Fables of the Reconstruction

R.E.M.’s third studio album, Fables of the Reconstruction, has proven to be to the grower in the band’s catalog. Though it contained the hits “Can’t Get There from Here” and “Driver 8” (songs that began showing up on MTV), the album itself was considered "murky" in comparison to their previous upbeat releases. Fairport Convention and Nick Drake producer Joe Boyd played into the band’s tendency toward obscurity with arrangements that were at odds with the typically garish and bright sounds of the ‘80s. Of course, years later when being timeless is more important than being current, Fables now ranks among the band’s best albums. The string arrangement wrapping up “Feeling Gravitys Pull” can now be heard as the stroke of genius that was the reason Boyd was hired in the first place. “Maps and Legends,” “Life and How to Live It,” “Green Grow the Rushes,” and “Wendell Gee” capture the band’s master moodiness and passion. The bigger rock sound would come with their next albums, Lifes Rich Pageant and Document.