# xmcd
#
# Track frame offsets: 
#        187
#        22060
#        36350
#        51655
#        70295
#        89047
#        105550
#        122495
#        137275
#        149557
#        165347
#
# Disc length: 2386 seconds
#
# Revision: 15
# Processed by: cddbd v1.5.2PL0 Copyright (c) Steve Scherf et al.
# Submitted via: ExactAudioCopy v0.90b4
#
DISCID=9f09500b,a2094e0b
DTITLE=R.E.M. / Fables Of The Reconstruction
DYEAR=1985
DGENRE=Alt. Rock
TTITLE0=Feeling Gravity's Pull
TTITLE1=Maps And Legends
TTITLE2=Driver 8
TTITLE3=Life And How To Live It
TTITLE4=Old Man Kensey
TTITLE5=Can't Get There From Here
TTITLE6=Green Grow The Rushes
TTITLE7=Kohoutek
TTITLE8=Auctioneer (Another Engine)
TTITLE9=Good Advices
TTITLE10=Wendell Gee
EXTD=Originally Released June 1985\nCD Edition Released 1988 ??\n\nAMG
EXTD= EXPERT REVIEW: For their third album, R.E.M. made a conscious ef
EXTD=fort to break from the traditions Murmur and Reckoning establishe
EXTD=d, electing to record in England with legendary folk-rock produce
EXTD=r Joe Boyd. For a variety of reasons, the sessions were difficult
EXTD=, and that tension is apparent throughout Fables of the Reconstru
EXTD=ction. A dark, moody rumination on American folk -- not only the 
EXTD=music, but its myths -- Fables is creepy, rustic psychedelic folk
EXTD=, filled with eerie sonic textures. Some light breaks through occ
EXTD=asionally, such as the ridiculous collegiate blue-eyed soul of "C
EXTD=an't Get There From Here," but the group's trademark ringing guit
EXTD=ars and cryptic lyrics have grown sinister, giving even sing-alon
EXTD=gs like "Driver 8" an ominous edge. Fables is more inconsistent t
EXTD=han its two predecessors, but the group does demonstrate consider
EXTD=able musical growth, particularly in how perfectly it evokes the 
EXTD=strange rural legends of the South. And many of the songs on the 
EXTD=record -- including "Feeling Gravitys Pull," "Maps and Legends," 
EXTD="Green Grow the Rushes," "Auctioneer (Another Engine)," and the p
EXTD=reviously mentioned pair -- rank among the group's best. -- Steph
EXTD=en Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nR.E.M.'s third
EXTD= full-length recording, Fables of the Reconstruction delivers the
EXTD= purest distillation of the band's early sound. With the exceptio
EXTD=n of the horn-laden, radio-friendly "Can't Get There from Here," 
EXTD=the songs form a connected soundscape. Nearly transparent product
EXTD=ion highlights the glittering guitar arpeggios, active bass, and 
EXTD=the disciplined, patterned drum lines, with organ and spare strin
EXTD=g arrangements adding texture to several pieces. And then there a
EXTD=re the vocals: dense harmonies of voices calling out to each othe
EXTD=r, a rich humming and howling around Michael Stipe's central mumb
EXTD=le. A careful listener can discern most of the lyrics, though wha
EXTD=t exactly they signify remains unclear. The album is best contemp
EXTD=lated in its entirety, and the songs reward careful, repeated lis
EXTD=tening. This is a seminal alternative album, its material evocati
EXTD=ve, its ultimate meanings elusive. If your CD collection has room
EXTD= for only a few R.E.M. albums, Fables should be one of them. --Al
EXTD=bert Massa \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAlbum has withstood te
EXTD=st of two decades., March 10, 2005\nReviewer: Y. Carrington (Rale
EXTD=igh, NC)\nListening to this album today, I have a hard time under
EXTD=standing what critics were disappointed about in 1985. Now Fables
EXTD= may have not continued the fierce momentum of Murmur and Reckoni
EXTD=ng, but it is still a solid, moving album. Some of the old Rollin
EXTD=g Stone reviews complained of sections of the record (especially 
EXTD=the second half) as being "boring." Where did that idea come from
EXTD=? \n\nWith three superb joints opening the record ("Feeling Gravi
EXTD=ty's Pull," "Maps and Legends," "Driver 8") and satisfying number
EXTD=s carrying it through, I say that Fables of the Reconstruction is
EXTD= one of the best albums in rock and roll in the past twenty-five 
EXTD=years. It is surely among the best of R.E.M's career. The solid r
EXTD=unning streak of their first eight albums is a milestone that is 
EXTD=nearly impossible for the average recording artist to achieve. \n
EXTD=\nTo be fair though, music listeners today have the benefit of hi
EXTD=ndsight with regards to assessing R.E.M's career. It was tough in
EXTD=deed to say just where the band was going to go in 1985, or the r
EXTD=est of rock and roll for that manner. What I know is this: Fables
EXTD= is as fresh today as it was twenty years ago.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUST
EXTD=OMER REVIEW\nFirst half is excellent, second half is lame, Januar
EXTD=y 31, 2005\nReviewer: Clare Alison Durina "Prabhupadanuga" (Detro
EXTD=it MI USA)\nFor their third album REM travelled to England to rec
EXTD=ord in the damp and dreary atmosphere of the British isles. That 
EXTD=mood definitely comes across on the first half of the record. Whe
EXTD=re their first two records were lighthearted, Fables reaks of the
EXTD= despair and darkness that the group felt as they recorded it. De
EXTD=pression often makes for great records, and this record is no exc
EXTD=eption. "Old Man Kennsey" and "Feeling Gravity's Pull" are harrow
EXTD=ing. Unfotunately, the momentum begun on side one is lost on side
EXTD= two. The second side goes back to more of their lighter and open
EXTD= sound but unfortunately the songwriting is not up to par, with t
EXTD=he exception of "Kohotek". Sorry, I have always found "Can't Get 
EXTD=There From Here" to be one of their most annoying songs, and Stip
EXTD=e's vocals don't help any on it either. Yet if the songs on side 
EXTD=two would have been stronger this could have been their best reco
EXTD=rd. Despite the three star rating I gave this, I seriously recomm
EXTD=end this record based on the strength of the first half. Those so
EXTD=ngs alone are masterpieces worth the price of the album. \n\nAMAZ
EXTD=ON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nClassic Indie, November 19, 2004\nReviewe
EXTD=r: George a Pletz "ger353" (Central PA, USA)\nProduced in stressf
EXTD=ul times with an unfamiliar producer, this is the start of the th
EXTD=ree album plateau (starts here and ends with Document). All the f
EXTD=amiliar elements are here and in perfect balance. The band realiz
EXTD=es what it has to offer and delivers. Obtuse and arcanely catchy.
EXTD= For me, it all goes downhill with the questionable Green. I know
EXTD= that admitting that I actually liked REM, albeit for short perio
EXTD=d of time, will tag me as a fan but this album holds a certain fo
EXTD=ndness. Like an early ex-girlfriend. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVI
EXTD=EW\n"Michael built a bridge, Michael tore it down", July 6, 2004\n
EXTD=Reviewer: "driver_eight" (Buenos Aires, Argentina)\nI must confes
EXTD=s I was somewhat shocked at learning that the band didn't think m
EXTD=uch of this record. I know all their albums almost by heart now, 
EXTD=and I always considered "Fables..." as one of REM's finest. I sup
EXTD=pose this shows just how a work of art, once it is finished, beco
EXTD=mes something that no longer belongs to its creators, and gains a
EXTD= life of its own. More than any other REM album, this is one to l
EXTD=isten to from beginning to end, as one single story with several 
EXTD=changes of mood. \nIn a way, the general mood of "Fables..." is q
EXTD=uite similar to that of "Automatic for the people", somewhat dark
EXTD= and sad overall, but with a tiny light at the end of the tunnel.
EXTD= Personally, I think this record shows REM at their best: great s
EXTD=ongwriting, with exquisite melodies and cryptic lyrics that can m
EXTD=ean almost anything (the title of this review, for example, is ta
EXTD=ken from "Kohoutek", and can be used to illustrate the band's dis
EXTD=approval of their own work). \nIt is quite difficult to point out
EXTD= the highlights of this album, but "Maps and legends", "Driver 8"
EXTD= and "Life and how to live it" are short masterpieces, and "Wende
EXTD=ll Gee" is a little gem that shows just how much can be achieved 
EXTD=with few materials: a fine example of Peter Buck's opinion of how
EXTD= simple songwriting should be. Granted, it might not be the perfe
EXTD=ct place to start, but it sure is one of the greatest to revisit 
EXTD=again and again.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAs Close to Perfe
EXTD=ction as R.E.M. Ever Got, May 10, 2004\nReviewer: Kerry S. Hale "
EXTD=Kerry S. Hale" (Hughes, AR United States)\nThis is one of the fir
EXTD=st R.E.M. records I ever owned (I think I had Life's Rich Pageant
EXTD= first). Being a teenager at the time (1986), it was a very hard 
EXTD=record to "get into". I liked a few of the songs, such as "Feelin
EXTD=g Gravity's Pull", "Driver 8", and "Kohoutek", but really didn't 
EXTD=get most of it. During the 1990's, as R.E.M. became just another 
EXTD=band gone awry, I forgot about the record, and grew up. I pulled 
EXTD=this record out of one of my boxes a couple of years ago, put it 
EXTD=on, and "got it". \nI think it is impossible to rate this record 
EXTD=as a standalone effort. This record has to be considered in a con
EXTD=text of R.E.M.'s first five albums, ending with Document. After t
EXTD=hat, I didn't leave the music, it just left me. This album, falli
EXTD=ng smack-dab in the middle of R.E.M.'s creative high point, just 
EXTD=nails what they were trying to do on every front. There is probab
EXTD=ly no album that better combines melody, tune, songcraft, storyte
EXTD=lling, musicianship, and absolute creativity. The only thing I wo
EXTD=uld change would be to remove "Old Man Kensey", and "Can't Get Th
EXTD=ere From Here". I find myself pushing the forward button on the i
EXTD=Pod every time they roll around. The high point of this album, as
EXTD= with "Reckoning", is the songwriting, insrumentation, and arrang
EXTD=ement of the first four songs. "Feeling Gravity's Pull" is probab
EXTD=ly R.E.M.'s most avant-garde composition of all time (until they 
EXTD=just really weirded out in the late 90's). "Maps and Legends" is 
EXTD=one of their best, in terms of songwriting and performance. "Driv
EXTD=er 8" captures a general feeling of nostalgia like no other song 
EXTD=in rock that I know of. "Life and How to Live it" goes at a frant
EXTD=ic pace that is a lot of fun, and has some of the best lyrics to 
EXTD=any R.E.M. song. With the exception of the afore-mentioned throwa
EXTD=ways, the rest of the album is excellent, too. I can listen to "K
EXTD=ohoutek" repeatedly, and "Wendell Gee" is about as touching a son
EXTD=g as they ever wrote. \n\nIt is really sad, after listening to R.
EXTD=E.M.'s first five albums, to see the bloated, tuneless, greatest 
EXTD=hits spectacle that R.E.M. have become. If I hear "What's the Fre
EXTD=quency, Kenneth?" or "Imitation of Life" one more time, I'm going
EXTD= to jump, and songs like "All the Way to Reno" are so bad that yo
EXTD=u can't help but listen. If you want to know why R.E.M. was the b
EXTD=est band in the world twenty years ago, pick up this record, alon
EXTD=g with "Reckoning" and "Life's Rich Pageant" right now. Together,
EXTD= they make even the best rock music of the last twenty years seem
EXTD= silly by comparison.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWrapped up i
EXTD=n their mystery, February 26, 2004\nReviewer: Michael Kluge (San 
EXTD=Jose, CA United States)\nWhile records like Murmur, Automatic for
EXTD= the People, and New Adventures are more obvious masterpieces in 
EXTD=their catalogue, Fables of the Reconstruction definitely shows up
EXTD= as the odd child out. Despite being overlooked and generally shu
EXTD=nned by the band, it proves in the end to be a dark masterpiece a
EXTD=ll its own.\nIt's shadowy, somber, muted and seemingly simplistic
EXTD= in production, probably even more lyrically obtuse and obscure t
EXTD=han Murmur or Reckoning (to this day I still am not clear on half
EXTD= of this record's lyrics), appears to tell a story while at the s
EXTD=ame time appearing oblivious to the world, feels like an undercur
EXTD=rent while static at the same time. It's wrought with contradicti
EXTD=on and can't be easily pegged, yet it's probably one of the most 
EXTD=insidious albums in their catalogue. One listen to the song "Life
EXTD= and How to Live It" proves this: a muted guitar strum leads into
EXTD= a rollicking drum and jangle-guitar movement, and Stipe's infect
EXTD=ious mumbles (apparently recorded in a stairwell that he liked fo
EXTD=r the acoustics) that reveal a story in snippets, and you can't h
EXTD=elp but be dragged along. Darkly sinister songs like "Feeling Gra
EXTD=vity's Pull" and "Old Man Kensey" give an ominous vibe that's har
EXTD=d to resist, while more driving tunes like "Maps and Legends" and
EXTD= "Can't Get There From Here" show a lyrical fascination with move
EXTD=ment and space that oddly suits the record. Regarded by Mike Mill
EXTD=s as Stipe's "storytelling record," you get the impression of por
EXTD=ing over a dusty text, getting glimpses and fragments of lives lo
EXTD=ng forgotten. \n\nThe mystery of this record, more than any other
EXTD= in their canon, is what makes it so addictive. It may not be lik
EXTD=e anything else they've done (rarely have they remained truly con
EXTD=sistent, though), but that's what leads it the majority of its ch
EXTD=arm. It's a tale well told.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSouthe
EXTD=rn Gothic, June 24, 2003\nReviewer: Martin Dawson (preston, lanca
EXTD=shire United Kingdom)\nBy the time this album was released REM we
EXTD=re about to eclipse Joy Division as my favourite band. Which is s
EXTD=ort of ironic because for years I've referred to this album as RE
EXTD=M's 'Joy Division Album'. Don't get me wrong, musically there is 
EXTD=no comparison whatsoever - I'm talking about spirit, I'm talking 
EXTD=about heart. And soul. An overwhelming and inspiring feeling of m
EXTD=elancholy which if it's gothic, is Southern Gothic and feels just
EXTD= fine by me.\n" Michael built a bridge/ Michael tore it down..."\n
EXTD=After the effortless Byrdsian-jangle of 'Reckoning', this was a d
EXTD=ifferent matter entirely. " Time and distance are out of place he
EXTD=re...". Exactly. 'Feeling Gravity's Pull' is all angular sharpnes
EXTD=s and a perfect jarring opening.Until Stipe croons/coos that chor
EXTD=us beginning " I felt gravity pull onto my eye..." in that sweet 
EXTD=falsetto and the whole thing just washes over you in an unexpecte
EXTD=d way which after so many listens shouldn't really happen. The ma
EXTD=gic and the mystery of this band. And this album.\n\n" It's a Man
EXTD= Ray kind-of sky/ Let me show you what I can do with it..."\nThe 
EXTD=moments of beauty here are sublime. ' Maps And Legends' moves alo
EXTD=ng under its own dynamic purpose, Michael Stipe's enigmatic lyric
EXTD=s colliding with Mike Mills' infectious harmonies by the time you
EXTD= reach the chorus.' Driver 8' is classic REM. Those rollicking gu
EXTD=itar riffs and lines like " The children look up/ All they hear i
EXTD=s sky-blue bells ring...". I really admire the way this band have
EXTD= developed, have moved on and established themselves both critica
EXTD=lly and commercially but surely I can't be the only one that feel
EXTD=s that something was lost in the translation; surely I can't be t
EXTD=he only one to mourn the loss of the enigmatic, the sense that un
EXTD=told truths were in there, if only we could decipher them...\n\n"
EXTD= My pockets are out and running about/ Walking in the street to t
EXTD=ell what I have hidden there..."\nWell, lines like that for start
EXTD=ers. This is ' Life And How To Live It' in the greatest possible 
EXTD=sense : with a wide-eyed wonder and a sense of the impossible. If
EXTD= the band were miserable and homesick during the recording of thi
EXTD=s masterpiece, then maybe more bands should go through that; I lo
EXTD=ve the feeling of displacement here, the sense of alienation...bu
EXTD=t it's all tempered, even if the band didn't realise it themselve
EXTD=s at the time, by that feeling of wonder. \n\n" Pay for your free
EXTD=dom...Guilt by associate..."\nAnd by turns it's political. ' Gree
EXTD=n Grow The Rushes Grow' is - obliquely - about US foreign policy 
EXTD=and migrant labour. And set to a beautiful, nagging tune. With a 
EXTD=beautiful Stipe vocal.\n\n" If you're needing inspiration..."\nTh
EXTD=is is the place to come. When the world is a monster. Or just any
EXTD=time. 'Wendell Gee' is the stunning, lilting ballad which closes 
EXTD=the collection but it is before then that you have the priceless 
EXTD=moment : 'Good Advices'. Still probably my favourite REM song as 
EXTD=Stipe dispenses other-worldy advice like " When you greet a stran
EXTD=ger look at their shoes/ Keep your memories in your shoes/ Put yo
EXTD=ur travel behind..." and the heartbreaking chorus of " I'd like i
EXTD=t here if I could leave and see you from a long way away..." \n\n
EXTD=So...\n\n" Paint me the places you have seen..."\nWhich is what, 
EXTD=at the end of the day, this album effectively does. It is mysteri
EXTD=ous. And lets you in whilst retaining its mysteries. In the most 
EXTD=beautiful and uplifting way possible...\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER RE
EXTD=VIEW\nWhen Life Give You Lemons..., September 24, 2002\nReviewer:
EXTD= benshlomo "benshlomo" (Los Angeles, CA USA)\nEven if one didn't 
EXTD=know much about R.E.M.'s history, "Fables of the Reconstruction" 
EXTD=would still sound like the work of some very homesick men.\nIt's 
EXTD=hardly traditional folk music or anything like that. The band was
EXTD= too individualistic to produce such sounds. On the other hand, t
EXTD=here's a dark cloud of loneliness and despair hanging over this m
EXTD=usic, even the softer songs. It's as though the guys produced "Fa
EXTD=bles of the Reconstruction" in a land where it rained every day a
EXTD=nd nothing was familiar - which happens to be the case.\n\nLyrica
EXTD=lly, the songs are even more desperate. "Fables of the Reconstruc
EXTD=tion" starts off with the destruction of the world, kicked off by
EXTD= the most threatening guitar riff Peter Buck ever tore into, and 
EXTD=spends the next 35 minutes trying to put things back together, mo
EXTD=stly by inventing stories about the landscape and people of the A
EXTD=merican South. The results are mixed.\n\nThen again, when an albu
EXTD=m begins with Michael Stipe groaning "Oceans fall, mountains drif
EXTD=t" over the closest thing to heavy metal that R.E.M. can produce,
EXTD= there's really nowhere to go but back in time. Sometimes the ban
EXTD=d tries to find its way back by main force, as on "Maps and Legen
EXTD=ds" and "Auctioneer (Another Engine)". Sometimes they try pastora
EXTD=l reflection, as on "Green Grow the Rushes" and "Good Advices". R
EXTD=egardless of the musical style, these songs feel like a group of 
EXTD=successful dead ends - they function adequately, but leave nothin
EXTD=g to build on. It's not an accident that the single off this albu
EXTD=m was called "Can't Get There From Here" - the band apparently re
EXTD=alized that they could not, in fact, and called off the historica
EXTD=l mining right away.\n\nThat leaves us with R.E.M.'s least consis
EXTD=tent album, at least until their drummer retired. "Fables of the 
EXTD=Reconstruction" has some of their best material, and some of thei
EXTD=r worst. When this stuff works, it's exciting and propulsive - th
EXTD=ere are a lot of interesting additions to their basic musical str
EXTD=ucture, like the nightmare strings on "Feeling Gravitys Pull" and
EXTD= the discordant harmonica on "Driver 8". On the best songs, too, 
EXTD=the band's well-known mysterious aura is very much intact - the m
EXTD=axims on "Good Advices" ("When you greet a stranger, look at his 
EXTD=shoes"?) make sense only as dreams do, and the grotesques describ
EXTD=ed in "Old Man Kensey" and "Wendell Gee" remain as curious at son
EXTD=g's end as at the beginning. On the other hand, when this stuff d
EXTD=oesn't work, the results are musically boring and lyrically confu
EXTD=sing. I'd say the ratio of good songs to poor ones is about 7.5 t
EXTD=o 3.5, with "Can't Get There from Here" falling somewhere in the 
EXTD=middle. This would be a very good score for any average band, but
EXTD= in 1985 I had come to expect better from R.E.M.\n\nWhich brings 
EXTD=us to the circumstances surrounding this album's recording. I sai
EXTD=d it sounds like the work of homesick people, watching the world 
EXTD=around them wash away in the rain and dreaming of the people and 
EXTD=landscapes they had known. That seems to be exactly what these gu
EXTD=ys were going through. Looking for a fresh sound, they moved to L
EXTD=ondon for "Fables of the Reconstruction" and hired Joe Boyd, a we
EXTD=ll-known folk producer who has turned out masterpieces for people
EXTD= like Steeleye Span and the Incredible String Band. This band, ho
EXTD=wever, couldn't seem to get along with him. It was cold and rainy
EXTD= the whole time they were there, they had nowhere to go and nothi
EXTD=ng to do after work each day, and the results of the sessions dis
EXTD=pleased them so much that all these songs disappeared from their 
EXTD=concert list as soon as possible.\n\nI remember reading about thi
EXTD=s in 1985. I decided that although this album wasn't up to my fav
EXTD=orite band's usual standard, I was willing to give it a pass and 
EXTD=wait to see if the guys got their act together the next year. Aft
EXTD=er all, who could expect top quality music in working conditions 
EXTD=like that?\n\nThese days, at a time when so many top acts produce
EXTD= the same damn thing whether they're in London or Laos or the bot
EXTD=tom of the sea, I'm grateful for any music - or any art, for that
EXTD= matter - that has any awareness of its surroundings. That doesn'
EXTD=t make me like the filler on "Fables of the Reconstruction" any b
EXTD=etter, but it makes me feel a little more generous toward the men
EXTD= who recorded it. After all, if these songs are successful dead e
EXTD=nds as I said before, at least these guys let themselves see the 
EXTD=dead ends for what they were. The next year they turned around an
EXTD=d tried something entirely new, and a couple of years later they 
EXTD=were one of the world's top concert draws. If the American Idols 
EXTD=had the sense to attend to that, they'd get down on their knees a
EXTD=nd ask for the strength that allowed R.E.M. to confront the ruin 
EXTD=they saw in London.\n\nBenshlomo says, You can learn from whateve
EXTD=r upheaval life throws at you if you pay attention.\n\nAMAZON.COM
EXTD= CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTHE DEFINITIVE "NEW SOUTHERN ROCK", July 10, 20
EXTD=02\nReviewer: J. C. Bailey (East Sussex United Kingdom)\nNon-Amer
EXTD=ican readers (and Americans who have forgotten their school histo
EXTD=ry) may appreciate a little help in understanding the title and t
EXTD=heme of this landmark album.\nThe "Reconstruction" to which the t
EXTD=itle refers was a Union plan to rebuild the economy and society o
EXTD=f the former Confederate states following the end of the American
EXTD= Civil War (1861-1865) and the abolition of the slavery on which 
EXTD=the Old Southern plantation economy had depended. Tragically, fol
EXTD=lowing the assassination of the visionary president Abraham Linco
EXTD=ln, the so-called "reconstruction" quickly degenerated into a per
EXTD=iod of intense exploitation. Over the ensuing decades, millions f
EXTD=ound that little had really changed, and the ground was laid for 
EXTD=some of modern America's most stubborn political issues. Even now
EXTD= in some areas the old divisions still run deep, and it is only r
EXTD=eally since World War II that the kind of New South that Lincoln 
EXTD=envisaged has been realised. \n\nOf course whether you like the f
EXTD=act or not, rock'n'roll was a Southern invention, the first fruit
EXTD=s of the New South. This is significant because it represented th
EXTD=e sort of cross-fertilisation between black and white musical cul
EXTD=tures that would have been unthinkable in the Old South (remember
EXTD= that the earlier jazz crossovers established themselves in the n
EXTD=orthern cities rather than in their spiritual homeland of the Del
EXTD=ta). And it was Lynyrd Skynyrd who first had the cultural confide
EXTD=nce to respond to Neil Young's abrasive "Southern Man" and "Alaba
EXTD=ma" with the stirring affirmation of "Sweet Home Alabama". But by
EXTD= the end of the 1970's a "New Southern Rock" had grown up, a gene
EXTD=ration of bands that blended exploration with traditionalism and 
EXTD=Southern identity with cosmopolitan influences. \n\nR.E.M. quickl
EXTD=y developed into the most creative and successful unit in this wh
EXTD=ole movement, and from the outset they were the purest representa
EXTD=tion of its substance. They were college boys from the provincial
EXTD= university town of Athens, Georgia, itself a hybrid of industria
EXTD=lism and old world classicism. They were the product of a new ind
EXTD=ustrial middle class that had the capital to educate its kids and
EXTD= the confidence to explore its own cultural identity. And they we
EXTD=re obsessive rock fans who even in stardom never attempt to conce
EXTD=al the homage they still pay to their own heroes.\n\nHeated debat
EXTD=e over the quality of R.E.M.'s last few albums has tended to ecli
EXTD=pse what used to be one of the key disputes among the Athens band
EXTD='s hardcore fanbase: Was Fables a flop? Or was it a masterpiece? 
EXTD="Fables rocks" and "Fables sucks" were two of the competing sloga
EXTD=ns around at the time. Stories began to circulate about civil war
EXTD= in the London studio where the album was cut, between the band a
EXTD=nd the established folk-rock producer overseeing the project. Com
EXTD=ments in the media gave fans the impression (justified or not) th
EXTD=at the band had virtually disowned "Fables", and this in turn put
EXTD= many of their most loyal fans off the album.\n\nIn fact at least
EXTD= one member of the band has more recently admitted that it was a 
EXTD="great" album, and this later assessment is much fairer than any 
EXTD=of the dismissive remarks made back in the eighties when tempers 
EXTD=were still running high. This truly is a great album, the most pe
EXTD=rfect distillation of the lyrical, musical and sonic approach tha
EXTD=t first earned R.E.M. a global cult following.\n\nThat's not to s
EXTD=ay it's easy. The sound is murky. The vocals are indistinct. Ther
EXTD=e is a mixture of clashing compositional styles ranging from the 
EXTD=sweetest pop to the most jarring angry garage rock. And yet there
EXTD= is so much magic, and there isn't a single song on here that doe
EXTD=sn't worm its way into the affections (even the less than univers
EXTD=ally acclaimed 'Wendell Gee'). Such of the lyrics you can make ou
EXTD=t are among Stipe's most obliquely deep and meaningful. Many of t
EXTD=hem revolve round his long-term fascination with the myths, legen
EXTD=ds and stereotypes of the American South (that's were the above h
EXTD=istorical intro comes in). The fact that the album title is print
EXTD=ed in such a way that it can alternatively be read as "Reconstruc
EXTD=tion of the Fables" speaks volumes about the spirit in which this
EXTD= has been undertaken.\n\n"Fables" may not grab you on first heari
EXTD=ng, but it is the definitive early R.E.M. album. Like all truly c
EXTD=lassic releases it amply repays the commitment involved in gettin
EXTD=g to know it well. And I would say that of all R.E.M.'s dozen or 
EXTD=so albums, it is the one I am least likely ever to get tired of.\n
EXTD=\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Band Hated It, But You Don't Ha
EXTD=ve To, March 8, 2002\nReviewer: "thrackamazog" (Austin, TX)\nThis
EXTD= is one of those album's that it's hard to feel ambivalent about.
EXTD= Even the band doesn't really like this one, and lots of people a
EXTD=gree with them. From reading other reviews though, you can see th
EXTD=at this opinion is not universal. I personally like this one a lo
EXTD=t--better than Green, Out of Time, Murmur, and in some ways bette
EXTD=r than Life's Rich Pagent. \nI'll say right now, though, don't be
EXTD= fooled by all the 5 star ratings you see here. It's not the plac
EXTD=e to start if you're new to REM, and plenty of dedicated fans don
EXTD='t like it either. It's something of a departure for them, and it
EXTD= doesn't really sound like any of the others. Start with Life's R
EXTD=ich Pagent, work up to Fables. (Incidentally, I heard this one af
EXTD=ter seven count 'em SEVEN of the others. I liked it instantly.)\n
EXTD=\nThe first song from Fables I ever heard was 'Can't Get There fr
EXTD=om Here', which I heard on Eponymous--where it sounds totally dif
EXTD=ferent. If you've done the same, you'll be surprised when you hea
EXTD=r the rest of the album. Fables kicks off with 'Feeling Gravity's
EXTD= Pull', which is a truly tremendous song. It's low and dark and i
EXTD=rresistable, and it sets the tone for the whole album, a tone rei
EXTD=nforced by two other great songs early on in the lineup, 'Maps an
EXTD=d Legends' and 'Old Man Kensey'. Despite peppier songs like 'Can'
EXTD=t Get There From Here' and 'Life And How To Live It', the whole t
EXTD=hing just feels dark.\n\nFables represents an REM with fewer poli
EXTD=tical pretensions than you hear in the others, which is good if y
EXTD=ou think (as I do) that good music need not have a political caus
EXTD=e. (As the author of "Bloom County" once observed, political band
EXTD=s have a hard time of it--nothing rhymes with Nicaragua.) This al
EXTD=bum is far more human than activist, and that may be why REM does
EXTD=n't like it much.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSouthern dreamsc
EXTD=ape, musical immortality, December 19, 2000\nReviewer: Sean S McV
EXTD=ity (North White Plains, NY USA)\nI'm usually long-winded but in 
EXTD=this case I feel my peers have done a more than adequate job of i
EXTD=mparting the feel of this great classic. To me, it's like being i
EXTD=n a David Lynch dream sequence, floating through the small towns 
EXTD=of the South, seeing what's before you and fascinated, even if yo
EXTD=u don't quite understand it. What a great album.\n\nHalf.com Albu
EXTD=m Notes\nR.E.M.: Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitar); Mik
EXTD=e Mills (bass, vocals); Bill Berry (drums).\n\nAdditional personn
EXTD=el: Camilla Brunt, Phillipa Ibbotson (violin); David Newby (cello
EXTD=); Pete Thomas (tenor saxophone); David Bitelli (tenor & baritone
EXTD= saxophones); Jim Dvorak (trumpet).\n\nEngineers: Jerry Boys, Ton
EXTD=y Harris, Barry Clempson.\nRecorded at Livingston Studios, London
EXTD=, England in March 1985.\n\nFABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION finds R.
EXTD=E.M.'s star rising fast. With major label world domination still 
EXTD=comfortably off in the future, the band was still experimenting; 
EXTD=their jangly frenetic sound was deepening by fathoms, and Michael
EXTD= Stipe's formless rants were solidifying (his diction was improvi
EXTD=ng, too, which only served to clarify his prodigious poetic gift)
EXTD=. The album featured some of the group's most solid pop songcraft
EXTD= to date, as well as some pretty heady meandering ("Feeling Gravi
EXTD=ty's Pull").\nFABLES produced some important hits for the group a
EXTD=t this crucial juncture of its career. Radio staples like "Driver
EXTD= 8" kept them popular with the increasingly important college cro
EXTD=wd (heretofore their bread and butter), while the crisp, jumpy an
EXTD=d irresistibly catchy "Can't Get There From Here" brought them to
EXTD= a new level on the now-essential music video playlists. Diehard 
EXTD=fans, however, were drawn to some quintessential R.E.M. moments--
EXTD=the overlapping vocals of "Maps And Legends" and the wistful, soa
EXTD=ring "Wendel Gee," the album's real gem, a disarming, dreamy, ins
EXTD=tant classic.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n...FABLES... is both REM's mos
EXTD=t impenetrable and fulfilling release to date....FABLES... is...e
EXTD=tched with paranoia, slooooowly-strangled guitars and...the sound
EXTD= of four young Athenians who were neither shiny nor happy.\nNME (
EXTD=09/06/1997)\n\nRanked #88 in AP's list of the `Top 99 Of '85-'95'
EXTD= - ...FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION follow[s] the also moody and s
EXTD=ublime RECKONING with its dark, backwoods wanderlust and a labyri
EXTD=nth of lyrics woven through banjo, cello and violin....FABLES [is
EXTD=] like a dark cloud in the band's discography: Full of stormy rhy
EXTD=thm, trademark guitar jangling and box-car philosophy...\nAlterna
EXTD=tive Press (07/01/1995)\n\nRanked #4 in CMJ's Top 20 Most-Played 
EXTD=Albums of 1985\nCMJ (01/05/2004)
EXTT0=
EXTT1=
EXTT2=
EXTT3=
EXTT4=
EXTT5=
EXTT6=
EXTT7=
EXTT8=
EXTT9=
EXTT10=
PLAYORDER=
