A beautiful version of Harborcoat has been posted to REMHQ for everyone to enjoy.

I always like how these songs can be reintroduced to the public after so many years and quite honestly, the song has been reinvented after its 20+ year existence.

Played in 2007, this song is part of the Olympia Theatre rehearsal shows back in July 2007, and in particular was played on July 4th of that year.

R.E.M. is planning a 2-CD live release later this year as a compilation of those nights performances. Harborcoat will also be released as  a 4 song EP on July 7th, in support of the Reckoning songs as a precurser to 'Live at the Olympia' that is coming this October.

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I was getting concerned that Pitchfork would not give 'Reckoning' its due, but it came through just before the July 4th holiday, and never too late.
Pitchfork exploded again with giving Reckoning a perfect 10 rating, making plenty of great arguments as to its place as one of R.E.M.'s best albums:
 
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.
 
While they surely do not have to sell me on this news, a definitive review and perfect score continue to sell the premise of the importance of this album on rock music.
 
 
 

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R.E.M’s Reckoning was the second full length and third major release by R.E.M. In terms of their earlier material it was a much more direct album, not relying on the studio to create an atmospheric record but rather incorporate more of the band’s live sound rather than their studio talents on Murmur and Chronic Town.

As I have written before, it was the first of their albums that I had significantly appreciated and made me yearn for more.

That being said, reissues often have the task of trying to exemplify a purpose for the release. For example, is the reissue out of print or severely needing of remastering for it to limits of technology from years prior?

In the case of these deluxe editions, the point has always been to bring a sense to the world that R.E.M. existed 25 years ago. Reckoning, and it’s predecessor ‘Murmur’ were two of the most important contributions to the decade of the 80’s slowly changing Rock music from being defined by synths and to a guitar/bass/drums genre. Along the way, R.E.M. led the way for other acts, especially from America, inspired by the Punk Movement and using the tools it provided to provide a much more free reign atmosphere for what was allowed.

R.E.M. understood Rock and Roll. They knew what worked and what was cliché. The promotion for Reckoning was unique in itself. 1984, was during the heyday of the music video. We had just seen Michael Jackson moonwalk his way into history and at the same time it was R.E.M. despising the music format and expanding on the video realm.

Banned because of lossy ancestry

Being an R.E.M. fan, I would often get into verbal squabbles with people attempting to separate the lives of the musicians with their music. It has become standard in our society to try to understand what makes them tick as individuals rather than the music that they release. Any ‘character flaws’ by some would be vigorously defended to the death as if a snub by Michael Stipe to a fan on a streetcorner is really a flaw. Or in other words, who cares?

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Disc 1 - 67:49
1. Lotus
2. What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
3. So Fast, So Numb
4. Camera
5. Fall On Me
6. Suspicion
7. Jesus / New Test Leper
8. The One I Love
9. Daysleeper
10. Sweetness Follows
11. The Great Beyond
12. Begin The Begin
13. Country Feedback

Disc 2 - 64:24
14. At My Most Beautiful
15. Star 69
16. Losing My Religion
17. Man On The Moon
18. Walk Unafraid
19. encore break [0:42]
20. tuning [1:45]
21. Hope
22. Why Not Smile
23. Nightswimming
24. Crush With Eyeliner
25. Gardening At Night
26. Tongue
27. stage commentary
28. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Research (etree, remtimeline), notes, extraction and seed by Martin van Rappard 2006-11-28.