"Sensitize" by That Petrol Emotion

Hopes ran high that the band That Petrol Emotion would break through into the mainstream with the release of their 1990 album, "Chemicrazy." Produced by Scott Litt, best known for his work with R.E.M., the record contained tracks that stayed true to alternative rock yet added pop sensibility.

But obviously that didn't happen for some reason. Despite a great catchy single with "Sensitize," and equally cool tracks like "Hey Venus," the album failed to ignite substantial interest. That Petrol Emotion remains an obscure treat to be discovered for fans of late-80s college rock.

"Man-Sized Wreath" by R.E.M.

R.E.M. emerged from Athens, Georgia to become one of the darlings of college radio in the 80s. Many of their early classics barely made it onto the Top 100, but that all changed when "The One I Love" zoomed to #9 in 1987. It would be the first of four top 10 hits for the band, the others being "Stand" (#6), "Losing My Religion" (#4), and "Shiny Happy People" (#10), which was made even shinier with Kate Pierson of the B-52's on backing vocals.

The depth of talent in R.E.M. was so great that the band survived the grunge era unscathed, even contributing a staple album to the trend entitled "Monster," which yielded four Top 100 singles. R.E.M. also survived the departure of their drummer in 1997, who left for health reasons. While they never recaptured the chart success of their heyday, R.E.M. continued to release critically acclaimed albums until they decided that 30 years together was enough.

I was surprised that many of their well-known songs didn't get what they deserved on the charts - for example, "Fall On Me" only went to #94, "Bittersweet Me" only #46, "Imitation Of Life" only #83, "Supernatural Superserious" only #85 (their last chart appearance in 2008), and even "Man On The Moon" only reached #30.

"Man-Sized Wreath" is one of the highlights from the band's underrated 2008 effort, "Accelerate."

"Every Word Means No" by Let's Active

Despite lots of critical acclaim, the North Carolina power pop band Let's Active were never active on the charts. They released a trio of records and an EP during the 80s that never caved to trends. In addition to fronting Let's Active, singer and songwriter Mitch Easter produced several of R.E.M.'s early records.

"Every Word Means No" comes from their debut 1983 EP called "Afoot." There's hints of genius here, but the band never rose above cult status.