AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Murmur: R.E.M (Classic Rock Album Series) by John A. Platt ISBN: 0-8256-7197-3 Publisher: Schirmer Books Pub. Date: December, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: A detailed look at a classic record.
Comment: This book is exactly what you expect it to be and that's what makes it so refreshing. It is not another bio on the band, but a volume about every aspect of the making of Murmur, as well as obligatory info on its predecessor, the Chronic Town EP. For those with short attention spans, the book is filled with black and white photos from the early days that, for the most part, have not been published in any other book. It's nearly worth the price for these precious glimpses of the young band alone.

The book begins with a chapter about early attempts at songs, where Stipe's early lyrical stylings and methods (if you can call them that) are analyzed. We see how Stipe went from writing what the author calls "skeletal" lyrics which were banal and lacked heart to writing more emotive, sensitive lyrics. Of course, as has always been the fashion when it comes to discussing all things Stipean, the author theorizes that Stipe's dubious sexuality played into this transition in writing style, but acceptably meditates on this idea for no longer than a single paragraph.

Chapter two begins to get into the meat of Murmur. Each and every early song that made it onto a recording is discussed here, as well as several that merely appeared in live sets. Stipe's painfully cryptic lyrics are discussed far more heavily than any info about how the actual musical arrangements came about, but it's insightful enough that you sort of forget about what these song descriptions may be lacking.

Chapter three details all the early recording sessions for what would become Chronic Town and Murmur. Unless you're into knowing about studio trickery and all the embellishments and effects that were thrown into the mix for the finished product, you may find this chapter a tad boring. I enjoyed reading about most of that stuff, but some might be inclined to put the book down at that point.

Chapter four details the recording sessions for the actual Murmur album. Here we learn about the recording of new songs that had been written for Murmur as well as those that had been recycled from earlier sessions for their appearances on the fully-realized record. We learn of the disastrous "test session" with producer Stephen Hague, the sample of Bill Berry playing billiards being added to the mix on "We Walk", and even the story of Bill's chance involvement in a 1983 Dodge commercial.

The coda of the book consists of a brief smattering of reviews of the record, a selected early discography, and a bit of info on bootlegs where cast-offs from the early recording sessions can be found. All in all a highly informative book on a landmark album that no one who calls him or herself a music fan should overlook.

Rating: 4
Summary: Good and thorough
Comment: Platt's book is excellent. Thorough accounts of the recording sessions that lead to Murmur, a fine (if idiosnycratic) song by song attempt at interpretation and an excellent overview of the album and its reception. My minor quibble relates to Platt's Michael Stipe - centric view of the band, but the book is still a great read and a nice addition to the "R.E.M. canon." :)