`Reckoning` was the second album for R.E.M. and a leap forward after `Murmur` on year earlier.
This was the album where the R.E.M. sound that would become their signature for the next decade began to surface.
Still ahead of their time, it wasn't until 1991 when they released their major label debut 'Green' that 'Reckoning' managed to reach Gold status (500,000 sales in the USA).
'Reckoning` was a very fast session. R.E.M. recorded 22 songs for the album in just 11 days and at one stage were planning on making it a double album.
Singles from the album were not successful at all. 'So Central Rain (I'm Sorry)' peaked at 85 in America while '(Don't Go Back To) Rockville' failed to chart despite being the most accessible track on the album.
While R.E.M. was yet to built their fan base, they became the band of choice for reviewers in 1984. It was called "exciting" by NME, "outstanding" by the Washington Post and "emotional and intellectual" by writer Christopher Connelly.
The deluxe edition of this new release once again features a Velvet Underground track, just as Murmur did. R.E.M. cover 'Femme Fatale' on this album.
'Murmur' and 'Fables for the Reconstruction' were also reissued by EMI last week. We will focus on 'Fables' tomorrow in Undercover.
