"Pain Of Love" by Dweezil Zappa

Son of the legendary Frank Zappa, Dweezil Zappa has been surrounded by guitar gods all of his life. It is no surprise that he would record music of his own, but it is a surprise that his work has evaded the charts.

Zappa has contributed his guitar skills to many musicians over the years, and was married to Lisa Loeb from 1998 to 2004.

"Pain Of Love" is a great tune found on his 1991 release, "Confessions." This song, as well as others on the record, feature the members of Extreme (Zappa contributed some lead guitar work to Extreme's 1990 breakthrough record, "Pornograffitti").

"Blood And Fire" by Van Halen

Formed by brothers Eddie and Alex, Van Halen began their run on the charts in 1978 when their version of "You Really Got Me" peaked at #36. The band would score big with several other cover songs in 1982, including "(Oh) Pretty Woman" (#12) and "Dancing In The Street" (#38).

By their 6th album with the charismatic frontman David Lee Roth, the band leapt to the top of the charts with 1984's "Jump." The single stayed their for 5 weeks and was followed by two more Top 40 hits that both peaked at #13: "I'll Wait" and "Panama."

Whether the group would be able to sustain their run on the charts after Roth was replaced with Sammy Hagar (formerly of Montrose) in 1985 was a big question at the time. But they proved the doubters wrong as the band continued to score big hits with Hagar at the mic. "Why Can't This Be Love" flew to #3 in 1986, followed by "Dreams" and "Love Walks In," which both went to #22.

Additional hits with Hagar followed until they parted ways in 1996 (his last chart appearance with the band came in 1995 when "Not Enough" stalled at #97). Van Halen could not strike gold a third time by replacing their lead singer once again, this time with Extreme's vocalist, Gary Cherone. Nothing from the single album done with Cherone in 1998 charted.

But Van Halen wasn't done quite yet. A surprise reunion with Roth took place and one more album has been released to date, entitled "A Different Kind Of Truth." The lead single, "Tattoo," reached #67 in 2012. "Blood And Fire" is another cut from that album that deserved greater attention.

"Swollen Princess" by Nuno

You may not know his name, but Nuno Bettencourt is no stranger to chart success. One of the greatest guitar gods around today, he is best known for his work in Extreme. But Nuno has also played with a wide range of musicians from Janet Jackson to Rihanna, Dweezil Zappa to Tantric.

Nuno has formed a number of side projects outside of Extreme that included Mourning Widows, Population 1, and DramaGods. But I think his greatest work was on his 1997 solo record, "Schizophonic." This is his most consistent effort -- Nuno likes to incorporate experimental music into the mix, but on this record it was never at expense of a good melody. Nuno proves to be a more than competent singer, and has great instincts for harmony vocals. "Swollen Princess" is fantastic and should have made him a household name, but nearly every track is great.

"Interface" by Extreme

Extreme hit it big in 1991 with their beautiful acoustic ballad "More Than Words." The tune went to #1 and introduced the world to the amazing vocal chemistry between Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt. The Boston-based rock band had a #4 follow-up hit with another acoustic ditty, "Hole Hearted". The hard rock they were best known for never made its way onto the charts.

After an extended break that included solo efforts, numerous other bands, playing guitar for Rihanna (Nuno), and Cherone's high-profile but ill-fated stint in Van Halen, Extreme reunited to make their fourth album, "Saudades de Rock" (2008). The song "Interface" originally appeared on a Nuno project called "DramaGods," but sounds even better with Cherone's harmonies. A gorgeous although heartbreaking song either way.