Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables

Certain Songs #1712: R.E.M. – “Good Advices”

December 23, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables
Year: 1985

. . .

Because it wasn’t played at the soundcheck we recorded like “Old Man Kensey” and “Driver 8,” were you’d have to go looking for it to discover that the earliest-known version of “Good Advices” was played at the Star Palace show in Fresno in June, 1984. And while the crowd-sourced setlists for the 1985 Warnors appearance are woefully incomplete, history does record that they played it the next night, at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, a show which — humblebrag alert! — Kassia & I drove up for. Because you could just drive a 500 mile round trip to see a show back then.

I don’t recall the “Good Advices” from that show, but I do recall that they did their take of Television’s “See No Evil” with Michael Stipe shouting “once upon a time there was the greatest band in the world” as Peter Buck started the still-awesome riff.

Certain Songs #1711: R.E.M. – “Kohoutek”

December 20, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables
Year: 1985

. . .

File Under Gone

The comet is coming!!!

It was 1973, and I was still crazy for all things having to do with OUTER SPACE, and a comet called Kohoutek was supposed to totally light up the skies for my eleventh Christmas. And I was totally into it, especially since I knew I had to wait all the way until 1986 to see Halley’s Comet. 1986! That might as well be 2020!!

Except, of course, it was a total and complete bust. Fuck you, Kohoutek!!!

Certain Songs #1710: R.E.M. – “Cant Get There From Here”

December 19, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables
Year: 1985

. . .

The making of Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables was notoriously difficult. Away from their comfort zone for the first time, and somewhat unprepared for the damp London winter, they kind of took a dim view of it at first, only coming to realize its strengths when they were able to disassociate the songs themselves from the experience of making them.

That said, it’s kinda ironic that from those sessions was born one of the long-running tropes of their career, the silly/funny song, arriving full-bore in the album’s first single, “Cant Get There From Here.”

Certain Songs #1709: R.E.M. – “Life and How To Live It”

December 18, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables
Year: 1985

. . .

File Under Carpenter

“Live and How To Live It” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song.

For sure, it’s the greatest song I’ve ever seen them play live, the absolute highlight of the second time I saw them; at the Warnors Theatre in Fresno on July 19, 1985.

Certain Songs #1708: R.E.M. – Feeling Gravitys Pull

December 17, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of The Fables
Year: 1985

. . .

File Under Gravity

It was just different, you know? For one thing, after two albums with one-word titles, here comes this one which almost sounded like it could be a concept album, like maybe a southern rock opera about the post civil war period. Which you would had to take on faith, because you still wouldn’t be able to understand the words.

Certain Songs #1707: R.E.M. – “Driver 8”

December 16, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables
Year: 1985

. . .

File Under Destination

“Driver 8” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song.

The summer of 1984 was the summer of R.E.M. Not only was there the concert at the Star Palace in mid-June, but they also became a go-to band on MTV. Obviously, not so much the videos for “so. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” or “Radio Free Europe“, but rather appearances on some of the long-form TV shows MTV was trying to develop as antidotes to their ongoing onslaught of music videos.

R.E.M. – Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables

September 11, 1985 by Jim Connelly

(I.R.S.)

Fables of the Reconstruction, the third album from Athens, GA wunderkinds R.E.M., is probably the weakest album that they’ve done. It’s also an incredible album, easily the best record (so far) of ’85. Fables is R.E.M.’s weakest only by default — their 1983 debut, Murmur, is an organic classic whose stature grows daily, and last year’s more straightforward Reckoning, while not as mysterious, had a strong live feel.