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Fables of the Reconstruction is the third studio album
Studio album

A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist.It usually does not contain live recordings and/or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up majority of the album and are often "bonus tracks"....
 released by the American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 alternative rock
Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as Grunge music, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop....
 band R.E.M.
R.E.M.

R.E.M. is an American Rock music band formed in Athens, Georgia, Georgia , in 1980 by Michael Stipe , Peter Buck , Mike Mills , and Bill Berry ....
, released on the I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records

I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting , as well as other bands....
 in 1985. As reflected on the cover art and original LP label, the album was also referred to as Reconstruction of the Fables.

ite the growing audience and critical acclaim experienced by the band after their initial two albums, Murmur
Murmur (album)

Murmur is the debut album by the United States alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics and guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style....
 and Reckoning
Reckoning (R.E.M. album)

Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon , the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984....
, R.E.M.






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Encyclopedia


Fables of the Reconstruction is the third studio album
Studio album

A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist.It usually does not contain live recordings and/or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up majority of the album and are often "bonus tracks"....
 released by the American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 alternative rock
Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as Grunge music, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop....
 band R.E.M.
R.E.M.

R.E.M. is an American Rock music band formed in Athens, Georgia, Georgia , in 1980 by Michael Stipe , Peter Buck , Mike Mills , and Bill Berry ....
, released on the I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records

I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting , as well as other bands....
 in 1985. As reflected on the cover art and original LP label, the album was also referred to as Reconstruction of the Fables.

Details

Despite the growing audience and critical acclaim experienced by the band after their initial two albums, Murmur
Murmur (album)

Murmur is the debut album by the United States alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics and guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style....
 and Reckoning
Reckoning (R.E.M. album)

Reckoning is the second album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon , the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984....
, R.E.M. decided to make noticeable changes to their style of music and recording habits, including a change in producer (Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd

Joe Boyd is an United States record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band....
) and recording location (London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
).

Boyd was mostly known for his work with modern English folk musicians, such as Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention are an England folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement....
 and Nick Drake
Nick Drake

Nicholas Rodney Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, though he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, and saxophone....
. However, Fables was a conceptual record by R.E.M. standards. Lyrically, the album explores the mythology and landscape of the South
Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
. The title, Fables of the Reconstruction or Reconstruction of the Fables, makes possible reference both to the Reconstruction period after the Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, and to the literary process of deconstruction
Deconstruction

Deconstruction is a term used in philosophy, literary criticism, and the social sciences, popularised through its usage by Jacques Derrida in the 1960s....
. The source of the title and chorus of "Cant Get There from Here
Cant Get There From Here

"Cant Get There from Here" or "Can't Get There from Here", was the first Single released by R.E.M. from their third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985....
", the album's first single, is a non-sarcastic rejoinder sometimes heard when asking for directions in the rural United States. The video for "Cant Get There From Here" was played frequently on MTV
MTV

MTV is an United States cable television network based in Media of New York City. Launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJ ....
.

The opening song "Feeling Gravitys Pull" describes falling asleep while reading; Michael Stipe's lyrics also reference surrealist
Surrealism

Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
 Man Ray
Man Ray

Man Ray, born Emmanuel Radnitzky , was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealism movements, although his ties to each were informal....
, setting the tone for the album. Musically it was an unusual song for the band, making use of a dark, chromatic
Chromatic scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve Pitch es, each a semitone or half step apart. "A chromatic scale is a diatonic scale consisting entirely of half-step interval ," having, "no tonic ," due to the symmetry or equal spacing of its tones....
 guitar figure by Peter Buck, and a string quartet
String quartet

A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments — usually two violins, a viola and cello — or a piece written to be performed by such a group....
, while R.E.M.'s previous albums had opened with rhythmic, "jangly" rock songs. "Maps and Legends" fit the category, and features distinct harmony vocals by bassist Mike Mills, singing different lyrics from Stipe, common to the early era of the band. The song is dedicated to the Reverend Howard Finster
Howard Finster

The Reverend Howard Finster was a folk artist from Summerville, Georgia who claimed to be inspired by God to spread the gospel through the environment of Paradise Garden and over 46,000 pieces of art....
, a noted outsider artist and according to the band, "a man of vision and feeling—a fine example to all" (Finster had done the album sleeve for R.E.M.'s Reckoning the year prior).

"Driver 8
Driver 8

"Driver 8" was the second single from R.E.M.'s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction. While credited to Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe, it was primarily written by Bill Berry....
" describes the scenery surrounding railroad tracks, in somewhat abstract terms. Trains are a frequent topic of Southern music; they epitomize the freedom and promise of an escape from one's home environment. Driven by a blues guitar riff, it was one of the songs on the album to receive college radio play, and a music video
Music video

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a pop music or rock music song with lyrics. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings....
 was made as well. Beginning with a soft introduction, "Life and How to Live It" charged through another atmospheric, folk rock
Folk rock

Folk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and Rock and roll.In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and Canada around the mid-1960s....
 arrangement, and again referenced storytelling. Without mentioning him by name, the song may have been about Georgian
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
 author Brivs Mekis, as alluded to in the live performance on the And I Feel Fine...
And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987

And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982?1987 is a compilation album by R.E.M. that features songs from the band's years at I.R.S....
 bonus disc.

Much of the band's songwriting material in this era also came from their 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 their subsequent albums Lifes Rich Pageant
Lifes Rich Pageant

Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth album by the United States band R.E.M. and was released in 1986. Intended as an upbeat reaction to the sobering and historical Fables of the Reconstruction, R.E.M....
 and Document
Document (album)

Document is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released in 1987 a few months after their rarities collection Dead Letter Office appeared and is the last album of new material by the band released on the I.R.S....
. Stipe later said that his previous lyrics never really had any literal meanings, and that by this time began to write lyrics that told stories. For example, the Fables song "Green Grow the Rushes," which contains the line "the amber waves of gain," is thought to be about migrant farm laborers
Migrant worker

The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world; the United Nations' definition is very broad, essentially including anyone working outside of their home country....
. "Kohoutek" is about Comet Kohoutek
Comet Kohoutek

Comet Kohoutek, Astronomical naming conventions#Comets C/1973 E1, 1973 XII, and 1973f, was first sighted on March 7, 1973 by Czech Republic astronomer Lubo? Kohoutek....
, and is perhaps one of the earliest R.E.M. songs about a romantic relationship. "Auctioneer (Another Engine)" was a song deviating 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" contained a much-quoted Stipe lyric, "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
Wendell Gee

"Wendell Gee" was the third and final Single issued by R.E.M. from their third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985. It was released in Europe only, in two 7" and two 12" formats....
." The latter, a ballad with piano
Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
 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.

Upon its release, Fables of the Reconstruction reached #28 in the U.S. (going gold in 1991) and was their 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
Bill Berry

William "Bill" Thomas Berry is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer in alternative rock band R.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming a farmer....
 was quoted in the early 1990s as saying that Fables of the Reconstruction "sucked"; frontman Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe

John Michael Stipe is an United States singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surrealism lyrics, as well as his social and political activism....
 once shared the opinion but lately has said he considers it home to some of their more notable songs, telling producer Joe Boyd that he had grown to love the album.

Fables was often characterized by a slow tempo and an intentionally murky sound, in contrast with the more upbeat and jangly (if equally abstract) sound of their earlier material. Nevertheless, the focus on American folk instruments such as the banjo
Banjo

The banjo is a stringed instrument developed by Slavery in the United States Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments....
 in "Wendell Gee", and a few additional orchestrations (string instrument
String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones....
s in "Feeling Gravitys Pull" and honking brass
Brass instrument

A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular resonator. They are also called labrosones, literally meaning "lip-vibrated instruments" ....
 in "Cant Get There From Here") began the band's route toward the layered, acoustic-based sound they adopted for their popular breakthrough in the late '80s and early '90s with albums such as Green
Green (album)

Green is the sixth album by the United States band R.E.M. It was their debut major label release for Warner Bros., released in November 1988....
, Out of Time
Out of Time (album)

Out of Time is the seventh album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on Warner Bros. Records in 1991. With Out of Time R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act....
, and Automatic for the People
Automatic for the People

Automatic for the People is the eighth album by the United States alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1992. The album was a critical and commercial success, with three top 40 hits in the United States and UK....
.

The album's liner notes lists a song entitled "When I Was Young" as among the tracklisting, but it does not appear on the release. It was played live three or four times during the 1985 "Preconstruction" U.S. college tour (a tour that took place before the release of the album), but the song was quickly dropped. However, a few lines of its lyrics would eventually form part of "I Believe", a completely different track later released on Lifes Rich Pageant.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry
Bill Berry

William "Bill" Thomas Berry is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer in alternative rock band R.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming a farmer....
, Peter Buck
Peter Buck

Peter Lawrence Buck is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, of the alternative rock band R.E.M.....
, Mike Mills
Mike Mills

Michael Edward Mills is the bass guitar player of the band R.E.M. Though known primarily as a bassist, piano player and background singer, his musical repertoire includes many other keyboard, guitar, string, wind and percussion instruments....
 and Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe

John Michael Stipe is an United States singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surrealism lyrics, as well as his social and political activism....
 except as indicated.

Side one

  1. "Feeling Gravitys Pull" – 4:51
  2. "Maps and Legends" – 3:10
  3. "Driver 8
    Driver 8

    "Driver 8" was the second single from R.E.M.'s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction. While credited to Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe, it was primarily written by Bill Berry....
    " – 3:23
  4. "Life and How to Live It" – 4:06
  5. "Old Man Kensey" (Jerry Ayers, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 4:08


Side two

  1. "Cant Get There from Here
    Cant Get There From Here

    "Cant Get There from Here" or "Can't Get There from Here", was the first Single released by R.E.M. from their third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985....
    " – 3:39
  2. "Green Grow the Rushes" – 3:46
  3. "Kohoutek" – 3:18
  4. "Auctioneer (Another Engine)" – 2:44
  5. "Good Advices" – 3:30
  6. "Wendell Gee
    Wendell Gee

    "Wendell Gee" was the third and final Single issued by R.E.M. from their third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985. It was released in Europe only, in two 7" and two 12" formats....
    " – 3:01


Track listing notes:
  • The missing apostrophes in the track names (and the incorrect order of the track list on the album's sleeve) are deliberate, as is the case with the title of their follow up album, Lifes Rich Pageant
    Lifes Rich Pageant

    Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth album by the United States band R.E.M. and was released in 1986. Intended as an upbeat reaction to the sobering and historical Fables of the Reconstruction, R.E.M....
    .
  • On the vinyl release, side one was labeled the "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 IRS Years reissue

On August 6 1992, EMI
EMI

The EMI Group is a United Kingdom music company comprising the major record label EMI Music ? which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in London, England, United Kingdom ? and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York City....
 (which owns the I.R.S. catalogue) re-released Fables of the Reconstruction with five bonus tracks:
  2. "Crazy" (Pylon)
    • B-side of "Driver 8
      Driver 8

      "Driver 8" was the second single from R.E.M.'s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction. While credited to Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe, it was primarily written by Bill Berry....
      " 7 inch
  3. "Burning Hell"
    • B-side of "Can't Get There From Here" 12 inch
  4. "Bandwagon" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Lynda Stipe
    Lynda Stipe

    Lynda Stipe is an United States musician, who has been a bass guitarist and singing in the bands Oh-OK, Hetch Hetchy and Flash to Bang Time. She is the sister of R.E.M. 's Michael Stipe....
    , Stipe)
    • B-side of "Can't Get There From Here" 7 & 12 inch
  5. "Driver 8" (Live)
    • B-side of "Wendell Gee
      Wendell Gee

      "Wendell Gee" was the third and final Single issued by R.E.M. from their third studio album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985. It was released in Europe only, in two 7" and two 12" formats....
      " 12 inch
  6. "Maps and Legends" (Live)
    • B-side of "The One I Love
      The One I Love (song)

      "The One I Love" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. It was released on the band's fifth full-length studio album, Document , and also as a 7" vinyl record music single in 1987....
      " 7 inch


"Crazy", "Burning Hell" and "Bandwagon" can be found on Dead Letter Office
Dead Letter Office (album)

Dead Letter Office is a rarities and A-side and B-side collection by R.E.M., released in 1987. The album effectively mops up many of the additional recordings R.E.M....
.

Personnel

  • Bill Berry
    Bill Berry

    William "Bill" Thomas Berry is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer in alternative rock band R.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming a farmer....
     – drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    , vocal (credited as "WT Berry - Best Boy")
  • Peter Buck
    Peter Buck

    Peter Lawrence Buck is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, of the alternative rock band R.E.M.....
     – guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    , banjo
    Banjo

    The banjo is a stringed instrument developed by Slavery in the United States Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments....
    , harmonica
    Harmonica

    The harmonica is a free reed aerophone wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes....
     (credited as "PL Buck - Ministry of Music")
  • Mike Mills
    Mike Mills

    Michael Edward Mills is the bass guitar player of the band R.E.M. Though known primarily as a bassist, piano player and background singer, his musical repertoire includes many other keyboard, guitar, string, wind and percussion instruments....
     – bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , piano, vocal (credited as "ME Mills - Consolate Mediator")
  • Michael Stipe
    Michael Stipe

    John Michael Stipe is an United States singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surrealism lyrics, as well as his social and political activism....
     – lead vocal (credited as "JM Stipe - Gaffer Interpreter"}

Additional personnel

  • David Bitelli – tenor and baritone saxophone
    Saxophone

    The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
  • Jim Dvorak – trumpet
    Trumpet

    The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
  • David Newby – cello
    Cello

    The violoncello is a bowed string instrument. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist. The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra....
  • Camilla Brunt – violin
    Violin

    The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
  • Philippa Ibbotson – violin
  • Peter Thomas
    Pete Thomas (saxophonist)

    Pete Thomas is a leading United Kingdom music producer, TV and film composer, recording musician, and saxophonist. He was born in London and is now based in Southampton, England....
     – tenor saxophone


Charts


Album

YearChartPosition
1985The Billboard 20028
1985UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart

The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus....
35


Singles

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


Certifications

OrganizationLevelDate
RIAA – U.S.GoldJune 24 1991


External links