Let's Active - Waters Part

Let's Active came out of the vibrant Southeastern college rock scene of the early 1980s and could have become a big time alternative band if things had broken for them.  Unfortunately, this did not happen, leaving the group as more of a footnote in 1980s music.  This is a shame, as they produced some of the best college pop this side of R.E.M.

The group was founded in North Carolina in 1981 and was led by singer/songwriter Mitch Easter.  Easter is best-known for his work with R.E.M.; he produced their debut EP, Chronic Town, and co-produced (with Don Dixon) the band's first two LPs, Murmur and Reckoning.  Easter's own sound was not totally dissimilar to R.E.M., but with more 1960s pop and less folk influences.

For the blog, we went with "Waters Part" from Let's Active's first LP, 1984's Cypress.  The song did not chart, while the album only reached #153.  Sadly, Let's Active never had a album break the top 100.  The group released additional albums in 1986 and 1988 before breaking up in 1990, though there have been some reunion shows in recent years.

Cool trivia fact:  The Let's Active name came from a nonsensical expression used on a Japanese T-shirt back in the day.