Where is "When I Was Young"?

On June 5th, I posted about the expanded 25th Anniversary 2CD and digital edition of R.E.M.'s 1985 album, Fables Of The Reconstruction.  I was excited about the bonus disc containing an unreleased demo titled "Throw Those Trolls Away."  To the best of my knowledge, I had never heard that song before and was looking froward to hearing a 'new' song from one of my favorite periods of the band.

As it turns out, I had heard the song before.  It was performed live on April 28, 1985 and I have a copy of that recording.  I suppose hearing a new R.E.M. song from 1985 was too good to be true, but it was fun to hear the demo of the song.  There was also a bit of confusion.

Included in the artwork for the Fables Of The Reconstruction album was a track list that included a song titled "When I Was Young."  Years ago, when I first saw this track list, I was intrigued about what happened to the song.  Why didn't R.E.M. decide to include it on the album?  Years later, when I was amassing my collection of concerts, I was thrilled to see "When I Was Young" listed on one of the set lists.  When I first heard it, it sounded an awful lot like the song "I Believe" from R.E.M.'s next album Lifes Rich Pageant in 1986.  I figured it was just retitled and reworked for the Lifes Rich Pageant.

Granted, titles for new songs listed on a bootleg concert should be taken with a grain of salt, but "When I Was Young" sure sounded like the correct title.  It seemds to me that "Throw Those Trolls Away" was not the name of that song back then, especially since a song by the name of "When I Was Young" is listed on the album artwork and "When I was young" are the first words to the song itself.  I guess it will just remain a mystery.  Perhaps the "When I Was Young" listed on the album artwork is a different song entirely.  Though, I doubt it.

I do believe that "When I Was Young" became "I Believe."  Maybe this was common knowledge and the band decided to change the name to "Throw Those Trolls Away" to drive album sales.  Maybe it just sounded cooler to have a song with 'trolls' in the title.  I have posted "Throw Those Trolls Away" and "I Believe" for comparisons sake.  The picture for "Throw Those Trolls Away" is from the Fables of the Reconstruction artwork and "When I Was Young" is listed on the second line.

I'm sure I have put way too much thought into this...

Fables 25th Anniversary

Mark your calendars again!  R.E.M. will be releasing an expanded 25th Anniversary 2CD and digital edition of their 1985 album, Fables Of The Reconstruction on July 13th.  The package features the digitally remastered original album, plus 14 previously unreleased demo recordings, including a track I have never even heard of.  Hard to believe, I know!  I don't know how this track has eluded me for all these years.  The song is called "Throw Those Trolls Away" and I am really excited about hearing it for the first time.

The reissue of Fables Of The Reconstruction is a bit of a departure from the anniversary editions of Murmur and Reckoning because is does not include a live concert from time the album was origically released.  I am a bit bummed because the concerts from the Reconstruction tour are my favorite.  I'm sure the demos will be a lot of fun to listen to though, and I have enough unofficial recordings of the 1985 concerts to keep me happy.  I was just anticipating having a crisp clean sounding concert from that era.

Fables Of The Reconstruction is my favorite R.E.M. album from the I.R.S. years.  Peter Buck best decribes the songs on the album by calling them "character filled and vibey."  The album evokes many images and colloquialisms from the south, and most of the songs have a storytelling feel to them.  My favorite song from the album is "Good Advices" and it defines what an R.E.M. song is to me.  Take a listen...



When you greet a stranger look at his shoes
Keep your money in your shoes put your trouble behind
When you greet a stranger look at her hands
Keep your money in your hands put your travel behind
Who are you going to call for, what do you have to say
Keep your hat on your head home is a long way away
At the end of the day, I'll forget your name
I'd like it here if I could leave and see you from a long way away

When you greet a stranger, look at her shoes
Keep you memories in your shoes, put your travel behind
Who are you going to call for, what do you have to say
Keep your hat on your head
Home is a long way away
At the end of the day, when there are no friends
When there are no lovers, who are you going to call for
What do you have to change

A familiar face a foreign place I forget your name
I'd like it here if I could leave and see you from a long way away
Who are you going to call for, what do you have to say
Keep your hat on your head
Home is a long way away