Fables Of The Reconstruction - R.E.M.

Actually an album with two titles, FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION and RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FABLES, this was the most obviously folk-influenced release from REM thus far. To give the record the right flavour, production duties were handed to Joe Boyd, whose credits in the ‘sixties had included Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and the first three Pink Floyd singles. The result is a brilliant rendition of old fairytales and modern fantasies. “Time and distance are out of place here…” is a line from the album’s opening track, ‘Feeling Gravity’s Pull’, and that sense of displacement is present throughout. Songs like ...  Read the complete review

This is REM's third album, released in 1985, when their sales were better than most indie bands could expect, but they had not yet attained the worldwide recognition that they now have. However, I think that this is one of their finest albums, as there is not a single weak track on the album, and the music has a very unique feel to it. Although folk music has always been a major part of REM's sound, here it is the predominate feature with the album having a slightly edgy rural sound. The imagery is predominately of travel; both literally and metaphoricaly with songs about trains, the slave trade and maps. Although this can sometimes sound quite ...  Read the complete review