R.E.M. “Reckoning” released 35 years ago today, April 9th, 1984. Reckoning is R.E.M’s second album and it went to #27 on the US album charts and to #1 on the college radio airplay charts – most of the reason for its relatively high standings on the mainstream charts since it certainly didn’t receive much commercial radio or MTV exposure. It’s also, for whatever reason, the R.E.M. album I’m least familiar with (for their early stuff anyway; I’m pretty clueless about all of their releases after 1994′s Monster). I do know the singles from Reckoning: “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” which charted at #85 on the Hot 100 and “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville” which did not chart at all. Both of those were included on the R.E.M. comp album from ‘88, Eponymous, which I played the shit out of in college. “Pretty Persuasion” was released as a promotional-only single in ‘84 though they had been playing the track live since 1980, and due to its popularity in concert, they recorded a new version; it charted on the Rock Tracks chart at #44. Those are great and I also like “Second Guessing” and “Little America,” both all driving jangly-guitar, that early signature R.E.M. sound.