Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Reckoning (Music)

 Reckoning (Music)
type
 TVTItem
 Reckoning (Music)
label
 Reckoning (Music)
 Reckoning (Music)
page
 Reckoning
 Reckoning (Music)
comment
 Reckoning (a.k.a. File Under Water), released in 1984 through I.R.S. Records, is the second album by American Alternative Rock band R.E.M.. Beginning production just after the release of their cult hit debut, Murmur, the album presents a continuation of its predecessor's murky sound and opaque lyricism, but slightly modified to fit returning producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon's desire to more accurately capture the style of the band's live performances at the time. Recording sessions were more spontaneous, with all the material for the record being taped in well under a monthnote depending on who you ask, it was anywhere from "over 25" days to just eleven, and binaural recording was used extensively to simulate the feeling of sitting in the audience of an R.E.M. concert. The leadup to the album's recording was equally efficient, with the band writing two good songs a week and recording a whopping 22 of them with Neil Young collaborator Elliot Mazer in November alone. The band had so much usable material that guitarist Peter Buck pushed for Reckoning to be a double-LP; the request fell flat, both because the band were still fairly green as a recording act and because even indie labels were balking at the idea of making double albums ever since the relative failure of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, but the band would revisit the unused material here and there on later projects.Contrary to this musical spontaneity, Reckoning's lyrics shift to a more introspective direction, motivated by Michael Stipe facing both exhaustion from touring and the death of his girlfriend and band photographer Carol Levy, who was killed in a car crash while R.E.M. were on tour in support of Murmur. Because of both of these, it was difficult for Stipe to record vocal parts, singing so quietly the microphone was completely unable to pick him up. In one instance, during the recording of the song "7 Chinese Bros.", Dixon managed to spur Stipe back into shape by having him sing the liner notes to the gospel album The Joy of Knowing Jesus by the Revelaires to the "7 Chinese Bros." backing track (this eclectic composition was later given the title "Voice of Harold" and released as a B-side to the "So. Central Rain" single, as well as on the Dead Letter Office rarities compilation in 1987). Stipe's low state, meanwhile, was nonetheless reflected in the album's bleaker lyrics, with an abundance of aquatic imagery that contributed to an overarching feeling that was both agoraphobically stranded and claustrophobically trapped.Like Murmur before it, Reckoning wasn't a major commercial success upon release, but its No. 27 peak on the Billboard 200 was still indicative of the gradually growing size of the band's cult following; in the UK, it would reach a much less stellar No. 91 on the albums chart, though again this was more the result of I.R.S. Records' dismal international distribution. Reckoning was, though, a top-charting hit on college radio stations, and would eventually be certified gold by the RIAA.Reckoning was supported by two singles: "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville".TracklistSide L "Harborcoat" (3:54) "7 Chinese Bros." (4:18) "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" (3:15) "Pretty Persuasion" (3:50) "Time After Time (Annelise)" (3:31)Side R "Second Guessing" (2:51) "Letter Never Sent" (2:59) "Camera" (5:52) "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" (4:55) "Little America" (2:58)Try to trope that on your sleeve:
 Reckoning (Music)
fetched
 2023-12-07T02:47:33Z
 Reckoning (Music)
parsed
 2023-12-07T02:47:33Z
 Reckoning (Music)
isPartOf
 DBTropes
 Reckoning (Music) / int_name
type
 ItemName
 Reckoning (Music) / int_name
comment
 Reckoning (Music) / int_name
featureApplicability
 1.0
 Reckoning (Music) / int_name
featureConfidence
 1.0
 Reckoning (Music)
hasFeature
 Reckoning (Music) / int_name
 Reckoning (Music) / int_name
itemName
 Reckoning (Music)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Reckoning (Music)
hasFeature
 Jesus Was Way Cool / int_8953f68d
 Reckoning (Music)
hasFeature
 Lyrical Shoehorn / int_8953f68d
 Reckoning (Music)
hasFeature
 Multi-Disc Work / int_8953f68d
 Reckoning (Music)
hasFeature
 Production Throwback / int_8953f68d