Begin the Begin: R.E.M.'s Early Years, Paperback - Robert Dean Lurie
E. It offers by far the most detailed account of their formative years--the early lives of the band members, their first encounters with one another, their legendary debut show, early tours in the back of a van, initial recordings, their shrewdly paced rise to fame.story in ways much more complex and interesting than have been presented thus far, says Lurie, who explores the myriad ways in which the band's adopted hometown of Athens, Georgia, and the South in general, have shaped its members and the character and style of their art.