R.E.M. Fables Deluxe Edition

[Folkie]

Well I just broke open my copy of the deluxe edition of "Fables of the Reconstruction," my favorite of R.E.M.'s records. I haven't listened to the remastered disc,
but I did check out the Athens Demos. The demos were a mixed bag: the reading of "Bandwagon" is lovely, perhaps the best version I've come across. "Throw Those Trolls Away" was totally new to me and of great interest. And, as you would expect, the rest of the songs are basically stripped down versions of the final takes from "Fables," done with only minimal overdubs and sometimes somewhat ragged around the edges. This material will only appeal to the serious collector.
I just wish they could have included some live footage from 1985 in place of some of the demos. The liner notes are minimal, but it's really nice to hear Peter Buck say a few good things about the album, even while acknowledging that the band was near collapse when the album was recorded.

[Pumpkinhead]

I love this album and I was therefore shocked to read about the friction surrounding it's creation.
I really like Joe Boyd's dark and broody production, that lends a powerful "Southern Gothic" feel to my ears.
Maybe it's one of those cases where the tension, though painful, resulted in something quite special artistically?
(I hadn't thought of this before but it reminds me of Andy Partridge's battles with Todd Rundgren when he produced XTC's "Skylarking" album.)

It would be interesting to hear what Peter Buck has to say but I can't quite bring myself to buy another reissue so I'll have to wait until it hits the bargain bins!

[Folkie]

Yes, "Southern Gothic" is a common phrase used to describe early R.E.M., and I think it's a good description of their style circa-1985. I would argue that "Fables" is their most fully-achieved folk-rock record, beautifully produced by Joe Boyd, and as one reviewer put it, "simultaneously up to date and as old as the hills." Too bad the band members have so often slighted or criticized "Fables" over the years. Despite the turmoil that produced it, I think it was the band's finest moment.

Robert

[electrofaro]

As hardcore R.E.M. fan and collector I am ashamed to say I don't have it yet

[Pumpkinhead]

Too bad the band members have so often slighted or criticized "Fables" over the years. Despite the turmoil that produced it, I think it was the band's finest moment.

Robert - I too am mystified at their apparent unhappiness with the album.
After seeing this thread, I went and looked up some reviews of the latest reissue and it seems that Stipe at least has revised his opinion somewhat and now seems a bit happier with it. I'm glad because it always seemed pretty mean to slate the record when Joe Boyd did such a fine job.

[scott_s]

The guys were exhausted from touring, physically sick, and tired of each other's company when they recorded Fables in a foreign country during a bleak winter -- it nearly drove them to break up. I can totally understand them not being able to separate the experience from the end result. Thankfully, they didn't break up, and time has given them a more charitable view of the record.

It's not my favorite, but there are some interesting narratives in the songs, and you can hear the roots of things they would do later on records like "Out of Time".

- Scott

[Pumpkinhead]

The guys were exhausted from touring, physically sick, and tired of each other's company when they recorded Fables in a foreign country during a bleak winter -- it nearly drove them to break up.

Tell me about it Scott!
I've had to live here for nearly 44 years so imagine what that does to you

Seriously though, I think you're right about the negative associations from miserable old Blighty affecting their view of the record. I also find it interesting that the record sounds so thoroughly American - almost as if the homesickness somehow crept into the songs/sound.

[Folkie]

I seem to recall that the reviewer for "Rolling Stone" magazine suggested that perhaps traveling to London to cut the album allowed the band members to see their own region (the American South) more clearly. Nonetheless the record bears the distinct imprint of folk-rock master Joe Boyd, who had worked with Fairport Convention and Richard and Linda Thompson, among others. Whatever went into the mix, the final project is, I think, quintessentially American, drawing off of the Byrds' electric twelve-string sound as well as many earlier sources.

Robert

[miltric]

I don't have the Deluxe edition of Fables yet, but I'm sure it will be worth my money, because the version I've had since the 1990s sounds pretty lousy to my ears. I'm referring not to the quality of the material, but strictly the sonic dimensions of the recording.

Most of the reviews I see talk about Fables the way critics have always pretty much discussed it: as a transitional record that doesn't represent them at their best. This is how I viewed it for years, until the singer and songwriter in my band inspired me to re-evaluate it. Now, I see it as perhaps the most representative thing they've ever done. Buck's guitar playing strikes me as perhaps the most inventive of his long career (see "Feeling Gravitys Pull," "Life and How to Live It," and "Auctioneer"). As a lyricist, Stipe really seems to know what he wants to do on these songs, even though he retains just the right amount of his trademark crypticism (is that even a word?). There is a kind of murkiness to the mix, but I don't think I'd have it any other way now. Apparently, the demo versions on the bonus disc give an idea of what the songs would have sounded like with a clearer mix, so in theory, this edition of the record sort of provides the best of both worlds.

I'll let you all know if I think differently after actually listening to the whole thing . . .

[miltric]

I seem to recall that the reviewer for "Rolling Stone" magazine suggested that perhaps traveling to London to cut the album allowed the band members to see their own region (the American South) more clearly

To this point, right after I finished my previous post, I ran across this quote from the playwright Henrik Ibsen: "summer is best described on a winter's day."

[Pumpkinhead]

crypticism (is that even a word?)

...it is now

[s4001]

Agreed, Fables is one of my favorites by them. Sometimes tension breeds creativity.

[rkbsound]

As acclaimed as this album is, I think it really only holds appeal to hardcore fans. I'm not sure why. It's really one of the great albums of our time.

[electrofaro]

As acclaimed as this album is, I think it really only holds appeal to hardcore fans. I'm not sure why. It's really one of the great albums of our time.

First time I heard of them was with "Losing My Religion". I didn't own more than "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" in 1993. I really liked these albums and because of a special on MTV Europe I decided to look for an earlier album when I'd be in the US. Somehow I couldn't make up my mind in Orlando in summer 1993 between Murmur, Reckoning, but this album had "Can't Get There from Here" on it, so I took that. I listened to it during the whole flight from Orlando to Amsterdam over and over on my discman - I drained quite a few batteries on that flight (plus no-one whinged about using it at all!). In short: the album made me a hardcore fan.

the version I've had since the 1990s sounds pretty lousy to my ears.

The CD version? To me the vinyl and CD versions aren't that shockingly different. Nothing like "Monster" from 1994 for instance!

[Rickygirl]

As I understand it, there was also a lot of tension between Bill Berry and Boyd. I have read that Boyd said he was "used to working with really talented drummers" and so pushed Berry very hard to "get the best out of him". Mmmm, considering Berry has been categorised as one of the top 10 drummers of all time, maybe that was a tad harsh. Or, perhaps he BECAME one of the top 10 after Boyd pushed him!! I think there was a serious cocaine issue going on too.

Lets face it.....Britain in February is the pits, let alone having come from a (generally) warmer Ga. Even us Brits are ready to end it all by that month.

For me, this is an album that just grows on you. The more you listen, the more it gets into your soul. I love it now, but was not so keen when I first heard years ago. My favourite track is Maps and Legends and I have a live acoustic version somewhere....it was fantastic to hear that song played live during the Accelerate "Rehearsal" in Dublin.