"In Circles" by Mike Peters

Mike Peters is synonymous with The Alarm, and his solo career is just as criminally ignored as his band. His solo work doesn't sound remarkably different than The Alarm, so you may not even be able to distinguish one from the other when listening.

On his third outing as a solo artist, 1998's "Rise," Peters released what I consider to be one of the best albums of that year. I still go back for it today to enjoy standouts like "Transcendental," "Ground Zero," "The Wasting Land," and this one...co-written with Billy Duffy of The Cult. There's no trace of it online that I could find, so here is a version performed with The Alarm.

“Father To Son” by The Alarm

If I had to name one of the most underrated bands of all-time, The Alarm would be high on the list. They came close to superstardom during their rise in popularity in the 80s, culminating with their biggest chart topper in the US – the masterful album, “Strength”.

“Strength” went to #39 on the US Billboard albums chart in 1985.

The title track from “Strength” yielded a modest hit, reaching #61. But another gem tucked away in this album of strengths is “Father To Son”. Don't let the title fool you...this isn’t a gushy song - it is a rebel’s anthem. But unlike most rebellious tunes, the song has a bouncy and happy beat rather than a bunch of heavy guitars and screaming.

The mix of angst-ridden lyrics with a poppy melody may reflect the complicated relationships between parents and children. Lead singer and songwriter Mike Peters once explained that the song is autobiographic, but added that he loved his parents to bits.