R.E.M. releases monster 131-track Warner Bros. rarities set, puts ‘Chronic Town’ on iTunes

It’s been a big week for R.E.M. fans — even bigger than we thought, with not just the release of the band’s 1991 and 2001 “MTV Unplugged” sets and the previously reported digital collection of I.R.S.-era rarities, but also a digital companion featuring a whopping 131 tracks from the band’s Warner Bros. period.