R.E.M. - Reckoning POLL

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7 Chinese Bros. is the ultimate REM jam, man. Don't even fuck with that shit. Although if there was any justice in this world, "Time After Time" would win.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
So. Central Rain 17
Harborcoat 12
(don't go back TO) ROCKVILLE 11
Pretty Persuasion 8
little america 4
7 Chinese Brothers 4
camerA 3
Time After Time (annElise) 2
letter Never seNt 2
second GuessinG 2


Bimble Is Still More Goth Than Your MIDNITE POWERTOOLS (Bimble), Saturday, 20 December 2008 23:36 (seventeen years ago)

Welcome to the best post-punk band the U.S. produced pre-1985, though 10,000 Maniacs was a close second.

Bimble Is Still More Goth Than Your MIDNITE POWERTOOLS (Bimble), Saturday, 20 December 2008 23:39 (seventeen years ago)

should really be a time after time lauper v rem poll

Gukbe, Saturday, 20 December 2008 23:50 (seventeen years ago)

10,000 Maniacs was a close second

In what unholy alternate universe? Don't get me wrong, I like the maniacs fine, but they never came within a kudzu-covered mile of achieving what REM did.

Tough poll. My favourite REM album -- or, not my favourite exactly, but my "perfect" REM album, the one I never want to change a note of, or alter the sequence of, or cut a song from.

I'll use this poll as an excuse to pull it out again before voting.

staggerlee, Sunday, 21 December 2008 01:14 (seventeen years ago)

Pretty Persuasion

kornrulez6969, Sunday, 21 December 2008 01:26 (seventeen years ago)

I also voted for Pretty Persuasion. I love lots of songs on this album but Pretty Persuasion is the one I keep coming back to.

brotherlovesdub, Sunday, 21 December 2008 01:37 (seventeen years ago)

Pretty Persuasion is gorgeous.

ilxor, Sunday, 21 December 2008 01:40 (seventeen years ago)

Hard choice, but easy choice: So. Central Rain.

deusner, Sunday, 21 December 2008 02:03 (seventeen years ago)

Listening to it again Rockville has stood up the best over time.

hugo, Sunday, 21 December 2008 02:07 (seventeen years ago)

Harborcoat is a very very good opener

With a little bit of gold and a Peja (bernard snowy), Sunday, 21 December 2008 02:15 (seventeen years ago)

like, maybe even better than "Radio Free Europe" (blasphemy, I know)

With a little bit of gold and a Peja (bernard snowy), Sunday, 21 December 2008 02:16 (seventeen years ago)

I shall go with Pretty Persuasion today, but tomorrow I'll probably wish it was So. Central Rain.

Johnny Fever, Sunday, 21 December 2008 03:07 (seventeen years ago)

seconding Rockville.

that's not my post, Sunday, 21 December 2008 03:17 (seventeen years ago)

Great album. I am going to vote "Harborcoat" because then the whole album is covering after.

Mark, Sunday, 21 December 2008 04:18 (seventeen years ago)

Unimpeachable album, though strangely the "hits" here, Rockville & So. Central, are probably my LEAST favorite of the singles of this area. Almost impossible for me to choose between the similarly gorgeous, vague, uplifting "Harborcoat," "7 Chinese Bros." and "Camera," but the one that's in my head most often of these is los Bros. so let's go with them.

Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 21 December 2008 05:27 (seventeen years ago)

i always loved that "jefferson i think we're lost" wasn't about that jefferson.

this is most probably my favorite r.e.m. album, chronic town excepted.

tipsy mothra, Sunday, 21 December 2008 08:20 (seventeen years ago)

Really tough to pick one here, but am going with "Time After Time." Whenever I hear it I think they decided to write their own Velvet Underground song to cover.

Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Sunday, 21 December 2008 09:07 (seventeen years ago)

Far too obvious, but I'm going with So. Central. It's a tough one, though. I prefer the live version of Time After Time/Red Rain/So. Central on the Document reissue to the album version of Time After Time, I guess.

toby, Sunday, 21 December 2008 13:03 (seventeen years ago)

"Time After Time" is my least favorite song.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 21 December 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

Actually, ha, my least favorite is "Camera."

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 21 December 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

Then name your favourite you HEATHEN!!!!!

Bimble Is Still More Goth Than Your MIDNITE POWERTOOLS (Bimble), Sunday, 21 December 2008 14:25 (seventeen years ago)

But I'm having a little buyer's remorse now about overlooking the two spectacular rockers on this one, "Pretty Persuasion" and "Little America." In particular, "Little America" absolutely smokes in every live recording I've ever heard.

Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 21 December 2008 16:11 (seventeen years ago)

Tough poll. My favourite REM album -- or, not my favourite exactly, but my "perfect" REM album, the one I never want to change a note of, or alter the sequence of, or cut a song from.

Ditto. For me, this was the last indisputably great R.E.M. album, and probably their best-produced of all.

Sara Sara Sara, Sunday, 21 December 2008 16:33 (seventeen years ago)

little america

kamerad, Sunday, 21 December 2008 18:23 (seventeen years ago)

KAMERA

(*゚ー゚)θ L(。・_・)   °~ヾ(・ε・ *) (Steve Shasta), Sunday, 21 December 2008 18:40 (seventeen years ago)

At least I think we can all agree that the guitar solo for Camera is the low-point on the album.

Cunga, Sunday, 21 December 2008 19:03 (seventeen years ago)

"Time After Time" was my least favorite song
"Time After Time" was my LEAST favorite song

deusner, Sunday, 21 December 2008 21:35 (seventeen years ago)

If "that crazy noise at the end of 'Little America'" was an option I'd vote for that, but I guess I'll just go with "Second Guessing"

Mr. Snrub, Sunday, 21 December 2008 22:06 (seventeen years ago)

So Central Rain. The first song I ever heard by them, and was enchanted by it. Honorable mentions to Pretty Persuasion and Harbourcoat, and the Chinese Bros too.

Dr X O'Skeleton, Sunday, 21 December 2008 22:16 (seventeen years ago)

"So. Central Rain" for me. Honourable mentions: the rest of the album.

Lostandfound, Monday, 22 December 2008 03:25 (seventeen years ago)

Voted Pretty Persuasion, 'cuz the entire song still rings in my head, at least 10 years after last hearing it. Just amazing, but Camera comes close, Also the Itchy tension of Second Guessing, and Harborcoat and 7 Chinese Bros and Rockville. Nowhere near as mysterious, otherwordly and complete-sounding as Murmur, but still damn near perfect.

Bored American Aerospace Defense Command (BORAD) (contenderizer), Monday, 22 December 2008 07:00 (seventeen years ago)

Production here is a lot more straightforward, too, less 0_o, jaw on the floor.

Bored American Aerospace Defense Command (BORAD) (contenderizer), Monday, 22 December 2008 07:02 (seventeen years ago)

Bimble, why are you stealing my polls? :( You're going to leave me with nothing but unpopular Warner-era albums to do!

Doctor Casino, Monday, 22 December 2008 22:45 (seventeen years ago)

As with Pageant (and unlike Fables and Murmur) I think the slow songs here are really, really boring - could HAPPILY lose "7 Chinese Brothers," "Time After Time," and "Camera" - "Rockville" on the other hand is brilliant.

"Letter Never Sent" I always kind of forget about, presumably b/c of its cryptic title that doesn't match to anything in the song. Love the brief bridge - "Here's my new address" - and Stipe's delivery throughout, the punchy stop-start quality of it...

If my soul was made of stone,
no, not, not so
dark, dark and it's sooooo

All that said, it really has to be "Rockville." Wish it had more of the backing vocal harmony that you can hear on some live recordings, where "Rockville" is matched with a high "Rock VEH-HiLLLLLLLL!"

Doctor Casino, Monday, 22 December 2008 22:52 (seventeen years ago)

("Second Guessing," "Pretty Persuasion" and "Little America" are all super-essential too...don't have much to say about them, but they're songs I'd like to name-check.)

Doctor Casino, Monday, 22 December 2008 22:53 (seventeen years ago)

I go back to Rockville again and again and again.

Probably in my all time top 10 R.E.M. songs.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 22 December 2008 22:57 (seventeen years ago)

If I had to get by with only one REM album, this would be the one for me. It is the first one I heard, I got it on tape after seeing REM play So. Central Rain on the old NBC Letterman Show. There are about five songs that I love equally and really I like them all.

Peter Bucks guitar on Pretty Persuasion and Harborcoat is really great. I have no idea what he is doing or how he exactly got it to sound that way, but it is a forceful jangle and not just rattling on an F chord like some of the sound alike groups from the same period.

earlnash, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 05:36 (seventeen years ago)

The songs also worked better on these early REM records as they were kind of dreamy, you never really exactly knew what they were about or you could take these lines in different ways. It is way more subtle than say Shiny Happy People or Everybody Hurts.

earlnash, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 05:38 (seventeen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Sunday, 11 January 2009 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

huh, missed this one initially

I voted for "Letter Never Sent". It's not the lyrics that earn that title, it's the song overall, with its mix of elegance (in the riff) and awkwardness (in the vocals) adding up to the sort of adoring letter you write to a pined-for lover, and you open your heart and you say it right but it comes out embarrassingly nonetheless b/c what you're feeling is gushy and confused and so, a letter never sent.

Euler, Sunday, 11 January 2009 00:05 (seventeen years ago)

I like that! Will think on it on my next listen.

Doctor Casino, Sunday, 11 January 2009 00:41 (seventeen years ago)

I think this is pretty overrated as far as 80s REM albums go, but Rockville and So Central Rain tower above everything else here. Voting Rockville.

Matt DC, Sunday, 11 January 2009 00:44 (seventeen years ago)

Harbourcoat just pips Pretty Persuasion for me. Both have some of Buck's best guitar work - Andy Gill angles and McGuinn jangles. Harbourcoat is such as stunning opener, and the way that gorgeous chorus flowers from the post-punky groove of the verse is masterful.

Stew, Sunday, 11 January 2009 00:52 (seventeen years ago)

for whatever reason i always thought of side two as side 1. i think on the vinyl they were labeled something cutesy in a way that didn't establish primacy. so for me, "second guessing" is the kickoff and "time after time" the end.

tipsy mothra, Sunday, 11 January 2009 04:51 (seventeen years ago)

i think on the vinyl they were labeled something cutesy in a way that didn't establish primacy

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. I think the prob is that the record sleeve puts the titles on there in this haphazard way that you can't really decipher too well, so you aren't sure what you're going to get unless you stare at the inside label of the record going around. Another interesting thing is that if you look at the inside of the record, they do these weird things with capital letters vs. lower case. So it's totally arty and you are confused no matter what you do.

gods jangle the key change (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 11 January 2009 13:08 (seventeen years ago)

And I hate to say it, but I've always found all that to be to the detriment of the record, really. I would have preferred something more straightforward.

gods jangle the key change (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 11 January 2009 13:08 (seventeen years ago)

is this one overrated? People tend to gush about Murmur but this seems to get filed away as "son of Murmur". This one's less murky overall, more shimmering, with a slightly wider palette of song-types in my estimation: Dad, "Rockville" *is* country, "So. Central High" is gothier than anything off Murmur and leads towards Fables, and "Time After Time" and "Camera" are still pretty unique in their catalogue.

Euler, Sunday, 11 January 2009 14:20 (seventeen years ago)

"So. Central High" is gothier than anything off Murmur

Hahah. Oh my god where to start. First of all, I love for saying this. Second of all, it's called So. Central Rain (which I'm sure you already know)...third of all I wonder...is "Perfect Circle" goth? No, I guess not.

gods jangle the key change (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 11 January 2009 14:44 (seventeen years ago)

lol whoops was thinking of Degrassi High for some reason. I don't think "Perfect Circle" is goth, but it's probably the closest thing to it on Murmur, in the vocal inflections Stipe tries out.

Euler, Sunday, 11 January 2009 15:59 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Monday, 12 January 2009 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

Well, Camera and Rockville are good. Little America, Second Guessing and LNS are slight in comparison to 1-5.

REM seemed to solve this later by putting on the weirdo slower stuff on side 2, it kinda starts here.

I would put that first side on par with any equivalent REM run though.

Master of Treacle, Thursday, 19 July 2012 21:46 (thirteen years ago)

Poo on the idea that side 2 of Pageant is weaker. It would be hard for anything to compete with those opening 3, but I Believe >What If We Give It Away > Just A Touch > Swan Swan H > Superman is a pretty fucking amazing run of songs.

Marco YOLO (Phil D.), Thursday, 19 July 2012 22:15 (thirteen years ago)

"Letter Never Sent" is the best, gtfo

Euler, Thursday, 19 July 2012 22:15 (thirteen years ago)

Aw man, "Little America" is so good.

timellison, Thursday, 19 July 2012 22:17 (thirteen years ago)

"second guessing" is a fucking jam

contenderizer, Thursday, 19 July 2012 23:54 (thirteen years ago)

What If We Give It Away is by the numbers. I Believe is great, yes.

Master of Treacle, Friday, 20 July 2012 00:36 (thirteen years ago)

LRP is the sound of a band struggling for material...I know people like the diversity of the second half but for me it detracts from the cohesive first.

Master of Treacle, Friday, 20 July 2012 00:41 (thirteen years ago)

TS: R.E.M.'s "Life's Rich Pageant" vs "Document"

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 20 July 2012 00:47 (thirteen years ago)

I would have voted "little America"

Listen to this, dad (President Keyes), Friday, 20 July 2012 01:00 (thirteen years ago)

God, for me this would have been a tough choice between 'Harborcoat', 'So. Central Rain', 'Pretty Persuasion' and 'Little America'. I love this record to bits and have a lot of fond teenage memories attached to it. Dare I say it, I easily prefer this record over Murmur!

The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Friday, 20 July 2012 01:23 (thirteen years ago)

Pretty Persuasion is the one. Little America and Harborcoat not too far behind.
I like the slower songs on this one a lot as well though, and I def can't say that about every REM album.

Not The Other One (Mr Andy M), Friday, 20 July 2012 20:35 (thirteen years ago)

three years pass...

Whoa! Let's link this thing directly!

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/q86/s720x720/11855905_10153107281857984_3399254495237802073_n.jpg

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:08 (ten years ago)

Bugger.

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:08 (ten years ago)

engineer the givens

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:12 (ten years ago)

But yeah, I've always found things like this interesting, especially in R.E.M.'s case... this was the band that could have called themselves Cans Of Piss or Slut Bank, after all. Monster could have been called Exploding Head, and by the looks of it Reckoning could have been called Trolling For Olives, Silhouette of Hygiene or Big Pete's Greatest Hits (Fuck You)!

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:13 (ten years ago)

Also, I have a 1984 UK pressing of this on vinyl, and the mastering on the thing is so quiet that whenever I listen to it, I have to turn the volume up to a level which would probably fuck my speakers up if I listened to anything else on that setting.

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:19 (ten years ago)

wish mitch easter and don dixon produced more of their records

reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:29 (ten years ago)

The last time I listened to Chronic Town about a couple of months ago, I was struck by how great it sounded - very clear and punchy.

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Thursday, 6 August 2015 23:33 (ten years ago)

Wow. Cries and Whispers! That's a New Order song released in 82.

brotherlovesdub, Friday, 7 August 2015 00:18 (ten years ago)

two years pass...

stone, no, not, not so dark, dark and it's so o o o heaven is yours heaven is yours where i live

reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 31 January 2018 23:02 (eight years ago)

five years pass...

"time after time" is my most favorite song

ivy., Monday, 16 October 2023 20:19 (two years ago)

At least I think we can all agree that the guitar solo for Camera is the low-point on the album.

― Cunga, Sunday, December 21, 2008 11:03 AM (fourteen years ago)

!!!(??)

Chavez video on MTV, July 1995 (morrisp), Monday, 16 October 2023 20:43 (two years ago)

In another thread recently, I learned (via poster "westbury white horse") about the alternate version "Little America" with a little coda tagged on... really blew my mind-grapes (considering I owned this album in All Three Formats back in the day).

Chavez video on MTV, July 1995 (morrisp), Monday, 16 October 2023 20:46 (two years ago)

Still mad So. Central Rain won this

Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 16 October 2023 21:47 (two years ago)

I'm sorry

the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 16 October 2023 22:16 (two years ago)

lol

o. nate, Tuesday, 17 October 2023 02:15 (two years ago)

That Little America coda's a nice touch and I don't get why it appears/disappears seemingly at random across editions.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 17 October 2023 21:36 (two years ago)

there was some dumb twitter poll about their best funk song and I nominated the break between Camera-Rockville

campreverb, Tuesday, 17 October 2023 22:25 (two years ago)

I'd be inclined to agree if it was longer. I guess Lightnin' Hopkins is sort of similar.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 17 October 2023 22:30 (two years ago)

I remember a radio interview with them after the album came out where they were taking call-in questions and somebody asked about that break. They laughed and one of them said it was them trying to "a James Brown thing" in the studio.

a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 17 October 2023 22:52 (two years ago)

(that stuck with me because at the time I was only vaguely aware of James Brown and it sort of intrigued me that these guys would be listening to him. I think "Genius of Love" was my second cue that I should check this guy out.)

a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 17 October 2023 22:54 (two years ago)

Does the "Bang and Blame" coda count as a funk song? If so, that's my nomination...

Chavez video on MTV, July 1995 (morrisp), Tuesday, 17 October 2023 22:57 (two years ago)

Not sure if it does but you're now among the only people I've ever seen mention it, besides me and whoever added it to Wikipedia's list of hidden tracks.

I assume it was intended as a homage to Murmur and Reckoning but its placement arguably contributes to tremolo overkill between B&B itself and I Took Your Name.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 17 October 2023 23:31 (two years ago)

Yeah you know I tried looking it up after making that comment, and it's barely mentioned anywhere... I found a bass tab for the song with a "Coda" section, that was about it.

Chavez video on MTV, July 1995 (morrisp), Tuesday, 17 October 2023 23:43 (two years ago)

white horse if it was longer it would be "can't get there from here", and, obviously, terrible.

campreverb, Wednesday, 18 October 2023 01:42 (two years ago)

five months pass...

40 today

mookieproof, Tuesday, 9 April 2024 19:22 (one year ago)

Wow

Sometimes It POLLS in April (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 9 April 2024 19:42 (one year ago)

still no reggae cover

| (Latham Green), Tuesday, 9 April 2024 19:52 (one year ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK_59KxuZKs

Maresn3st, Wednesday, 10 April 2024 00:25 (one year ago)

Still mad So. Central Rain won this

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, October 16, 2023 2:47 PM (five months ago)

I'm sorry

― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, October 16, 2023 3:16 PM (five months ago)

citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 10 April 2024 03:06 (one year ago)

honestly appreciating that RECKONING is the midway point between now and preparations for D-Day

mookieproof, Wednesday, 10 April 2024 03:13 (one year ago)

"Little America" is where they lay down all their cards, what a great album closer... and if it weren't the last song I wouldn't like it as much.

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 12 April 2024 00:26 (one year ago)

ten months pass...

All four reunited last night at 40 Watt to join Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy, John Stirratt, Jon Wurster et al on a cover of "Pretty Persuasion." Stipe and Buck were onstage first, then Mills ran up to add backing vocals, then Berry walked on to add tambourine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZOgPcnTbZ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFCgSuO5GXc

birdistheword, Friday, 28 February 2025 08:15 (one year ago)

Love how Stipe really comes to life when he sees Berry's onstage.

thuringer spring (Eazy), Friday, 28 February 2025 08:24 (one year ago)

Did it again! This time all four on stage from the start:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqK-LfBYf40

birdistheword, Sunday, 2 March 2025 02:31 (one year ago)

Was Stipe this energetic at any point during their post Berry run?

Western® with Bacon Flavor, Sunday, 2 March 2025 02:49 (one year ago)

They were my favorite band in high school and I lost interest after Berry left. That video is heartwarming.

Cow_Art, Sunday, 2 March 2025 05:51 (one year ago)

He was always energetic on stage!

timellison, Sunday, 2 March 2025 06:12 (one year ago)

I had Tourfilm on VHS and I remember his rat tail bouncing around.

Cow_Art, Sunday, 2 March 2025 06:54 (one year ago)


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