R.E.M. released their second studio album, Reckoning, which, like their 1983 debut, Murmur, was produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon.
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.