Comments on: R.E.M. :: Reckoning (Reissue)

By: Stan H.

Stan H. — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:31:09 +0000

Excellent post! Good God, man, did we know each other in high school? Or did I have the same musical experiences as thousands of other suburban Atlanta teens in the late ’80s-early ’90s?

By: Rob J

Rob J — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:57:59 +0000

To think that I once owned this album, and then sold it ! What the hell was I thinking of ?

Still the great beauty of hindsight is you can correct previous mistakes, and although it has taken me twenty six years to realise it, this is a great record.

Better late, than never……

By: J. Niimi

J. Niimi — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:09:55 +0000

Enjoyed your post, and thanks for the shout-out — you can probably tell that my formative experiences with R.E.M. were pretty similar to yours, and those of the other folks who’ve posted here. Strangely, one of my favorite R.E.M. tapes — alongside Murmur, Chronic Town, & Reckoning — was the tape I made of the concert that’s included with the Reckoning reissue, which I taped from the original broadcast back in the day. It’s one of my favorite live recordings of them — I’m happy to hear that it’s received a formal release! — Best, J. Niimi

By: Weekly Round Up - June 28th 2009 | Colour Me Impressed

Weekly Round Up - June 28th 2009 | Colour Me Impressed — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:18:26 +0000

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By: JFK

JFK — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:21:35 +0000

Great post. I too remember when Reckoning came out (some of us are in our mid-40s here!), in school at the University of Utah…it was a link to the world outside of the “Zion curtain”. Like Kyle (above), finding another REM-head was like having a secret club. Lost my 4-track tape years and years ago and recently (cough, cough), er, bought it on iTunes, which may be akin to blasphemy. But it still sounds amazing and brings back great memories.

By: Kyle BIehle

Kyle BIehle — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:47:11 +0000

I picked up Reckoning the day it came out, my junior year at UC Santa Barbara. I had listened to Murmur and Chronic Town to death by that point and was dying for anything else from the band. After listening to the album a dozen times, the songs were stuck in my head. Most notably, Harbor Coat. That same week the album came out, I remember studying in a cubicle at the college library and scribbling in very small print on the desk: “Please Find My Harbor Coat”. That was it. One small piece of graffiti on a white desk on the 7th Floor of the UCSB library. A small piece of code from a band I loved. I returned to the 7th floor two nights later, and managed to secure the same coveted study spot. My lyrics were still there, but someone had added the next line: “Can’t Go outside Without It”. Felt like I was part of a secret club. It was a small, powerful moment. Thanks for triggering the memory.

By: A Free Man

A Free Man — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:45:58 +0000

Reckoning is the album that got me into R.E.M. Like you, it is one of the few from that era that I still listen to with any regularity (I’ve got Beelzebubba somewhere down in the stacks as well).

By: Chuck

Chuck — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:27:19 +0000

Great post. Totally used to shop at the Turtles in Peachtree Corners before they closed it down. Had a similarly worn out tape of a show REM did at Lakewood right after Up came out. If I remember correctly they broadcast it live over 99X. Amazing stuff.

By: Joe Sherfy

Joe Sherfy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:14:39 +0000

Hopefully one day the Timbuk 3 albums that came out on IRS will be re released for another group of folks to discover. At least they are all now available again as downloads……………

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:05:22 +0000

Wow. Will all the mid-30-somethings please stand up? Great post…like many other commenters, I had a similar experience. R.E.M. was the first band that was “mine,” in that my friends weren’t into it, my parents didn’t get it, and I loved them. I started with Green, bought Murmur and Reckoning next, and was hooked. Their catalog is always on my player, and I agree they stand the test of time far better than many of their peers.

By: Philco Brothers

Philco Brothers — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:24:06 +0000

I had heard Chronic Town and Murmur but Reckoning was where I felt like I understood the songs even if I didn’t know what the words meant. The b-sides were great. They liked the Velvet Underground too! Do we really need a Deluxe Edition of this? The IRS Years reissue was just fine and I’m still looking for the Mobile Fidelity CD. And even though their last album, Overrate, I mean Accelerate wasn’t that great, I reckon I’d rather listen to my least favorite REM songs than Pavement anyway.

By: Bobabooey

Bobabooey — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:53:08 +0000

You know, back in 1986-90 I would’ve said that Life’s Rich Pageant or Document was my favorite of their output thus far. The past few years though, Reckoning is the one I pop on from time to time. Nice post.

To tie them further together, check out Stephen Malkmus doing an R.E.M. cover medley on the fly in an art gallery for La Blogotheque:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4lyv6_stephen-malkmus-and-the-jicks_music

By: Kaley

Kaley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:56:29 +0000

G-G-GEORGIA!!!

By: will

will — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:37:01 +0000

I too still have the cassette copy of Reckoning that I dubbed off of my stepfather when I was 15. I have no cassette player but I still have the tape.

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:09:04 +0000

You pretty much described what happened to me, albeit in South London as opposed to suburban Atlanta, and also much more eloquently. R.E.M. was my gateway band to a smorgasbord of alternative music. Thanks for making me relive many happy memories of high school when my friends and I would skip class and share listening to Reckoning on one Walkman. I *really* enjoy your blog – it is more personal and in depth than just showcasing MP3s from the latest and greatest, like many other alt music blogs out there – it has been inspiring me for over a year now. Keep up the good work.