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R.E.M.- Green 35th- Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills

If you were fortunate in 1983 to discover the first full-length album "Murmur" from Athens GA-based R.E.M. , you probably realize that it sounded unlike anything else at the time, and precious little ever since except maybe their followup,"Reckoning". Over the next four years and five albums on indie label IRS, Michael Stipe Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry made some of the smartest,quirkiest, angular rock of any American band...Michael, Peter, and Mike all join me here In the Studio for the 35th anniversary of R.E.M.'s four million seller "Green".
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R.E.M.- Automatic for the People- Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills

R.E.M. singer/lyricist Michael Stipe, multi-instrumentalist/singer Mike Mills, and guitarist/songwriter Peter Buck all convene with me here In the Studio for "Automatic for the People" by R.E.M., estimated to have sold 18,000,000 copies worldwide because of "Man on the Moon","Everybody Hurts", & "Drive".
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R.E.M.- Out of Time- Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills

It is clear on the thirtieth anniversary of R.E.M.'s "Out of Time" album that the song from it, "Losing My Religion", has weathered the time in between exceedingly well. "Pop culture, particularly in the US, everything comes and goes in cycles, as things do," points out R.E.M. singer/ lyricist Michael Stipe, "which we all realize as we all grow older and wiser, whether it's politics or music or pop culture...I always wanted to have a song that would be considered 'the song of the Summer'. As it was, that song kind of became the song of the year," he chuckled. Ten million copies sold and three Grammy Awards later, nobody could argue the case.

R.E.M.- Half a World Away- Milton Keynes UK 7-30-95

This live R.E.M. performance outdoors in the English countryside of "Half a World Away" in Summer 1995 serves as an appetizer for the upcoming rockumentary here In the Studio for the parent album "Out of Time" 's thirtieth anniversary coming 3/1.

R.E.M.- Losing My Religion 4-28-92

This slightly slower all-acoustic performance by R.E.M. of "Losing My Religion" at the Capital Plaza Theater in Charleston WV in April 1992, replete with melancholy solo violin, may be my favorite version, thanks to the Mountain Stage...