Joe Rickenbacker

In 2005, just as I was nosediving into R.E.M.'s 1980s back catalogue, my favourite magazine (Uncut, from the UK) put out free CDs chock-full of R.E.M. influences - each curated by a member of R.E.M.! I only got the Mike Mills version (my teenage budget couldn't justify buying three identical magazines), but it was an absolute treasure trove for discovering bands like The Replacements, The Jayhawks, Pylon, Jason & the Scorchers and Soul Asylum: http://www.45worlds.com/cdalbum/cd/uncut200508a (I've turned it into a Spotify playlist:) Stipe went a bit more ecletic: https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-REM-Collection-Disc-2-Michael-Stipe-Presents-Rare-And-Unreleased-Tracks/release/1796688 (Spotify link to follow) Peter Buck's was very expansive, going all the way from Ry Cooder to Sufjan Stevens: https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-REM-Collection-Disc-2-Michael-Stipe-Presents-Rare-And-Unreleased-Tracks/release/1796688 (Spotify link to follow)