The Athens, Georgia, alternative band R.E.M. had some minor success in 1981 with their debut single “Radio Free Europe”. Their manager, however, did not feel they were quite ready for a full album release. Instead, he advised them to put out an EP. So, Michael Stipe, Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills went to producer Mitch Easter’s Drive-In Studios in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to record.
