Sonic perfection didn’t seem to matter so much as feel in the early work of R.E.M., so it’s an irony in keeping with their enigmatic collective persona that Greg Calbi’s mastering of Chronic Town renders its music with such clarity and depth. (Buck’s nimble fretboard work can only highlight his delivery to a certain degree). In fact, the burial of his singing in the mix worked to the advantage of the lyrics for songs like “Wolves, Lower ” the imagery of the words is alternately (and equally) enthralling and mystifying, at least to the extent the frontman’s cryptic phrasing is decipherable at all. Of course, at this point, the frontman did not intend to enunciate very clearly. As a rhythm section, their unobtrusive playing puts the focus on the songs themselves, not their own participation in “Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars).” Accordingly, their playing is at its most notable at its least prominent, that is, on the subdued, mid-tempo likes of “Gardening at Night: ” there the duo’s presence effectively surrounds the hard-to-decipher vocals of Michael Stipe. Likewise the instrumental contributions of bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. and the Byrds with his inimitable jangle, Peter Buck wasn’t aiming to replicate the glorious layered style of that iconic American band, but only further propel the musicianship of the quartet of which he was a member. But, in retrospect, that cut, like “Stumble,” begs the question of overly facile comparisons between R.E.M. It might be fair to say that, on a cut such as “1,000,000,” R.E.M reveled more in the stripped-down simplicity of its music than any of its contemporaries. That said, the title as now issued is a clear and accurate reflection of the D.I.Y/indie/alt movement of its time. The first few paragraphs and the last do allude to the mystery of the creative process, but in between, the co-producer/engineer’s play-by-play only serves to obfuscate his collaboration with the band. Mitch Easter’s very extensive liner notes on the insert enclosed in the double-sleeve set are the only ‘extra.’ And, aside from the gatefold design–on the back cover of which the listing of tracks doesn’t match the actual playing order (perhaps due to formatting/cosmetic reasons), his prose does little to illuminate the creative process behind the recording. But the release of the iconic Georgia-based band’s twenty-minute EP is nonetheless significant as it’s never been available as a standalone item in this configuration till now (it was, however, appended to different versions of the band’s rarities compilation album Dead Letter Office). has treated its catalog to some fairly lavish reissues in recent years and, in that respect, the CD release marking Chronic Town‘s 40th anniversary can’t match archival packages such as 2019’s Monster 25th anniversary expanded edition.
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