1983年的这张Murmur是R.E.M.的第一张完整专辑，也被认为是alternative rock（另类摇滚）这一流派的成立宣言。随着Radio Free Europe等歌曲在大学校园电台的热播，R.E.M.成功地随这张专辑以地下乐团的身份进入了主流视野，他们精彩的吉他演奏以及主唱Michael Stipe那咬字含糊却富有神秘感的唱腔令人难以忘怀。这张专辑在当年并没有热卖，直到进入90年代才渐渐成为金唱片，并渐渐赢得了一系列荣誉，除了入选滚石500强之外，还被VH1频道评为最伟大的100张专辑之一，列第92位。
这张专辑在滚石杂志选出的500张历代最强专辑中排名第197位。
Leaving behind the garagey jangle pop of their first recordings, R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of their trademark sound for their full-length debut album, Murmur. Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the album -- one that sounds eerily timeless. Even though it is firmly in the tradition of American folk-rock, post-punk, and garage rock, Murmur sounds as if it appeared out of nowhere, without any ties to the past, present, or future. Part of the distinctiveness lies in the atmospheric production, which exudes a detached sense of mystery, but it also comes from the remarkably accomplished songwriting. The songs on Murmur sound as if they've existed forever, yet they subvert folk and pop conventions by taking unpredictable twists and turns into melodic, evocative territory, whether it's the measured riffs of "Pilgrimage," the melancholic "Talk About the Passion," or the winding guitars and pianos of "Perfect Circle." R.E.M. may have made albums as good as Murmur in the years following its release, but they never again made anything that sounded quite like it.