U2's Boy vs REM's Murmur

[financeguy]

Two top notch debut albums. Which is best, in your view?

I have to admit, I prefer Murmur at this point. Over their careers, U2 have done more great stuff than REM though.

 

[indra]

I like Murmur better.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Mmm, yah I dunno. These 'vs' threads are a bit misguided I think, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Although, I rarely listen to Boy and would say that U2 really didn't begin to cut it until War or so. Of course 1980 was way before my time so maybe it's just dated.

Hey, I totally dig Twilight, one of my favourite early U2 songs.

I Will Follow is rather silly in its original recording though.

 

[bsp77]

I have to give the edge to Murmur.

 

[Lancemc]

All due respect to Boy, one of the strongest debut, and possibly THE most important album in the boys' career, BUT Murmur is simply the most magnificent debut album of all time. Nothing can compare to it. With any other band besides R.E.M., Murmur would be considered their quintessential musical contribution to the planet, ala U2's Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. Murmur however is just this band's debut work, and defined their entire catalog up until they broke away from IRA and joined with Warner. Just an astonishing album from an astonishing band.

~~Standing to soothe shoulders high in the room~~

 

[financeguy]

Although, I rarely listen to Boy and would say that U2 really didn't begin to cut it until War or so. Of course 1980 was way before my time so maybe it's just dated.

Yeah I know what you mean, most people don't get into pop music until they reach 70 or so.

 

[ADecentMelody]

I guess I'll be the first to say Boy. I think it was more ambitious than Murmur and really showcases the depth in their music.

 

[IWasBored]

apples to oranges. musically there's no comparrison, or if there is then i don't see it.

murmer's my favorite REM album. boy is not my favorite U2 album. so i guess by that warped logic, i like murmer better.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Just to be contradictory... my favorite debut album of all time is the Clash' s/t album. But of Murmur and Boy... I can't really decide. Boy comes and goes with me, so I guess normally Murmur.

 

[IWasBored]

.... my favorite debut album of all time is the Clash' s/t album...

i think you're on to something there

and i'd put dropkick murphys' do or die up there, too.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

i think you're on to something there

and i'd put dropkick murphys' do or die up there, too.

Yeah... there are a few tracks on Do or Die that I skip... 3rd Man In, Tenant Enemy Number 1...

but then there's

Cadence to Arms/Do or Die
Far Away Coast
Never Alone
Finnegan's Wake
Boys on the Docks
Skinhead on the MBTA
The Road of the Righteous
Caught in a Jar
Barroom Hero
Firestarter Karaoke

These are all brilliant brilliant songs

 

[joyfulgirl]

I have to admit, I prefer Murmur at this point. Over their careers, U2 have done more great stuff than REM though.

I agree. I bought both of them as soon as they were released and though I became a bigger U2 fan, it was Murmur that I couldn't stop listening to.

 

[ZeroDude]

Ahhhhhhhhh, I love both so neither

 

[markoajda]

To close to call is my answer. On some days is Murmurs and on some Boy.

 

[djerdap]

Murmur is one of the best R.E.M. albums. It sounds unique. It doesn't sound like anything else out there, including R.E.M.'s later albums.
Boy was U2's debut in the classic sense of that word. Only hints of magic were seen and the band was just testing themselves. A great first album, but nothing compared to R.E.M.'s earliest work.

BUT... nothing in R.E.M.'s catalogue post-1987 can compare to U2's work after Boy. R.E.M. never had a Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby or even How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, in my humble opinion.

 

[IWasBored]

Yeah... there are a few tracks on Do or Die that I skip... 3rd Man In, Tenant Enemy Number 1...

but then there's

Cadence to Arms/Do or Die
Far Away Coast
Never Alone
Finnegan's Wake
Boys on the Docks
Skinhead on the MBTA
The Road of the Righteous
Caught in a Jar
Barroom Hero
Firestarter Karaoke

These are all brilliant brilliant songs

haha, i skip those too. 'never alone' and 'caught in a jar' are some of my favorite songs ever.