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Tulum's Collection

R.E.M.   07/02/1982

The Strand Cabaret, Marietta, GA
Source unknown aud
Media FLAC   20 discs
Notes So with that I bring you my favorite, probably, pre-Murmur R.E.M. set - the guys live in Marietta, Georgia in July 1982 shortly before recording Murmur. This is an interesting transitional period for the band, as the songwriting is clearly shifting from the 60s-influenced "That Beat" stylings to the ethereal, un-categorizeable Murmurian structurings. We have "That Beat", probably the best evidence (both in terms of songwriting and catchiness) of their garage band roots, and then we have "Perfect Circle" in its likely debut performance - on a drum machine as Bill Berry's working the keyboards! Other new songs "We Walk", "Pilgrimage" - a song Michael Stipe is still clearly working out the lyrics for, and "West Of The Fields" point strongly to the future.

This is a cool little gig too, in that for an audience recording it really puts you, dear listener, direct into the room right in front of the stage. It's lively, it's got a lot of space, it doesn't sound cavernous or muddy. It's just a really great recording that excels after the mastering treatment I gave it over the past few days. I realize I did some work on this in 2008 and put it on dimeadozen, but that effort was crap (in retrospect) - a simple A/B if you have the 2008 variant will make it clear as day. Many tracks can easily fool even an astute listener into thinking it's a soundboard recording, but it's not.

So anyway, onward. Life after Mediafire begins... now.

2013 analogloyalist master
Trades Allowed Yes
Owned by Tulum · Last Updated May 17, 2024