The songs on this album were not written at the same time under some sort of cohesive theme of Fables of Reconstruction. It's more likely that that is the theme they chose to go with for the group of songs they were working on when they were in the studio at the time that sounded the tightest and had the most worked out content and sound.
I have seen REM as early as 1984. Some of these songs were written at the same time the first and second albums songs were written. As a matter of fact, Driver 8 is on youtube.com in a concert in Passiac in 6/9/84 (Check out the user REMChout). (Fables was released a year later: 6/10/85)
Themes running through each song of an album are the stuff of progressive bands (like Yes and Gentle Giant). Typically not alternative bands.
Typically with other artists in other genres it's the producers role to help (at the prodding of the label) to find 'a theme' with the artists to tie all the songs together and work with them to do so. Simply so people don't think it's too eclectic an album.
This album has songs with different musical styles because the band wrote them at different times and were into different things musically at different times.
'Can't get there from here' sounds WAY different then 'Wendell Gee' and 'Auctioneer' sounds WAY different then either of those two tunes. Artists evolve and change and are influenced all the time by different things. Especially if you are busy touring writing happens when it happens (in the tour bus, over fast food or dingy hotel rooms or rehearsals after sound check) and then after the tour you are back in the studio trying to make sense of new material.
So if there is a theme based on all reconstruction era dashed hopes (or whatever) I think it's pretty loose at best. I would suggest focusing on just looking at the song for it's own sake not trying to get it to fit an album Theme. To me I think this is just a psychedelic song about how you can do anything in your dreams. Your superman 'Let me show you what I can do with it''Time and distance are out of place here'
The songs on this album were not written at the same time under some sort of cohesive theme of Fables of Reconstruction. It's more likely that that is the theme they chose to go with for the group of songs they were working on when they were in the studio at the time that sounded the tightest and had the most worked out content and sound.
I have seen REM as early as 1984. Some of these songs were written at the same time the first and second albums songs were written. As a matter of fact, Driver 8 is on youtube.com in a concert in Passiac in 6/9/84 (Check out the user REMChout). (Fables was released a year later: 6/10/85)
Themes running through each song of an album are the stuff of progressive bands (like Yes and Gentle Giant). Typically not alternative bands.
Typically with other artists in other genres it's the producers role to help (at the prodding of the label) to find 'a theme' with the artists to tie all the songs together and work with them to do so. Simply so people don't think it's too eclectic an album.
This album has songs with different musical styles because the band wrote them at different times and were into different things musically at different times.
'Can't get there from here' sounds WAY different then 'Wendell Gee' and 'Auctioneer' sounds WAY different then either of those two tunes. Artists evolve and change and are influenced all the time by different things. Especially if you are busy touring writing happens when it happens (in the tour bus, over fast food or dingy hotel rooms or rehearsals after sound check) and then after the tour you are back in the studio trying to make sense of new material.
So if there is a theme based on all reconstruction era dashed hopes (or whatever) I think it's pretty loose at best. I would suggest focusing on just looking at the song for it's own sake not trying to get it to fit an album Theme. To me I think this is just a psychedelic song about how you can do anything in your dreams. Your superman 'Let me show you what I can do with it''Time and distance are out of place here'