This is a band I discovered off of the compilation album Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era, 1976–1995. It was a follow-up to the Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968. That album consisted of early American psychedelic and garage rock singles.
Children of Nuggets was the second wave of garage bands that consisted of psychedelic, power pop, punk, alternative, and alt-country, and also included the Byrds-influenced Paisley Underground Scene that was going on at the time. It was a nice break from the disco and synth-driven bands that were all over the top 40 during the 80s.
The Rain Parade was 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. There was no shortage of good songs in the period. They just didn’t get the push from their record companies and they were out of step with other bands like Duran Duran.
This song peaked at #28 in the UK Indie Charts in 1985.
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. They also resemble early R.E.M. in this song.
David Roback was in this band. He is most famous for being a founding member of Mazzy Star. He was also in a band with Susanna Hoffs before she joined the Bangles.
You Are My Friend
You are my friend
So sad this had to end
Some broken things don’t mend
They lie where they fall
You say the knife
Is twisted in your back
You don’t remember that
It wasn’t in mind
But you’re my friend
And you know
Things are not the same
You can’t hide your lies
’cause this time
there’s nothing you can change
Friend
I’m sad it had to end
You can’t bring back the dead
They’ll burn you down
You’re much too smart
To waste your mind on me
And you know too late
Don’t be a fool
If you’re my friend
My friend
You are my friend
My friend
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
First time I have heard of them or this song. Good tune!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Teenage Fanclub took on this sound about 5 years later. Nice! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea these bands from that scene got buried at the time and later bands picked up on it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that’s rather good isn’t it? I knew I’d come across the name before, and it was with that Mazzy Star connection. Dream syndicate did this one on the recent 3X4 album which included Rain Parade and the Bangles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lot of this music is really good in this period… later bands in the 90s would pick up on it. I just wished they would have had more attention at that time
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good find, Max. Love the lush sound it has.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I second the above comment. It’s a really nice song to listen to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice tune. I love the Byrdsy vibe. I know next to nothing about the Paisley Underground Scene. Sounds like it should be right up my alley!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would be…too bad that scene didn’t get more attention….
LikeLiked by 1 person
This didn’t wow me at the start, but has nice moments. It would fit nicely into the mid-1980s playlist I wish I could have had.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know…all of these songs…I wish I would have known about at the time.
Oh…I did the Graceland thing yesterday…. I got it done earlier than I thought.
LikeLike
This is cool. I guess I can tackle this box sometime once I get through the US and UK 1960s ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea I’m doing a few more but that is it on that one. I think I’ll try a few bands in the Paisley Underground… I like a lot of Rain Parade.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know much of the Paisley Underground stuff, but that whole 1980s underground guitar scene is pretty fertile. Not that interested in the mainstream rock stuff, but you get This Band Will Be Your Life bands from the states, the Flying Nun stuff, The Go-Betweens….
LikeLiked by 1 person
In the 1980s…I don’t like much of the mainstream guitar music because it wasn’t much of it and if it was… it was way over produced….
I wish I would have known about many of these bands back then…of course now is better than never.
LikeLike
A pretty nice song. You’re right about it sounding a bit like early R.E.M., and those reverby jangly guitars are wonderful.
LikeLiked by 1 person