Album
Fables of the Reconstruction
Fables of the Reconstruction is the third album by R.E.M., released on 10 June 1985 through I.R.S. Records. It was the first record the Americans made outside their home country, recorded at Livingston Studios in London with producer Joe Boyd. The result is darker and murkier than the two albums before it, with lyrics that wander through Southern Gothic characters and settings.
It's also a more varied record, bringing in strings, brass and banjo alongside the band's jangling guitars. Critics welcomed its folk leanings and heavy atmosphere, and it has since been seen as a bridge between the hazy mystery of their early work and the acoustic experiments of later years. It reached the US top 30 and gave the band their first UK top 40 entry. "Driver 8" is the song to start with, still one of their best-loved and most-covered early tracks.
Fables of the Reconstruction: tracklist and credits
11 tracks · 39:42Tracklist
- 1Feeling Gravity’s PullBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:52
- 2Maps and LegendsBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:10
- 3Driver 8Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:24
- 4Life and How to Live ItBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:09
- 5Old Man KenseyAyers, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:10
- 6Can’t Get There From HereBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:40
- 7Green Grow the RushesBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:46
- 8KohoutekBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:17
- 9Auctioneer (Another Engine)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:44
- 10Good AdvicesBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:31
- 11Wendell GeeBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:00
- Produced by
- Joe Boyd
- Recorded at
- Livingston (London)
- Recorded
- February–April 1985
- Engineered by
- Jerry Boys, Barry Clempson, Tony Harris
- Mastered by
- Jack Skinner
- Artwork
- M K Johnston
- Labels
- I.R.S. Records, I.R.S.
- Length
- 39:42
Line-up
- Bill Berry · membranophone, drums (drum set)
- David Bitelli · baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone · guest
- Camilla Brunt · violin · guest
- Peter Buck · guitar
- Jim Dvorak · trumpet · guest
- Philippa Ibbotson · violin · guest
- Mike Mills · bass, bass guitar
- David Newby · cello · guest
- Pete Thomas · tenor saxophone · guest
- Michael Stipe · vocals
Singles
- “Cant Get There from Here” · June 1985
- “Driver 8” · September 1985
- “Wendell Gee” · September 1985
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
73.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.8k
ListenBrainz listeners
105k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 10 June
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1982
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Reckoning
1984
Lifes Rich Pageant
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Dead Letter Office
1987
Document
1987
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1988
Green
1988
Out of Time
1991
The Best of R.E.M.
1991
Automatic for the People
1992
The Automatic Box
1993
Singles Collected
1994
Monster
1994
New Adventures in Hi‐Fi
1996
Essential R.E.M.: R.E.M. in the Attic (Alternative Recordings 1985–89)
1997
Up
1998
Reveal
2001
R.E.M. Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003 2003
Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003
2003
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
2003
Around the Sun
2004
iTunes Originals: R.E.M.
2004
And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987
2006
Live
2007
Accelerate
2008
Reckoning Spotify Sampler
2009
Live at the Olympia
2009
Collapse Into Now Sampler
2011
Collapse Into Now
2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011
2011
Live in Greensboro
2013
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
2014
Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988–2011
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Complete Rarities – I.R.S. 1982–1987
2014
R.E.M. at the BBC
2018
Live at the Borderline 1991
2019
Radio Free Europe 2025
2025
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More on I.R.S. Records
The label →Document
R.E.M. · 1987
Lifes Rich Pageant
R.E.M. · 1986
Murmur
R.E.M. · 1983
Headless Cross
Black Sabbath · 1989
Reckoning
R.E.M. · 1984
The Best of R.E.M.
R.E.M. · 1991
TYR
Black Sabbath · 1990
Forbidden
Black Sabbath · 1995
Cross Purposes
Black Sabbath · 1994
Eponymous
R.E.M. · 1988
The Sabbath Stones
Black Sabbath · 1996
Cross Purposes – Live
Black Sabbath · 1995
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1985-06-11 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 11 June 1985 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 June 1985 | |
| Wikidata | 10 June 1985 | |
| US release | 11 June 1985 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1985 | earliest UK or European date |
27 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| — | XW | Capitol Records | 00724349347953 | other |
| — | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732559222 | other |
| — | CA | — | other | |
| — | XE | I.R.S. Records | 077771316029 | other |
| — | CA | — | deluxe | |
| — | US | — | other | |
| — | CA | I.R.S. Records | 076732559222 | other |
| 1985 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5013747100310 | other |
| 1985 | XE | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 1985 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 008811901622 | other |
| 1985 | US | I.R.S. Records | other | |
| 11 June 1985 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | original | |
| 11 June 1985 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732559215 | original |
| 11 June 1985 | US | — | 724349347922 | original |
| 1987 | US | I.R.S. Records | 076732559222 | other |
| 1991 | JP | CBS/Sony | 4988009608228 | other |
| 1992 | XE | EMI | 077771316029 | other |
| 27 January 1998 | US | I.R.S. Records | 724349347922 | other |
| 9 July 2010 | XW | Capitol Records | 05099964607153 | deluxe |
| 12 July 2010 | GB | Capitol Records | 5099964607122 | deluxe |
| 31 May 2024 | US | Capitol Records | 602465172331 | other |
| 31 May 2024 | US | Capitol Records | 602465172270 | other |
| 31 May 2024 | XE | Capitol Records | 602465172270 | other |
| — | — | Capitol Records | 00602537796649 | other |
| — | — | Capitol Records | 00602537796632 | other |
| — | — | Capitol Records | 00602537796618 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 2304×2279 | cropped |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |