“In R.E.M.’s earliest days, it fell to Mitch Easter to harness the raw power and jangly energy of the Athens, Georgia quartet. Easter was behind the boards for the first four releases by the group: their 1981 debut single “Radio Free Europe,” breakthrough EP Chronic Town, and their bracing albums Murmur and Reckoning. The excitement of these five men, all of whom were at the start of their careers, bleeds into even the most contemplative tracks they recorded together.”
In an extensive interview with Aquarium Drunkard, Mitch talks about the early days of working with R.E.M…. meeting the band for the first time, his thoughts about their sound, and the seminal recordings in North Carolina that followed in the wake. Read it here.