Very rare (less than 100 known to exist) record album package, including the original record and sleeve, signed in black marker by the cover artist, Howard Finster. According to our friends in the record-collecting world, these records are in very fine condition (VG++), with minor dings on the edges and corners, and feature a “strong signature”. As best as we can tell, the vinyl records have not been played.
12" x 12" overall item size - please note that the placement of the signature may vary from the one illustrated
Unmatted/unframed - Click here to see all available framing options
Summerville, GA evangelical preacher and folk artist Howard Finster first gained national fame after collaborating on a number of projects with the Athens, GA –based rock band R.E.M. In 1983, the band chose to film the promotional video for their debut recording “Radio Free Europe” at Finster’s "Paradise Garden" compound. The following year, the band's creative lead, singer Michael Stipe, collaborated with Finster on the painting for the cover of their second LP titled Reckoning. The relationship continued into their third record (Fables of the Reconstruction) as the band wrote the song "Maps and Legends" in honor of Finster.
Reckoning was the second studio album by the band, released in 1984 by Miles Copeland’s independent label I.R.S. Records to both critical acclaim and much improved record sales that their debut album (Murmur), reaching #27 in the U.S. and becoming the band’s first charting album (peaking at #91) in the U.K.
Songs such as “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”, Pretty Persuasion, Time After Time, Little American and (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville have gone on to become R.E.M. standards, and with Michael Stipe’s unique lyricism, singing style and intense stage presence emerging at this point, Reckoning has, over time, established itself as one of the most-influential records of the 1980s. |
