Fables of the Reconstruction (Deluxe Edition)

Album Review

For their third album, R.E.M. made a conscious effort to break from the traditions Murmur and Reckoning established, electing to record in England with legendary folk-rock producer Joe Boyd. For a variety of reasons, the sessions were difficult, and that tension is apparent throughout Fables of the Reconstruction. A dark, moody rumination on American folk — not only the music, but its myths — Fables is creepy, rustic psychedelic folk, filled with eerie sonic textures. Some light breaks through occasionally, such as the ridiculous collegiate blue-eyed soul of "Can't Get There from Here," but the group's trademark ringing guitars and cryptic lyrics have grown sinister, giving even sing-alongs like "Driver 8" an ominous edge. Fables is more inconsistent than its two predecessors, but the group does demonstrate considerable musical growth, particularly in how perfectly it evokes the strange rural legends of the South. And many of the songs on the record — including "Feeling Gravitys Pull," "Maps and Legends," "Green Grow the Rushes," "Auctioneer (Another Engine)," and the previously mentioned pair — rank among the group's best.

Like the new millennium expansions of Murmur and Reckoning, the 25th Anniversary Edition of R.E.M.’s third album Fables of the Reconstruction is augmented by a bonus live disc, but there’s a difference here. Where its predecessors featured concerts, the bonus disc here finds R.E.M. live in a hometown Athens studio rushing through the songs they planned to cut in London with producer Joe Boyd. The group had come off their supporting tour for Reckoning and had spent several weeks polishing off these 14 songs, which includes the entirety of Fables, the B-side “Bandwagon,” an early version of “Hyena,” which would resurface on Lifes Rich Pageant, and the previously unreleased “Throw Those Trolls Away” which would later morph into “I Believe.” These live demos are nothing short of a revelation: it’s the sound of the Reckoning band ripping through the Fables material, creating a sound that’s loose, lively, and wild. It’s more rock & roll than folk-rock murk, lifting much of the muted murkiness that makes Fables a sometimes alienating listen but retaining its cryptic allure, which is more than enough to make this the best of the R.E.M. reissues.