Release date: 10/06/1985 | Length: 3:30 | Release: Fables of the Reconstruction | SuE: #105

When you greet a stranger
Look at his shoes

The muted tone on Fables of the Reconstruction makes some of the album a little difficult to distinguish, or at least highlight as being the pinnacle of the band’s creativity. Good Advices is one such example, an unadventurous song that reflects their momentary malaise as the pressures of being a full-time rock band were starting to show. To see what I mean, this live version from 1985 is what you’d expect from the song, it’s not wild or energetic, but there is a gentle feel to it.

Michael Stipe caresses the microphone protectively, without much engagement with his surrounding band. Neither Peter Buck nor Mike Mills stray much from their spot, offering the occasional lick, but they both know that this isn’t a showy song. Stipe acts as a sort of parable-teller, relaying tales from the road with a supposed moral to be found – but it’s all a little cryptic:

When you greet a stranger

Look at her hands

Keep your money in your hands

The negativity isn’t scything, but the narrator bristles with distrust. Was this a reflection of the tension that R.E.M. felt in 1985, recording a third album in 24 months amidst a touring blitz? When Stipe sings “I’d like it here if I could leave, And see you from a long way away”, was he talking of recording location London, and the general hustle and bustle of what they’d become? Usually Stipe delivers a message of hope and change, but here it’s a blunt, narrow-eyed suspicion. It’s not an instruction that one should greet a stranger with open arms, but in fact a closed door.