Fables of the Reconstruction recorded

The band’s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), demonstrated a change in direction. Instead of Dixon and Easter, R.E.M. chose producer Joe Boyd , who had worked with Fairport Convention and Nick Drake , to record the album in London. The band members found the sessions unexpectedly difficult, and were miserable due to the cold winter weather and what they considered to be poor food; the situation brought the band to the verge of break-up. The gloominess surrounding the sessions worked its way into the context for the album’s themes. Lyrically, Stipe began to create storylines with Southern Gothic themes, noting in a 1985 interview that he was inspired by “the whole idea of the old men sitting around the fire, passing on … legends and fables to the grandchildren”.