S.O.D. "Radio Free Europe" by R.E.M.

9/15/2015     Recorded at Drive-In Studios in Winston Salem, North Carolina, this single received critical praise and due to its success landed the band a record deal with IRS Records.  It has been ranked #389 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and became a part of the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for setting a pattern for other indie bands as early as 1981, the date of its release, by breaking through on the airwaves when no one really knew what Indie or alternative music was.  In a 1988 NME-National Music Express interview, vocalist Michael Stipe admitted that the lyrics for the tune are supposed to be babbling and hard to understand.  

     R.E.M. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 and amicably called it quits in 2011.  One of the best selling artists of all time, they have sold more then 85 million records. They are one of the first pioneers of the alternative genre and one of the only groups in history to have all the original members (4) from beginning to end.  In 2007 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.