Mike Mills’ song about a college sweetheart is one of the high points of Reckoning.
Kronomyth 2.2: The universe of merry lambs.
One of the neat things about R.E.M. is the rich backstory behind their songs. Do a little digging, and you’ll come up with a nugget or two for nearly every song. Take (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville, for example. Written by Mike Mills, the song is a selfish plea for a girl that he was sweet on not to return to college. The B side, a live version of Catapult, has its own history around a contentious recording session with producer Stephen Hague during which Bill Berry was given a metronome to keep the beat, an untenable insult to one of the most underrated drummers of his generation.
In the UK, the labels re-visited Chronic Town for Wolves and a live version of Gardening at Night. A live version of 9 — 9 from the same Paris show rounds out the 12-inch nicely. Michael Stipe does quite a bit of jabbering during the live performances, in marked contrast to your standard angry young man. The live performances are merely alright, with Berry’s unorthodox beats a highlight. Of minor interest, the single version of “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville” is about a half-minute shorter than the elpee version and is credited as a single edit.
Original 7-inch single (US)
A1. (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe) (3:51)
B1. Catapult (live) (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe) (4:00)
Original 7-inch single (UK)
A1. (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe)
A2. Wolves (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe) (4:08)
Original 12-inch single
A1. (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe)
A2. Wolves (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe)
B1. 9 — 9 (live version) (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe)
B2. Gardening at Night (live version) (William Berry/Peter Buck/Mike Mills/Michael Stipe)
The Players
A1/B1 produced by Mitch Easter/Don Dixon, A2/B2 produced by Mitch Easter/R.E.M.
The Pictures
Photography by H.T. Murlowski.
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch and 12-inch single in June 1984 in the US (I.R.S., IR-9931), the UK (I.R.S., IRS/IRSX 107) and the Netherlands (I.R.S., ILSA 12-4734) with regional picture sleeve. Also released as promotional 7-inch single in 1984 in the US (I.R.S., IR-9931) feat. A only.
