Reckoning - REM (1984)

Follow-ups are hard. REM didn’t exactly blow up from Murmur, but it definitely put them on the map and made people pay attention to what they did next. Is this a talented band able to continue making great tunes, or did they just get good at playing their first batch of songs?

Reckoning is a growth mark on the wall for the band, without being the big breakout. You hear the band playing more tightly together, even if they’re not challenging themselves on the overall jangle pop sound they were already pretty good at. Stipe’s vocals sound a bit muddled on this one, maybe to keep the band in focus or maybe just a miscalculation about how much we all want to hear Stipe’s lyrics.

The next album is when I think most of the world started taking REM seriously as more than just a hard working underground band. This one was an important step but didn’t quite get them there.

Trqacks I Liked

So Central Rain - Not on the first album but already around to be played on their national TV debut on David Letterman.

(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville - the best rocker on this one, and a favorite of mine from their early days.