Reckoning (R.E.M. Album) - Packaging

Packaging

For the cover of Reckoning, Stipe drew a picture of a two-headed snake, which he then gave to artist Howard Finster to fill in as a painting. Stipe stated that the imagery was an attempt to define the elements, explaining, "Part of it is rocks and part of it is the sun and part of it the sky." The end result was considered a disappointment, as Stipe had to work with Finster on a long-distance basis, and the reproduction of the artwork for the album sleeve was problematic. The spine of the vinyl version of the album features the phrase "File Under Water". Stipe told NME in 1984 the phrase is the true title of the record. He added, "In America, both titles are on the spine, with nothing on the cover. Here they insisted on Reckoning being on the cover." Instead of labeling the sides of the record as "side one" and "side two", the sides were designated as "L" and "R", respectively.