 years old and had no idea who they were...Document changed everything and by then they were too big to come to our city...Oh the agony!!!! So awesome to see them in such a youthful stage in their career!!!! :)
Damn... We were all such good waisted babies back then. and had such a strong faith in the capacity of our artifice to change the world. And in some ways it did, ways we never thought it would. Now I just feel like I been traveling this line for too long now, time to switch tracks and tactics.
There are two types of people that are rare; guys that are cool without even trying to be so and women that are sexy without even trying to be so. All four members of REM were definitely cool and didn't have to work at it! I LOVED this band!
