14. R.E.M. - Reckoning - 1984

This is the second LP from R.E.M. Like the first it was recorded in Charlotte North Carolina. This was my first experience with REM. I was 14 years old and sitting like a vegetable in front on the TV when the video for "So. Central Rain" came on. I was floored! I caught it again the next day, but this time I was ready with a video tape in the VCR. I taped it a watched it over and over again. I couldn't get that song out of my head. Still can't. It would be a few years latter before I would get my hands on Murmur and become enthralled by "Perfect Circle" just as I was by "So. Central Rain". Another song that I absolutely love on Reckoning is "Harbor Coat" with it's great harmonies and sweet guitar work. Other cool songs include "Don't Go Back To Rockville" and "7 Chinese Brothers". This album was an education. I learned that the cool guitar sounds Peter Buck was making came from a Rickenbacker. Reckoning is a wonderful album, this is mine: