It’s a nearly unparalleled landmark in the history of ’80s college rock: R.E.M.’s peerless debut album, Murmur, was released on April 12, 1983 — exactly 30 years ago today. Today we celebrate this milestone by looking back at the building blocks of the album we know and love.

It’s not exactly the return to music anyone would have guessed from Michael Stipe, but the former R.E.M. frontman is back with his first new recording since that band split in 2011: a duet with Courtney Love called “Rio Grande” off the new Johnny Depp-curated ‘Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys.’

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe made a pair of high-profile public appearances last night, first popping up on “The Colbert Report.” to sing the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas” with Stephen Colbert and Mandy Patinkin, then joining Coldplay’s Chris Martin to perform “Losing My Religion” at 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief.

In February 1981, R.E.M. played three known concerts, including a pair in Atlanta opening for Joe “King” Carrasco at the 688 Club. Little of this period has been seen on video, but Slicing Up Eyeballs is thrilled to be able to premiere — courtesy of Wuxtry Records in Athens, Ga. — this 40-minute set filmed at one of those Atlanta dates.

For a generation raised by MTV — particularly in the late ’80s and early ’90s — they were ubiquitous: those 30-second “Rock the Vote” promos featuring stars ranging from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe to Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Madonna imploring viewers to register to vote and cast their ballots.

In honor of this week’s release of the expanded 25th anniversary reissue of ‘Document,’ R.E.M. has posted the album’s original electronic press kit, a 6-minute, black-and-white video dubbed “A Conversation with Michael Stipe” that would have been sent to music journalists in 1987 to promote the then-forthcoming record.

It’s Michael Stipe’s birthday today — he’s 52 — so we’re cracking open the Vintage Video vault to bring you a 30-year-old R.E.M. concert, filmed Oct. 10, 1982, at The Pier in Raleigh, N.C., for broadcast on local television — less than two months after the release of ‘Chronic Town.’