R.E.M. / Fables Of The Reconstruction (25 Anniversary Edition)
Album: Fables Of The Reconstruction (25 Anniversary Edition)   Collection:General
Artist:R.E.M.   Added:Jul 2010
Label:Capitol Records Inc.  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2010-09-19 Pull Date: 2010-11-21
Week Ending: Nov 21 Nov 14 Nov 7 Oct 31 Oct 24 Oct 17 Oct 10 Oct 3
Airplays: 1 3 2 4 2 5 3 2

Recent Airplay
1. Nov 16, 2010: Daydream Disaster
Can't Get There From Here
4. Nov 07, 2010: the seductardation
Driver 8
2. Nov 12, 2010: The Songsmith Show
Can't Get There From Here
5. Nov 04, 2010: The Musical Mystery Box o' Fun
Bandwagon (Athens Demo)
3. Nov 11, 2010: The Musical Mystery Box o' Fun
Can't Get There From Here (Athens Demo)
6. Nov 02, 2010: Gamma Radiation
Feeling Gravity's Pull

Album Review
Andy S
Reviewed 2010-09-12
Gorgeous, weird, immersive, haunting, pop-folk-indie-rock. The third and best album from my favorite band, crisped up but not too noticeably altered with a 25th anniversary remaster. Disc 2 is a series of live demos, most of which closely resemble their album counterparts and all of which are definitely playable (also, they feature Mike Mills's "secret weapon" backing vox more prominently than the album). Fables takes the brand of incipient indie that R.E.M. established with Murmur and Reckoning and cements it in a Southern-gothic pseudo-narrative. Absolutely beautiful and enthralling at every step.
Start with 2 or 6. FCC clean. –Andy

Disc 1:
1 - Nervous and tight; metallic guitar and peeking vocals
**2 - Huge, lush, and certain; harmony-flooded paean to eccentricity
*3 - Minor-key guitar rock, nice murky riffs
4 - Slow, quiet start into a bright, classic R.E.M. sound, one of those that makes you think Stipe just naturally talks in song form
*5 - Dark and bass-heavy, with something deeply neurotic right below the surface
**6 - Ridiculously fun folk-rock romp, great build-ups and drawled-out vox
7 - Pleasant contemplative pop with plenty of guitar jangle
8 - Big mumbled-vox bliss-out
*9 - Driving instrumentals in a brooding, urgent rock number
10 - Sentimental rock in the vein of "Camera," great harmony-fastened chorus hook
*11 - Wistful, vocals-centric folk-pop ballad, fantastic two-part vox, banjo, strings

Disc 2:
1 - Demo of 1.9, interesting extra vox
*2 - Demo of a b-side; folky, light, grabbing; once again, nice backing vox from Mills; check out the studio version on Dead Letter Office (we have the 12")
*3 - Demo of 1.6; fantastic whoop from Stipe at the start; missing a key vocal part from the album version, but still lots of fun
4 - Demo of 1.3, not much different
5 - Demo of 1.1; cool snare part not present on the album
6 - Demo of 1.10; mostly the same, a bit more intimate without all the effects
7 - Demo of 1.7; some extra "la"s in the intro, otherwise similar to album version
8 - Demo of a vigorous Lifes Rich Pageant (their next lp) track; interesting to hear it Fables-style
9 - Demo of 1.8; less spacey without effects; different guitar tone is interesting
*10 - Demo of 1.4; works particularly well in the live format
11 - Demo of 1.2; definitely wants the full production, but still a fantastic song
12 - Demo of 1.5, very similar to album version
**13 - Previously unreleased song, fun and catchy rock, uses a lot of the same material as "I Believe" from Lifes Rich Pageant
*14 - Demo of 1.11; beautiful song, in striking contrast to the production-heavy album version

Track Listing
1. Feeling Gravity's Pull   13. Bandwagon (Athens Demo)
2. Maps And Legends   14. Can't Get There From Here (Athens Demo)
3. Driver 8   15. Driver 8 (Athens Demo)
4. Life And How To Live It   16. Feeling Gravitys Pull (Athens Demo)
5. Old Man Kensey   17. Good Advices (Athens Demo)
6. Can't Get There From Here   18. Green Grow The Rushes (Athens Demo)
7. Green Grow The Rushes   19. Hyena (Athens Demo)
8. Kahoutek   20. Kohoutek (Athens Demo)
9. Auctioneer (Another Engine)   21. Life And How To Live It (Athens Demo)
10. Good Advices   22. Maps And Legends (Athens Demo)
11. Wendell Gee   23. Old Man Kensey (Athens Demo)
12. Auctioneer (Another Engine) (Athens Demo)   24. Throw Those Trolls Away (Athens Demo)
  25. Wendell Gee (Athens Demo)