Great Moments in Vinyl plays tribute to R. E. M.

At a time when drum machines and synthesizers were all the rage and rock music ranged from new wave to glam metal, four musicians from Athens, Georgia, wandered onto our turntables with a scaled down sound that captured the energy and pluck of the best garage and punk bands and married it to the moody atmospheres of Southern gothic sensibility. That group was R. E. M. And from their unassuming indie debut at the beginning of the ‘80s they went on to become one of the best beloved bands in rock.

For our next performance, Great Moments in Vinyl celebrates the two albums that first brought R. E. M. to prominence. Their debut release, Murmur, encapsulated everything that made their music so irresistible, the chiming guitar, the driving beat, the murky vocals, the indecipherable lyrics. It was a record that still regularly shows up on critical “best” and “must have” lists.

That album was followed the next year by Reckoning, a collection of songs that took the band from college radio cult figure status to the breakthrough popularity of commercial FM stations and MTV. With the solid foundation provided by these first two records, R. E. M. had laid claim to a sound that would carry them to mass popularity.

Great Moments in Vinyl is a collaborative effort between master of ceremonies and bassist, Bill Cochran, a veteran Chicago radio personality (WXRT, WNUA...and WXRT again) on bass and a line-up of noteworthy Chicago musicians. For this set, the band has been scaled back to a very basic lineup. Vocalists Aerin Tedesco and Alton Smith will share the vocal duties. Richard Pettengill returns on guitar.

Great Moments in Vinyl performs Monday, November 3rd at Martyrs’, 3855 N. Lincoln, Chicago. Showtime is 8 PM. Cover is $7.00. Tickets are available online at http://www.martyrslive.com/