R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction

To the Future, Darkly

Peter Buck's opening notes on the third R.E.M. album struck the mood; ominous and cutting. "Feeling Gravity's Pull" chucked the murky atmosphere of Murmur and the poppy jangle so predominant on Reckoning, replacing it with a haunting crush of sound. "Fables of The Reconstruction" was R.E.M.'s darkest album to date and spoke of tensions the band was having at the time. It's also, by contrast, it's also their most southern.

Songs like the horn-heavy "Can't Get There From Here" (ever ask for directions in rural Georgia?), "Auctioneer (Another Engine)," and "Driver Eight" - a train song for heaven's sake - dig into the myth of the deep south, and legendary folk producer Joe Boyd highlights the right elements. Stipe had become a more forceful singer by now, and more of the (as usual) oblique lyrics are legible. The Gothic aspects are also present, with the strumming "Wendell Gee" and the more ominous "Maps and Legends" highlighting these excursions.

When the album first came out, the cover art made the title ambiguous. It could have been read as both "Fables of The Reconstruction" or "Reconstruction of The Fables." That ambiguity permeates the album; there is both a serious attempt to delve into the myths of the old south while, at the same time, making a serious bid to become the band of the new south. That and the underlying tensions made "Fables" an inconsistent album, yet songs like "Can't Get There" and "Feeling Gravity's Pull" rank among the band's best. November 22, 2008

Early R.E.M. Material That Mainstream Radio Should Have Paid Attention To

The 1990s music landscape saw Alternative Rock begin to basically become part of the mainstream music fold. Alternative Rock actually had its roots in the 1980s. Alternative Rock really ties itself to the "Indie Rock" (Independent Rock) movement. It is a style of music that often covers a wide variety of genres, often working on independent record labels, but most importantly the artist maintains complete control of the music and their careers. With 1980s Rock dominated by "Hit Radio" and mainstream music, much of the Alternative Rock movement was "underground" - heard in smaller venues and colleges. A band that was at the forefront of this underground movement of music was R.E.M. While many know R.E.M. is a pop-band from the 1990s, many also know R.E.M from the 1980s as one of the pioneers in Alternative Rock. Much of the reason for this popularity stems from their third album - "Fables of the Reconstruction". This album has been described as exploring stories from "Southern Mythology" - or stories dealing with the landscape of the Southeastern United States. My personal take was slightly different - although I can see the connection to the Southeast. This album is a prime example that an album not getting exposure to the mainstream is still an example of excellent material.

Back when I was a freshman in college in 1985, the college newspaper had done a review of "Fables of the Reconstruction" and proclaimed the album to be "Album of the Year". Now of course, there was some bias from R.E.M. catering to the underground audience. When R.E.M. would hit it in the mainstream world several years later, I decided to go back and see what the newspaper had meant by "Album of the Year". While I still wasn't convinced about this being 1985's best album (I give that nod to Sting's Jazz-infused "The Dream of the Blue Turtles"), I did discover an album that I could really get into.

Many of the reviews or summaries of this album will mention that this is an album about the "tales from the Southern United States". My subscription of things is slightly different as I see this as more or less stories from being in a car (or riding in a train) and driving along the highway (whether it's the southeast of not). Many of the songs have this feel. Here is a song by song synopsis:

"Feeling Gravity's Pull": While this song doesn't fit into my personal theme of "traveling along the highway", this is a great song. It has a darker tone - and the guitar work from Peter Buck combined with Michael Stipe's unique vocals truly helps set the tone to this song. The use of a string quartet is really done well on this track.

"Maps and Legends": Not only does the title fit into my highway theme, but the melody and beat of the song does as well. However the song isn't about driving down the highway and the title is more symbolic. I particularly like the harmonic background vocals that were incorporated on this track.

"Driver 8": The tempo picks up for this song and once again the title and melody fit into my highway theme. Actually this song is the story of a train (the Southern Crescent). In a way, this song also has a dark feel to it. The harmonica used on this song is the perfect touch, but ultimately Mike Mills' bass lines are the foundation to the sound.

"Life and how to Live It": Once again, this song has a perfect feel of driving down the highway. I've put this one on for long interstate rides. The chorus really has some great hooks on this one - terrific track that could have easily made mainstream radio.

"Old Man Kensey": Mills' bass work opens up this track and once again provides a great foundation. This also is a darker track, but it also one that grew on me.

"Can't Get There From Here": The title and melody also fit my highway theme for this album. Bill Berry's drums open this song nicely, but ultimately it is the unique vocals of Stipe that give this song its identity.

"Green Grow the Rushes": I also felt this song had melody that felt like driving down the highway. Lines like "Gone to find a cheaper hand" lend to the Southern theme around migrant farmers.

"Kohoutek" is the name of a comet. The band uses this as an analogy by saying "Like Kohoutek, you were gone" referring to a girl leaving someone. I also found this to be a catchy song.

"Auctioneer (Another Engine)": When you listen to the chorus, this song had one of the darkest themes. This is another song with mention of a train - although once again the beat also has a feel of driving down the highway. Berry's drums are right on target on this one, but ultimately it's Buck's guitar work to deliver the feel to this song.

"Good Advices": This was the one weak track of this collection. This was not a bad track, but overall it did not have me doing any handstands.

"Wendell Gee": From what I know Wendell Gee was some used car dealer in Georgia. This song has more of a ballad-feel to it. The part of this song I found interesting was a banjo solo done over a backdrop of an orchestral-like sound. There are also some great harmonic background vocals on this track.

The liner notes on my particular version of this collection were thin and the lyrics were not included. This was slightly disappointing because I think R.E.M. music has some of the most interesting music and adding lyrics would have been a good thing. Overall, long time R.E.M. fans are going to greatly enjoy this album. If you are fan of mainstream R.E.M, I would still recommend picking up this album.
June 15, 2008

One of R.E.M.'s best........4.5 stars

One of R.E.M.'s finest albums, Fables of The Reconstruction is sandwiched between Reckoning and Life's Rich Pageant. As good as those albums were, they were ever so slightly overrated just as this one's slightly underrated. An evocative and intense journey, Fables may be the most unique of all in this band's catalog. Like a fog soaked day full of rain but also fresh air, you'll realize that this is exactly the kind of music you need to hear sometimes. Fables of The Reconstruction is a damn good listen and it's a classic R.E.M. album. August 21, 2007

Dark and underrated R.E.M. early effort

The third album by R.E.M. was recorded during a difficult phase where the band was fighting (and the future looked bleak). The music reflects this turmoil: it's often spare, moody, dark, troubled; a stark contrast to the more upbeat and harder rocking music in the near future. Like the last two albums, it begins strongly with a mostly great first half, but a few instantly skippable tracks later on spoil the broth ("Old Man Kensey," "Kohoutek"). As expected from early R.E.M., the best song comes right out the gate, and "Feeling Gravity's Pull" is reminiscent of the Cure and Joy Division, two groups that rarely get compared to this one. Truly, tensions have affected Stipe and company.

After that and "Auctioneer," though, the best tracks rarely stand with the upper echelon of R.E.M.'s catalog. The good news is that at least the sound is more consistent here than it will be during their peak commercial years. Just barely misses out on being one of their essential albums, but those weened on their major label material should still check it out.

Best cuts: "Feeling Gravity's Pull," "Auctioneer (Another Engine)," "Maps and Legends," "Driver 8," "Life and How to Live It," "Good Advices," "Green Grow the Rushes," "Can't Get There From Here" July 6, 2007

Very Underrated

This is that rarest of things: an underrated R.E.M. album. The sound is like nothing R.E.M. did before or since. "Maps and Legends" and "Green Grow The Rushes" are personal favorites, but almost everything here is solid. Much better than "Murmur" or "Reckoning," but seldom mentioned in the same sentence-until now! November 1, 2006

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