REM:Radio Free Europe OG Hib-Tone debut 45 1981 hear

$

91

** Back with a bigger list than usual this week - lots of punk, post-punk, new wave & minimal synth...check out my other auctions! **

Artist:R.E.M.

Title:RADIO FREE EUROPE b/w SITTING STILL

Label:HIB-TONE (HT 0001)

Released:1981

Cover:VG+ (rw/small toc/bc/ half inch sps bottom)

Record:EX (light crackle on run-in groove & first 5 seconds of "Radio Free Europe", otherwise NM)

Description: Debut single by REM, earlier (& more rocking) versions of songs that would appear on Murmur two years later. Not sure why the label is showing up blue in the photo (it's purple).

Listen to the clip!

"Ah yes. The first utterance from one of the defining bands of the post-punk era, the murmur that would eventually resound through the amplifiers of virtually every band with the slightest relationship to the world of indie and alternative rock. Without doubt Radio Free Europe is one of the truly great singles of the '80s, a song about everything and nothing all at once. Long before Smells Like Teen Spirit or Just, R.E.M. almost single-handedly invented the 'alternative anthem with largely incomprehensible lyrics that one cannot help but sing (or in this case, keen) along to' (I know, as far as category titles go it's a bit lengthy, not to mention difficult to abbreviate). The key is to be just clear enough that certain particularly evocative lines manage to slip into the listeners ears and worm their way right into one's synapses: "Besides defining media too fast/instead of pushing palaces to fall"... God, is that what he says? If it is, it's brilliant, a little slip of social commentary to grip your teeth into; if it's not... well, that's brilliant too because that strident melody is so arresting and uplifting that I'll sing and spit and mumble along regardless. But most people with any interest in the alternative scene have heard this already, so here are a few things you may not know.

It is important to note that while most listeners are familiar with the song as it appears on the band's landmark debut LP Murmur, the original Hib-Tone single Radio Free Europe/Sitting Still was released a full two years earlier in 1981 and are considerably more punkish in performance, more raw in recording. For many the great power of Murmur is its enigmatic, folk-shrouded ambiance, and listening to these essentially demo-quality originals can be somewhat of a shock. Of the two songs Radio Free Europe differs more sharply. It feels about twice as fast, Berry's opening beat whacked out hard and breathless as if impatient to begin, the rest of the band dragged along in his wake. Buck is strumming too quickly to jangle, Mills' ambling bass lines jostled into a sprint. You can bop along to this version, but the strangely danceable groove of the later rendition is absent. Stipe, for his part, has already discovered his trademark keening mumble and the vocal harmonies are spot on, but his bandmates haven't yet struck upon the simple yet immersive musical vocabulary that would meld so effectively with it on 1982's Chronic Town EP.

Nevertheless, endlessly comparing the two recordings is an easy way to succumb to teleology. As with many early recordings, there's an energy and wildness to this that they would maintain live, but would be largely absent from their albums for many years. Already this band is on to something special, Sitting Still in particular demonstrating the impact of the country music that these four Athens boys had undoubtedly soaked up by osmosis as children and, in a broader sense, their penchant for making adventurous compositional choices. It's got a twang to it that few of the other bands in the nascent indie scene would have even considered implementing, a naked emotional quality as pure as any country weepy but informed by the sophistication of post-punk. Radio Free Europe gets most of the press as alternative rock ground zero, but Sitting Still, in eschewing the brisk tempos and '60s surf-pop influence of forebears like The dB's that most effectively demonstrates why R.E.M. was so fresh and different." -RateYourMusic

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GRADING:

All records are play graded conservatively - I have never had a record returned due to bad grading (and I'd like to keep it that way).

NEAR MINT (NM): Like new.

EXCELLENT (EX): Otherwise near mint but has slight cosmetic flaws that don't affect play. Close to perfect, with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident. The cover might have light ring-wear or minor denting to a corner, but should look close to new.

VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+): The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve, a slight scratch that does not affect play, or some of the original luster may be lost.

VERY GOOD (VG): Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise. Cover has heavy ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains.

VERY GOOD MINUS (VG-): Vinyl may have numerous scratches including heavy scratches that will tick, heavy surface noise. The cover might have large seam splits, tears, or writing on the cover that obscures the artwork. I usually don't list records in this condition unless it is an extremely rare title.

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GRADING ABBREVIATIONS:

auto: autographed / bc: bent corner / cc: cut corner / coh: cut out hole / cw: cover wear / H20: water damage / nap: not affecting play / obc: on back cover / ofc: on front cover / ol: on label / re: reissue / rw: ring wear / saw: sawmark / soc: sticker on cover / sol: sticker on label / sps: split seam / ss: still sealed / sw: seam wear (not split) / toc: tear on cover / tol: tear on label / ts: taped seam / wlp: white label promo / woc: writing on cover / wobc: writing on back cover / wol: writing on label

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SHIPPING:

All records are removed from the outer sleeve before shipping, and packed in a corrugated record mailer with cardboard spacers on either side to prevent damage. I do not use flattened Priority Mail boxes, padded envelopes, pizza boxes, etc. I collect records & know how I would want them shipped to me. I typically ship the day after I receive payment; turnaround time is usually 1 day to 3 days at the most.

For ALL locations double LPs & multi record sets count as 2 or more LPs.

And yes, I do combine shipping for multiple items, see below for prices.

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~ UNITED STATES ~

First Class Mail: $3.00 for the first record & .50 for each additional record. 

Estimated delivery time: 1-3 weeks.

Priority Mail: $6.00 for the first record & $1.00 for each additional record.

Priority Mail is insured for up to $100.00 & will get to you in 2-4 days. It will also provide a tracking number when the record is shipped. REQUIRED for albums over $100.00 in value.

Insurance: Available to all US buyers for an additional fee of $2.50.

Registered Mail: Available for an additional $11.00.

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~ CANADA ~

First Class: $4.00 for the first record & $1.00 for each additional record.

Priority Mail: $8.00 for the first record & $1.00 for each additional record. REQUIRED for albums over $100.00 in value.

Registered Mail: Available for an additional $11.00.

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~ MEXICO ~

First Class: $5.00 for the first record & $1.00 for each additional record.

Priority Mail: $11.00 for the first lp & $1.00 for each additional record. REQUIRED for albums over $100.00 in value.

Registered Mail: Available for an additional $11.00.

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~ THE REST OF THE WORLD ~

First Class International: $6.00 for the first record & $2.00 for each additional record.

First Class mail can be slow, you have been warned. Expect to wait anywhere from 2-5 weeks.

Priority Mail international: $12.00 for the first record & $2.00 for each additional record.

Much faster, provides a tracking number & insurance up to $100. REQUIRED for albums over $100.00 in value.

Registered Mail: Available for an additional $11.00.

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