North Carolina’s Let’s Active was popular on the college music scene back in the early ’80s, both because they were putting out some excellent music but also because of the reknown that group leader Mitch Easter had achieved as co-producer (along with Don Dixon) of R.E.M.’s albums through Reckoning. Let’s Active played a style similar to R.E.M.’s style at that time, which some referred to as “jangle pop” (and of course the similarity in styles on record had a lot to do with Easter’s production, as he was also producing the Let’s Active albums).

If you could say that Let’s Active had any “big” hits, it would probably be “Every Word Means No,” which got played a lot on college stations when it was released in 1983 on the Afoot EP (only available now on a CD together with their following album, Cypress — and even that CD is out of print). Whatever you call it, it’s a great song…and check out the cute puppy in the video…