Given their vast and varied catalog, it's sometimes easier to imagine R.E.M. as a discography than to picture them as a flesh-and-blood band. Ironically, it may be R.E.M.'s insistence upon operating as a fully democratic entity that has allowed them to shapeshift so completely and convincingly. Whether crafting a subdued folk song or an over-the-top glam rock stomper, R.E.M. have always embraced their chosen approach completely, even if it means former drummer Bill Berry laying low for an acoustic number or singer Michael Stipe handing off a lead vocal to bassist Mike Mills. On their sophomore LP, Reckoning, those polymorphous tendencies find root as palpable, electrifying, yet-unexplored potential. And with this aptly named reissue, Reckoning finally gets the "Deluxe" treatment (and much-needed remaster) that it deserves.
This comes as no surprise; the "Deluxe" reissue of the band's debut full-length, Murmur, was revelatory, breathing astonishing new life into a 25-five-year-old album. Greg Calbi's expert remastering job cleaned up the album's notoriously murky sonics and revealed previously unheard detail and force. This newfound clarity made Murmur seem much more purposeful, lifting the proverbial veil on an album made by record nerds who understood the common ground between the Soft Boys, Gang of Four, and the Velvet Underground. Reckoning couples the energy of Murmur with the experience of a group that has spent a few years touring and recording, documenting that crucial moment when a band's ideas and ambitions are overtaken by the unique chemistry of its players.
Finally, with this remaster, "Harborcoat" makes for a fittingly explosive opener. Many of the best songs on Reckoning follow the formula set forth on this debut track: a methodical verse followed by a sly turnaround into a cathartic chorus. Bill Berry's drum parts are at times virtually indistinguishable from song to song, and Michael Stipe tends to sing verses and choruses in the same respective registers. But Reckoning is far from formulaic-- instead, it is host to a kind of determined minimalism, each song building via subtle variations in performance and instrumentation. "Discipline" is not a word that gets thrown around a lot when discussing rock music, but it is key to Reckoning's success.
Case in point: As with countless songs written before and after it, "So. Central Rain" takes up the simple phrase "I'm sorry" as its chorus. But the combination of Stipe's strong-yet-unmistakably-fragile voice, Berry's nervous drumming, and the melodic interplay of Mills' bass and Peter Buck's guitar imbue these well-worn words with remarkable force and meaning. For all the arty, pretentious gestures the band was given to, Reckoning shows that they were not afraid to embrace the universal, to transfigure clichés rather than ham-fistedly avoiding them (see also "Everybody Hurts").
As with its predecessor, Reckoning finds R.E.M. touching upon different styles while working within a fairly consistent aesthetic. The latter half veers a bit towards Americana, without sacrificing any of the momentum built over the album's stunning opening tracks. Slight embellishments go a long way towards highlighting the band's versatility-- a propulsive piano line in "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" elevates the homespun whimsy of Stipe's voice, and hand percussion on "Time After Time (Annelise)" hints at the more understated turn the band would take with Fables of the Reconstruction.
The live disc included in this reissue (a 1984 performance at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom) demonstrates how well these songs work without any such production flourishes. While the raw energy of the live show included in the Murmur reissue is toned down a bit, it is fascinating to hear the band grow more sure-footed in both performance and arrangements. It is also interesting to hear how the band's live approach seems to have been absorbed back into their studio recordings; Stipe's trademark live vocal tics are present throughout Reckoning.
Declaring Reckoning to be R.E.M.'s "best" album sells short just how many different kinds of great albums R.E.M. have released. But, more so than any other R.E.M. record, Reckoning is unified and energized by the very restlessness that has driven the band to explore so many different ideas and identities. It is this paradoxical engine of transparency and mystery that has made the band so unique, regardless of the particular approach they choose to take for a given record. Any way you look at it, this is R.E.M.
