REM - the one I love: my reference track

One of the key decisions when mixing a track is what the reference track will be.  The balance of instruments to voice, and the way they sit together is crucial to how the song will sound.  Although not immediately obvious to the casual listener, it is only when you listen closely to the track before referencing, and then flip between this and the reference that you realise how far away you are.
One thing that became obvious from the start was how low guitars tend to be in pop songs released recently.  Even song's that I would consider have strong guitars to the fore are sometimes deceptive, and often the addition of keyboards and synthesisers can make these songs a poor referencing source if you are not using keyboards and synthesisers.  I have always been a fan of guitar driven indie music of the 80's and 90's and listened to quite a few contenders including the Smiths, The Cure and early U2.  However it was only when I heard the mix for the REM track, The One I Love, that I knew I had the sound that I most wanted to emulate.  It is ideal it mirrors the mix of Guitar and vocal I am looking for and the instruments are broadly the same as those used for Far Be It.
Having started out trying to work out how to get music written and recorded as efficiently as possible I have found out that the skill set you need to run your own label is much broader than I thought.  On the positive side it is amazing how much more you hear from songs you thought you knew well, when you are REALLY listening.