The Weekend Needle Drop 2016 52 Weeks 52 Albums
By Middagh Goodwin
Week Five-REM Fables of the Reconstruction
R.E.M.’s 3rd Album released on June 10th 1985 on I.R.S Records
Interesting note Fables of the Reconstruction was the first and only album recorded outside the United States but is a concept album of Southern Themes and characters.
My cousin was working as a Dj at B93 back in the 80’s and he gave me this promo copy(which they were not going to be playing on air and it was kind of “stuff” I liked.
Fables was a departure from the first two albums, Murmur & Reckoning, not just with a new producer Joe Boyd and recording in London. The jangly guitar of Peter Buck was not done away with completely but a darker chromatic guitar tone was much more prevalent. Along with the addition of Banjo on “Wendell Gee”, honking brass on “Can’t Get There from Here”. and stings on “Feeling Gravity’s Pull” began the bands evolution to a more layered acoustic sound of there break through albums from the late 80’s and early 90’s.
The release was the highest charting album by R.E.M to date, reaching #28 in the Billboard Charts and #35 in the UK Charts. Having 2 singes break the top 20 in the US with “Can’t Get There From Here” and “Driver 8”
“When I Was Young” a song played on tour and later becoming reworked as “I Believe” and released on Life’s Rich Pageant, is listed in the liner notes but does not actually appear on the record.
The Album is labeled as A Side and Another Side with the A Side titled being listed as Fables of the Reconstruction and the Another Side being titled as Reconstruction of the Fables.
Interesting side story, in 1997 I won a copy of REM’s Document from B93, I was able to name all of KISS 20 releases up to Crazy Nights, which had just been released(most people were leaving out Alive I and II or the 4 “Solo” albums.) When asked if I wanted the new KISS album I responded I “KISS Sucks, what else do you have.”
