R.E.M.

Top row, left to right: Lisa O'Neill, Yo La Tengo, Philip Selway; bottom row: Among Authors Courtesy of the artists hide caption

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. David Belisle hide caption

R.E.M. Chris Bilheimer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Chuck Berry in the Chess Records recording studio. The New York Times reports that originals of Berry's Chess catalog were burned in the 2008 Universal fire. Gilles Petard/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

R.E.M. in 1992 (left to right): Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Bill Berry, Mike Mills Anton Corbijn/Courtesy of Concord Music Group hide caption

Clockwise from upper left: R.E.M. in 1991, Sharon Van Etten, Sylvan Esso, Kate Tempest Courtesy of the artists hide caption

SOAK. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Otis Redding in 1967. Redding was also known as "The Mad Man From Macon." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

Neil Young (clockwise from upper left), fun., James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, early era R.E.M. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

"It's always hard to tell exactly what [R.E.M.'s] Michael Stipe is singing about," says NPR listener and novelist Thomas Mullen. Sean Gardner/Getty Images hide caption

R.E.M. in the early days. Left to right: Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Bill Berry, Peter Buck. Laura Levine hide caption

Clockwise from top left: Bjork, Andrew Bird, R.E.M. Courtesy of the artists hide caption