REM- Thier first live national TV appearance (Letterman 1983)

[Elvis Presley]

http://www.eachnotesecure.com/?p=312

Ahh, the wonder that is You Tube....

 

[Elvis Presley]

Hmm, its a shame Paris Hiltons video thread is blowing up, while this one sits...

 

[corianderstem]

There's just less to mock in an REM video ... unless you count Michael Stipe's hair in 1983.

Thanks for sharing the find!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Great find!

I still love this song.

 

[u2popmofo]

Man, fantastic performance. If I had no clue who they were and they played this on TV now, I truely think I'd absolutely love it also. I sadly think this is the first time I've ever seen REM live where I actually didn't get bored (I know this may be blasphemy, but I've probably just never seen the right performances). Seriously though, the first 2 REM albums are the ones I can still continually come back to and love start to finish.

Here's the second song they performed too. I like how Stipe sits in the back too scared to talk or even act like he's in the band. Classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykp0Vq77IBw

 

[angelordevil]

I hadn't seen this before. Michael looks a little like Eddie Vedder there. Letterman and R.E.M....great combination. It's interesting how the band would eventually go on to such success, and later show up on Letterman's musical performance collection CD with Crush With Eyeliner.

 

[U2dork]

I miss the jangle pop.

Just as a random FYI:
They've built houses around the kudzu patch pictured on Murmur's album cover, but it's still there, thank goodness.

 

[Zoomerang96]

nice find, elvis...

 

[barlowdog]

Sweet vid. thanks Elvis.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Actually being only 18 I have never known how Letterman looked like back then either until very recently (when I found Billy Bragg's first network TV appearance in 1988).

 

[U2inUtah]

That looks sooooo long ago. Crazy to think that SBS and New Years Day had just been released that same year.