R.E.M.’s ‘Reckoning’ getting high-definition vinyl upgrade

R.E.M.’s sophomore album, Reckoning, is getting an audiophile upgrade.

The album is the latest addition to the Interscope-Capitol Records Definitive Sound Series, and will be released Sept. 18 on 180-gram high-definition vinyl, with the upgraded audio sourced from the original analog master tapes.

Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, who co-produced the original album, were directly involved with the upgrade, which was mastered by mastering engineer Chris Bellman.

According to a post on Instagram, after hearing the finished test pressing of the upgraded audio, Dixon noted that he was “hearing details within the recording that had escaped him on previous vinyl editions.”

The Definitive Sound Series edition of Reckoning will be limited to just 5,000 numbered copies, and is available for preorder now.

This is the third R.E.M. album to get an audio upgrade. In December, both their debut EP, Chronic Town, and their debut album, Murmur, were reissued as part of the Interscope-Capitol Records’ Definitive Sound Series. Both editions sold out.

Released April 8, 1984, Reckoning was a hit with critics and peaked at #27 in the U.S., although it topped college radio airplay charts. Its first single, “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry),” peaked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100, while its second single, “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville,” did not chart. Both went on to become R.E.M. fan favorites.

The album has since been certified Gold by the RIAA.