R.E.M.
Fables of the Reconstruction
Label:  I.R.S. 
Date:  1985
Length:  0:00
Format:  CA
Genre:  Rock; Alternative
  Category:  rock
    Track Listing:
      1.  
      		 Feeling Gravity's Pull    
      2.  
      		 Maps And Legends    
      3.  
      		 Driver 8    
      4.  
      		 Life And How To Live It    
      5.  
      		 Old Man Kensey    
      6.  
      		 Can't Get There From Here    
      7.  
      		 Green Grow The Rushes Oh    
      8.  
      		 Kohoutek    
      9.  
      		 Auctioneer (Another Engine)    
      10.  
      		 Good Advice    
      11.  
      		 Wendell Gee    
    Additional info: | top

      R.E.M.'s third full-length recording, Fables of the Reconstruction delivers the purest distillation of the band's early sound. With the exception of the horn-laden, radio-friendly "Can't Get There from Here," the songs form a connected soundscape. Nearly transparent production highlights the glittering guitar arpeggios, active bass, and the disciplined, patterned drum lines, with organ and spare string arrangements adding texture to several pieces. And then there are the vocals: dense harmonies of voices calling out to each other, a rich humming and howling around Michael Stipe's central mumble. A careful listener can discern most of the lyrics, though what exactly they signify remains unclear. The album is best contemplated in its entirety, and the songs reward careful, repeated listening. This is a seminal alternative album, its material evocative, its ultimate meanings elusive. If your CD collection has room for only a few R.E.M. albums, Fables should be one of them. --Albert Massa