Murmur is the more inventive of R.E.M.'s early albums, but their second disc, the powerful Reckoning, established the band as bona fide leaders of the new American indie-rock underground. Drummer Bill Berry shines here, propelling the spiky interplay of guitars and bass on "Harborcoat" and clarifying the chiming, radio-friendly folk rock of "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)." Michael Stipe's voice peels away new layers of emotion, especially in the brooding "Camera," which remains one of R.E.M.'s most exquisite songs. The extra disc is a 1984 show in Chicago, which includes the obligatory Velvet Underground cover ("Femme Fatale") as well as a pair of songs, "Driver 8" and "Hyena," that wouldn't show up on disc for years.

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."