An alternative rock band of the 1980s and 1990s, R.E.M. served up an eclectic mix of musical styles that included punk, rock, and even country and folk. Comprised of Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), and Bill Berry (drums), R.E.M. had a homegrown feel to its music, with a jangly guitar sound that was reminiscent of the Byrds. R.E.M.'s music also represented a link between the postpunk alternative music of the 1980s and punk forerunners Patti Smith (who appeared on 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi) and the Velvet Underground. According to Rolling Stone magazine, which selected the group as its 1992 Artist of the Year, R.E.M. ascended to "mainstream popularity without caving in to record-industry dictums or betraying its original college-radio constituency."

The group began the 1980s in Athens, Georgia, hometown to its...