Fables of the Reconstruction


Fables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on I.R.S. Records in June 10, 1985. The Joe Boyd-produced album was the first recorded by the group outside the United States. It is a concept album with Southern Gothic themes and characters.

History

Despite the growing audience and critical acclaim experienced by the band after its first two albums, Murmur and Reckoning, R.E.M. decided to make noticeable changes to its style of music and recording habits, including a change in producer to Joe Boyd and in recording location to London, England. Boyd was best known for his work with modern English folk musicians, including such acts as Fairport Convention and Nick Drake.
It was still a conceptual record by R.E.M. standards: lyrically, the album explores the mythology and landscape of the South, and the title and chorus of "Cant Get There from Here", the album's first single, is a rural American colloquialism sometimes used in response to a request by travelers for difficult directions.

Music and lyrical themes

The opening song, "Feeling Gravitys Pull", describes falling asleep while reading; Michael Stipe's lyrics also reference surrealist photographer Man Ray, setting the tone for the album. The song was a musical departure for the band, making use of a dark, chromatic guitar figure by Peter Buck, and a string quartet, while R.E.M.'s previous albums had opened with rhythmic, "jangly" rock songs.
"Maps and Legends" fits the earlier sound and features distinct harmony vocals by bassist Mike Mills, singing different lyrics from Stipe. The song is dedicated to the Reverend Howard Finster, a noted outsider artist whom the band considered to be "a man of vision and feeling—a fine example to all".
"Driver 8" describes the scenery surrounding railroad tracks in somewhat abstract terms. Trains are a frequent motif in rural American music, suggesting the freedom and promise of an escape from one's home environment. Driven by a distinctive guitar riff, "Driver 8" was one of the songs on the album to receive college radio play, and the record company also authorized a music video.
Beginning with a soft introduction, "Life and How to Live It" charged through another atmospheric, folk rock arrangement and referenced storytelling. Without mentioning him by name, the song was about Athens, Georgia, author Brivs Mekis, as alluded to in the live performance on the And I Feel Fine... bonus disc.
Much of the band's songwriting material in this era also came from the members' own experiences traveling through the country in near-constant tours over the previous several years, as well as an increasing sense of political activism which would find expression on subsequent albums Lifes Rich Pageant and Document. Stipe later said that his previous lyrics never really had any literal meanings, and that by this time he had begun to write lyrics that told stories.
The song "Green Grow the Rushes" is a prime example, which contains the line "the amber waves of gain", is thought to be about migrant farm laborers and also alludes to the folk song "Green Grow the Rushes, O". Natalie Merchant has stated that this song was written as part of a pact she made with Stipe to write songs about the genocide of Native Americans; her song, "Among the Americans", appeared on the 1985 10,000 Maniacs album The Wishing Chair.
"Kohoutek" referenced the comet Kohoutek, and is perhaps one of the earliest R.E.M. songs about a romantic relationship, using the comet as a simile for a lover: "like Kohoutek, you were gone."
The song "Auctioneer " deviated from the typical R.E.M. sound of the time, with jagged guitar riffs and more references to old rural ways of life.
The plaintive "Good Advices" contains the following Stipe lyric that has been quoted in musical and literary contexts: "When you meet a stranger, look at his shoes / keep your money in your shoes."
A celebration of an eccentric individual is the subject of "Old Man Kensey" and closing track "Wendell Gee". The latter, a ballad with piano and more harmonies from Berry and Mills, was the album's third and final single in the UK only, although it made no commercial impression there.

Release

Upon release, Fables of the Reconstruction reached #28 in the United States and was the band's best showing yet in the UK, peaking at 35. Recorded during a period of internal strife—largely due to the R.E.M. members' homesickness and an unpleasant London winter—the band's unenthusiastic view of the album has been public for years, and is often reflected among fans and the press. Drummer Bill Berry was quoted in the early 1990s as saying that Fables of the Reconstruction "sucked". Guitarist Peter Buck dismissed single "Driver 8" saying, "I can write that kind of stuff in my sleep." Frontman Michael Stipe once shared the opinion, but later said that he considers it to be the strongest collection of songs among their 1980s albums, telling producer Joe Boyd that he had grown to love the album.
Peter Buck, in the liner notes of the 25th Anniversary Deluxe edition, said, "Over the years, a certain misapprehension about Fables of the Reconstruction has built up. For some reason, people have the impression that the members of R.E.M. don't like the record. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's a personal favorite, and I'm really proud of how strange it is. Nobody but R.E.M. could have made that record."
Fables was often characterized by a slow tempo and an intentionally murky sound, in contrast with the more upbeat and jangly sound of earlier R.E.M. material. Nevertheless, the focus on American folk instruments such as the banjo in "Wendell Gee" and a few additional orchestrations began the band's route toward the layered, acoustic-based sound they adopted for their popular breakthrough in the late 1980s and early 1990s with albums such as Document, Green, Out of Time and Automatic for the People.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe except where noted.
Side one – "A Side"
  1. "Feeling Pull" – 4:48
  2. "Maps and Legends" – 3:10
  3. "Driver 8" – 3:23
  4. "Life and How to Live It" – 4:06
  5. "Old Man Kensey" – 4:08
Side two – "Another Side"
  2. "Cant Get There from Here" – 3:39
  3. "Green Grow the Rushes" – 3:46
  4. "Kohoutek" – 3:18
  5. "Auctioneer " – 2:44
  6. "Good Advices" – 3:30
  7. "Wendell Gee" – 3:01
1992 IRS Vintage Years reissue bonus tracks
  2. "Crazy"
  3. :B-side of "Driver 8" 7" single
  4. "Burning Hell"
  5. :*B-side of "Can't Get There From Here" 12" single
  6. "Bandwagon"
  7. :*B-side of "Can't Get There From Here" 7" and 12" single
  8. "Driver 8"
  9. :*B-side of "Wendell Gee" 12" single
  10. "Maps and Legends"
  11. :*B-side of "The One I Love" 7" single
2010 25th Anniversary Edition reissue bonus tracks
  1. "Auctioneer " – 2:52
  2. "Bandwagon" – 2:24
  3. "Cant Get There from Here" – 3:41
  4. "Driver 8" – 3:31
  5. "Feeling Gravitys Pull" – 4:36
  6. "Good Advices" – 3:31
  7. "Green Grow the Rushes" – 3:47
  8. "Hyena" – 2:53
  9. "Kohoutek" – 3:26
  10. "Life and How to Live It" – 4:10
  11. "Maps and Legends" – 3:12
  12. "Old Man Kensey" – 4:07
  13. "Throw Those Trolls Away" – 3:10
  14. "Wendell Gee" – 3:07
On the vinyl and cassette releases, side one was labeled "A side" and side two "Another side". The "A side" label bore the title Fables of the Reconstruction, while "Another side" bore the title Reconstruction of the Fables. The front cover of all releases shows the words "Fables of the", while the back cover reads "Reconstruction of the". The CD label has the title simply as "Fables of the Reconstruction", while both spines are labeled "Reconstruction of the Fables". The ambiguous title makes possible reference to both the Reconstruction era of the United States and the literary process of deconstruction.
The liner notes mention a song titled "When I Was Young" in the track listing, but it does not appear on the album. That song was played live several times during the 1985 "Preconstruction" US college tour, but it was quickly dropped. It was reworked into "I Believe", which was released on the following album Rich Pageant.
A demo version of "When I Was Young" appears as "Throw Those Trolls Away" on the 25th Anniversary Edition of Fables, released July 13, 2010; the CD-Text information on the disc, however, still identifies the song's title as "When I Was Young".

Personnel

R.E.M.
Additional musicians
Production
Album
YearChartPosition
1985US Billboard 20028
1985UK Albums Chart35

Singles
YearSongChartPosition
1985"Cant Get There from Here"Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks14
1985"Driver 8"Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks22

Certifications

Release history

Notes