Album
Reckoning
Reckoning is the second studio album by R.E.M., released in April 1984 on I.R.S. Records. It followed Murmur from the previous year and came before Fables of the Reconstruction. The band is usually filed under alternative rock, with a strong streak of jangle pop and folk rock running through it. The album is also known by the alternative title File Under Water.
Mitch Easter and Don Dixon produced it at Reflection Sound Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, working over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984. Their aim was to capture the band as they sounded on stage, and they used binaural recording on several tracks. Michael Stipe's lyrics take on darker subject matter, with water imagery surfacing again and again. Critics received it warmly. It reached number 27 in the United States, where it later went gold, and number 91 in the United Kingdom.
Reckoning: tracklist and credits
10 tracks · 38:09Tracklist
- 1HarborcoatBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:54
- 27 Chinese Bros.Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:18
- 3So. Central RainBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:16
- 4Pretty PersuasionBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:53
- 5Time After Time (Annelise)Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:32
- 6Second GuessingBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:51
- 7Letter Never SentBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:03
- 8CameraBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe5:51
- 9(Don’t Go Back to) RockvilleBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:33
- 10Little AmericaBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe2:58
- Produced by
- Don Dixon, Mitch Easter
- Recorded at
- Reflection Sound Studios, Reflection Sound (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Recorded
- 8 December 1983 – 16 January 1984
- Labels
- I.R.S. Records, I.R.S.
- Length
- 38:09
Line-up
- Bill Berry · drums (drum set)
- Peter Buck · guitar
- Mike Mills · bass guitar
- Michael Stipe · lead vocals
Singles
- “So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)” · 15 May 1984
- “(Don't Go Back To) Rockville” · 16 October 1984
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 2021 | Silver |
| United States · 1991 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
66.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
104k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
462
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 9 April
Every year →
More from R.E.M.
Full discography →
Chronic Town
1982
Murmur
1983
Fables of the Reconstruction
1985
Lifes Rich Pageant
1986
Dead Letter Office
1987
Document
1987
Eponymous
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
2014
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
The best of 1984
All of 1984 →
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Rewind (1971–1984)
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Anthrax · 1984
Projects in the Jungle
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Live Undead / Haunting the Chapel
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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
Fables of the Reconstruction
R.E.M. · 1985
Headless Cross
Black Sabbath · 1989
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 1984-04-09 vs 1984-04-17 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 17 April 1984 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 9 April 1984 | |
| Wikidata | April 1984 | |
| US release | 17 April 1984 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1984 | earliest UK or European date |
24 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | — | 00044797004421 | other |
| — | CA | A&M Records | 00602527123479 | other |
| — | CA | — | other | |
| 1984 | CA | I.R.S. Records | 04479700442 | other |
| 1984 | GB | A&M Records | 0082839719629 | other |
| 17 April 1984 | US | I.R.S. Records | 044797004414 | original |
| 17 April 1984 | US | I.R.S. Records | 044797004421 | original |
| 1988 | US | I.R.S. Records | 044797004421 | other |
| 1990 | US | I.R.S. Records | 04479700442 | other |
| 1990 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 5099746537920 | other |
| 1991 | US | I.R.S. Records | 04479700442 | other |
| 1992 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 077771315923 | other |
| 1992 | GB | I.R.S. Records | 082839704526 | other |
| 1992 | XE | EMI | 077771315923 | other |
| 1996 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | other | |
| 13 August 1996 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 015775167728 | other |
| 2009 | — | Universal | 00602527076263 | other |
| 2009 | XE | Capitol Records | 5099964608228 | deluxe |
| 22 June 2009 | XE | I.R.S. Records | 602527076225 | deluxe |
| 23 June 2009 | US | A&M Records | 602527076225 | deluxe |
| 5 August 2009 | XW | Universal Music Ireland | other | |
| 2012 | US | A&M Records | other | |
| 15 January 2021 | JP | A&M Records | 602435669731 | other |
| — | — | I.R.S. Records | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · upscaled: minor: best source 1443x1432, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1443×1432 | upscaled: minor: best source 1443x1432, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05) |
| coverartarchive | 1440×1407 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |