Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip/Explosions in the torrent

Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip [1983]

Among the L.A. groups dubbed Paisley Underground (Dream Syndicate, the Bangles, Three O'Clock), Rain Parade were the closest to being the real deal for their use of psychedelic flourishes thoroughout their first album. Formed in Los Angeles in the early '80s, the group consisted of David Roback (vocals, guitar), Steven Roback (vocals, bass), Matt Piucci (vocals, guitar), Will Glenn (keyboards), and Eddie Kalwa (drums). Their first single, "What She's Done to Your Mind," was a certifiable hit on college radio, and the band quickly followed with a full-length LP for Enigma in 1983, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip. For 1984's Explosions in the Glass Palace, (Restless) the band lost David Roback to Opal, but John Thoman took over and Mark Marcum filled in for the departed Eddie Kalwa. The re-formed band recorded the live album Beyond the Sunset (1985, Restless) and Crashing Dream (Island, 1986) before disbanding. David Roback went on to finesse Opal into Mazzy Star, Steven Roback, and Thoman worked as Viva Saturn, and Piucci recorded an album with Crazy Horse ? yes, that Crazy Horse.

Featuring the dreamy "What She's Done To Your Mind" and the Byrdsy "This Can't Be Today" (with the Dream Syndicate's Kendra Smith), on Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, Rain Parade fashioned traditional, gentle psychedelic pop. Clearly way ahead of their time, it would take years before sleepy music (a la founding Rain Parade member's David Roback's Mazzy Star) would catch on, this record sounds no more made in the '80s than in the '60s or '90s.


01 Talking in My Sleep 3:47
02 This Can't Be Today 4:35
03 I Look Around 3:05
04 1 HR ½ Ago 4:12
05 Carolyn's Song 4:05
06 What She's Done to Your Mind 2:55
07 Look at Merri 6:33
08 Saturday's Asylum 3:44
09 Kaleidoscope 5:34
10 You Are My Friend 3:05
11 Prisoners 3:50
12 Blue 2:54
13 Broken Horse 3:42
14 No Easy Way Down 6:54