Mission of Burma were before my time. They broke up in 1983 and never became well known outside the northeast. I recently discovered the band after reading about them in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad. (read the Onion's review here) Although Mission of Burma were only around for 4 years and only recorded 21 songs, they influenced many bands that followed them. They never sold a lot of records, but it seems everyone who bought one of their records started a band.

Now almost 20 years later, Mission of Burma are undergoing a resurrgence. This article on Mission of Burma from Slate, discusses their history, their resurgence, and why they deserve to be remembered.