I’ve been listening to the Rain Parade’s album Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and I’ve heard influences from Buffalo Springfield to Rubber Soul. The Rain Parade were part of the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the early 80s. The Paisley Underground scene contained bands such as The Bangles, Green on Red, and The Long Ryders.
If you get a chance give this album a listen.
They were another band formed in Minnesota by college roommates Matt Piucci (guitar, vocals) and David Roback (guitar, vocals) in 1981, while they were attending Carleton College. David’s brother Steven Roback (bass, vocals) joined.
Their roots were in punk music but in this band…instead of the Sex Pistols and the Clash they went for the Byrds jangly guitars. The critics were mixed on this band…some saying they copied the psychedelic era too much and others saying they were ahead of their time. The Roback brothers were the main writers. After this album Dave Roback left the band.
From Wiki: Critic Jim DeRogatis would later write in his book Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock (2003) that “Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is not only the best album from any of the Paisley Underground bands, it ranks with the best psychedelic rock efforts from any era”, with uplifting melodies offset by themes that were “dark and introspective.”
They were together from 1981 to 1986. They broke up in 1986 and reformed in 2012 and have been touring since. Dave Roback passed away in 2020.
Daveid Roback: “Rain Parade was very much a recasting of our punk interests in more musical terms, inspired by our fascination with music history.”
One Half Hour Ago
What’s the point of looking back?
All you see is an empty track
Of lives you’ve lived
And things you tried to love
What’s the use of anything
That brings you down?
You can’t believe it for an hour
You’re in here just a while
Half an hour from an hour ago
From a half an hour from an hour ago
Call me early on Saturday
It’s my favorite day
I’ll come out to play
That is only, I go to bed
So that I can rest
I can leave my head behind
Disappointing everyone
I’m so much fun
Until I’m lost
Things we do are the way we choose to live
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
Very trippy lyrics and nice music.
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Interesting. Does sound British and psychedelic. Sound like they might have had real potential.
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Another 80s band that was doing something different…the album is really good. It got some high praise.
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Interesting. I’ve never heard of them. Yeah, very Buffalo Springfield. I like them.
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I’ve been listening to this album while deep in work for the past few weeks…yes I really like it. Thanks for listening Pam.
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You’ve got me with this one! I don’t know them at all. I like Dream Syndicate from the Paisley Underground scene. I’ve been listening to Let’s Active more since you highlight them – different scene but same era.
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I really like this album. I think you might like it. The Rain Parade sound nothing like The Dukes Of Stratosphear but…in a way the same concept…just not as obvious…a little more subtle.
The Paisley Underground Scene did have some really good bands. I have one tomorrow from that scene…latecomers but they were in it.
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Interesting song – sounds to me like the engineer kept changing the tape speed during the song 😀 but I guess that’s the psychedelic part huh?
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Oh yea! Some of the album sounds like it belonged in the Rubber Soul era.
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It’s psychedelic for sure. I like the sound. I hear influence from the Beatles’ Rain, so I wonder if that’s where their name comes from?
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It very well could have been. When I listen to the album I hear a lot of Rubber Soul…
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Never heard this before Max. Will rectify. Has my interest. Thanks.
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That whole scene is interesting. I was introduced to it by Green on Red and it went from there. What cool and different music came from the Paisley Underground…. From the Long Ryders to the Bangles…
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I missed the Bangles. Just put this on my playlist.
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I like their early stuff before they signed with the big record company.
BTW…CB I’m trying to have more female artists…have you heard or remember the band Fanny? They were a blues rock band back in the early to mid seventies…just wondering dude. They were not the Bangles or Go Gos…but serious as hell on their instruments.
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Yes I do remember them. I hear you on the female thing. I did Patti for the Hans thing. My music is male dominated but the females I have are all second to none. You ever listen to Emelda May? If not you’re in for a treat. You turned me onto Tami Neilson didn’t you?
(Listening to Parade right now. First cut and Im liking it)
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Mine is male dominated also…Janis and Aretha has always been there but I want to spread out… No I never heard of Emelda May….I will now… No that wasn’t me in Tami Neilson…I just looked her up she has a connection with New Zealand…it was probably Graham… The female I featured was Joyce Green and her song Black Cadillac…which is killer.
I’ll give both a listen CB…thanks.
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It wasn’t Graham. Yeah I liked that Joyce cut
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Not just yea…but hell yea… what pipes that woman has…very commanding.
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Shes good and some throw back sound which I like.
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I listened to Joyce Green right after…yea she does have that throw back sound…that voice man is magic. See you tonight Mr. CB
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