197) Murmur

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"We wanted to have this kind of timeless record," guitarist Peter Buck said of R.E.M.'s debut, and this "technically limited" band (according to producer Don Dixon) did just that. Buck was a rock scholar who had worked in a record store; singer Michael Stipe unspooled his lyrics as if they constituted some new secret language. Murmur is full of ringing guitar and mystery. The lyrics and the melodies seem buried, almost subliminal, and even the hookiest songs, such as "Radio Free Europe," resist clarity. Murmur was a founding document of alternative rock, released just as Gen X was starting to go to college.

Total album sales: 500,000

Peak chart position: 36

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