“Crashing Dream” (Label 51 Recordings)
By Eleni P. Austin
Rain Parade has been enjoying a renaissance of late. The band, initially known as The Sidewalks, first formed in 1981. But they recently roared back to life with the release of their 2023 album, “Last Rays Of The Dying Sun.”
Los Angeles native David Roback met Chicago son Matt Piucci when they roomed together at Carleton College, a Liberal Arts school in Northfield, Minnesota. Both played guitar and sang, along with John Thoman, they formed The Beatniks, covering songs by The Clash, the Sex Pistols, Modern Lovers, Iggy Pop and the Ramones. The roommates vowed to form a real band following graduation. When David returned to L.A., Matt moved there as well.
They recruited David’s brother Steven for bass duties, with the addition of Will Glenn (keys, violin) and Eddie Kalwa (drums, percussion) their sound quickly cohered. Drafting off primitive D.I.Y. energy of the L.A. Punk scene, they self-released a first single and booked their first show at Cathay de Grande, opening for Green On Red.
While Rain Parade drew inspiration from Punk’s indie spirit, they took their musical cues from ‘60s era sounds like Garage Rock, Psychedelia and Folk-Rock. A few other local acts shared their ‘60s fixation, including The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’ Clock. The loose collective, dubbed The Paisley Underground by Three O’ Clock front-man Michael Quercio, fraternized and shared stages, as each band cultivated their own passionate fanbase.
Rain Parade’s first official long-player arrived in 1983. “Emergency Third Rail Power Trip” exuded a mind-bending, mystic, crystal vision that garnered critical acclaim and modest sales. But having three songwriters in a five-man band meant someone was bound to feel left out. David began to feel restless and left the band, partnering with former Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith as Clay Allison, then more lastingly as Opal. By the end of the ‘80s, Kendra quit, Hope Sandoval took her place, and they became Mazzy Star. They went on to achieve critical and commercial success. Sadly, David passed away in early 2020.
Matt and Steven continued to carry the Rain Parade torch, recording their excellent Explosions In The Glass Palace EP as a four-piece. Old pal John Thoman joined the fold, replacing David, and around the same time Eddie left and Mark Marcum stepped behind the drum kit. The band inked a deal with Island Records and recorded their second full-length effort, Crashing Dream in 1985. Unfortunately, no one was paying attention. The band amicably split up the following year. Matt and Steven would continue to play music separately and together throughout the years, Along with John, they reactivated the Rain Parade in 2012. Augmented by Alec Palao, Mark Hanley and ex-Game Theory drummer Gil Ray, they played a sold-out show at San Francisco’s Café du Nord. A year later they performed at a couple of benefit shows along with their Paisley compatriots, The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’ Clock. 2018 found all four acts in the studio recording 3×4. The title was a sideways homage to one of the Rolling Stones’ most underrated ‘60s effort, 12×5. It featured each band covering an iconic song by the other three. An obvious labor of love, their synergy and camaraderie were etched into all 12 grooves.
Fast forward another four years and Rain Parade, which at this point included Matt, Steven and John, as well as Stephan Junca (drums and percussion) and Derek See (guitars, keys and vocals), released their long-awaited fourth album, Last Rays Of A Dying Sun. Hailed as a welcome return, the effort locked into their signature phased and dusted Psychedelic sound and still managed to add new colors and textures to their sonic palette.
In 2024, just in time for Record Store Day, the cool kids at Label 51 Recordings reissued Rain Parade’s long out of print debut, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, first on vinyl, and a few months later on CD. Along with the record’s original 12 tracks, the label included some four-track demos, live cuts and several unreleased gems. The re-release confirmed that Emergency… remains the sine qua non of ‘80s Psychedelia. Now, just ahead of the album’s 40th anniversary, they’ve released a deluxe version of Crashing Dream.
The album opens tentatively with “Depending On You.” Downcast guitars sidle around bloopy keys, sinewy bass and a slip-stitch beat. Sad-sack lyrics like “Look at this place, nothing has changed…stare at the phone ‘til it falls off the wall, what’s it matter if I’m here at all,” mourn a failed relationship. On the break, lachrymose keys and plaintive guitars underscore the lyrics’ sense of desolation and vulnerability.
While Rain Parade’s allegiance to Psychedelia and Garage Rock remained steadfast and true, this record proved they weren’t afraid to color outside the lines. Take “Shoot Down The Railroad Man,” which kicks into gear with distorto guitars, authoritative bass lines and a snapback beat, only to be supplanted by a bit of Byrdsy jangle. The arrangement see-saws as lyrics paint a grim portrait of a couple at a crossroads: “What is it about your face, seems so hurt inside…no matter what people say, we’re side by side, whatever becomes of us, it’ll never die.” Piercing guitars snarl, squall and scratch on the break, locking into a kaleidoscopic groove, before ending on a colossal D chord that brings the song to a shuddering stop.
Then there’s the Roots Rock authenticity of “Invisible People,” which is powered by crunchy guitar riffs, flinty bass, hushed keys, a thwocky beat and some ticklish tambourine. Lyrics limn a feeling of dislocation, but take a backseat to guitar solos which initially slither across the break with a serpentine grace, only to the ignite like a prairie fire.
Meanwhile, “Sad Eyes” simmers with Noir-ish exigency. Strummy guitars collide with whooshy feedback, inky keys, thrumming bass and a hi-hat splash. Choir boy vocals nearly approximate the Teutonic nonchalance of Nico, during her Velvet Underground days. As the arrangement toggles between indolent and urgent, sinister lyrics take a reckless lover to task: “I heard you speak, you had somewhere to go, I didn’t know I had so much to lose, I saw you leave, you had something to hide, you didn’t see I had nothing but time, but I won’t be afraid, memory, it don’t help, sad eyes kill.”
Much as “Sad Eyes” plumbs the past, “Mystic Green” predicts the future. Ringing guitars, shimmering keys, buoyant bass and a staccato beat produce an effervescent Jangle-Pop sound that foreshadowed British bands like The Stone Roses, The La’s and the Trash Can Sinatras. As the arrangement accelerates, sunny harmonies line up ahead of a brawny outro.
The best tracks leapfrog across the record, beginning with “My Secret Country.” A tumbling downbeat connects with liquid guitars, wily bass lines and crushed velvet keys. Vocals swoop and soar, as swivel-hipped guitar licks keen and cascade. Cryptic lyrics note “Sometimes even your sorrow turns into hope.” A sparkly guitar coda ushers the song to a close.
“Fertile Crescent” exhibits an incandescent Power Pop feel as darting guitars are matched by mercurial keys, sly bass lines and a propulsive beat. The song’s title has less to do Mesopotamia, and is meant to conjure up a sense of security: “In the fertile crescent where I lay my head…I still got the memories of the stars to wait for me, I hold you close in the evening, cause I know that’s where they’ll be.” Zig-zag keys and a bendy guitar solo color the instrumental break. Time signatures quicky shift on the bridge, accented by bossy bass lines and a “Be My Baby” backbeat.
“Don’t Feel Bad,” should have been the record’s breakout hit. Spiraling guitars, dissonant keys and fluid bass lines are wed to a stop-start beat. The irresistible melody is buoyed by stacked vocals that wrap around surreal dreamscapes: “Don’t look up, don’t look down, they come to me when I am sleeping, they ask of me, did you make it through the endless night, we saw you crying…I saw their eyes and knew we’ll make it through, ‘til we’re gone and don’t look back.” The action slows as ecclesiastic keys pool and eddy ahead of a cyclonic guitar solo that rampages across the break.
Finally, “Gone West” opens deceptively with a thumpy beat that is immediately usurped by shivery acoustic guitars lysergic keys, sidewinder electric riffs and rubbery bass lines. Drowsy harmonies offer up a twisty tale of musical manifest destiny: “there’s no turning back.” Skronky, backwards guitars kick over the traces on the break, creating a trippy chimera. The final, feedback-drenched coda is equal parts static and quicksilver.
With the addition of two live tracks, “Crashing Dream” and “Nightshade,” the band up’s the ante considerably. The former is a cosmic changeling propelled by menacing bass lines, modal keys, spiky guitars and a basher beat. Cryptic lyrics view the past through a prism of pain: “A house of many stories, some are never told, some they have escaped you, as you’re growing old, this one is the reason, the one you’ll never know, this one will be with you ‘til you go.” The sonic pulse quickens on break as guitars twitch, spark and sting atop spectral organ, thready bass and a pummeling beat.
The latter careens out of the speakers like a souped-up muscle car. The revved-up arrangement is fueled by tremolo’d guitars, slippery keys, loose-limbed bass and a kick-drum beat. The song briefly pumps the brakes at the bridge before gunning it on the break. Guitars speed-shift through the changes, across hallucinogenic keys a jackrabbit beat. Why these songs didn’t appear on the original album remains a mystery.
Back in 1985, the record ended on a humble quixotic note with “Only Business.” Initially, gossamer guitars, roiling bass and a tambourine shake are anchored to a hi-hat kick. Anthemic guitar licks weave through aural tapestry as yearning voices wonder “what went wrong.” It’s a contemplative finish to a great album.
Luckily, on this deluxe edition, the magic doesn’t there. A double LP/2 CD-set, the second disc offers up a plethora of intriguing nuggets. There are demos of songs that made the record like “Invisible People,” “Only Business” and “Mystic Green.” There are several demos that are just now seeing the light of day, from the moony vroom of “Tranquility,” and the less than sedate “Novocaine,” to the meandering ambition of “Every Morning Does” and the celestial dystopia of “Sniper.”
Along with a prickly rendition of “Don’t Feel Bad” and a tensile take of “Depending On You,” the balance of live tracks are previously unreleased. There’s the rawboned blast of Home,”the melancholy ache of “Eyes Closed” and the Glam-tinged fuzz of “Ain’t That Nothin.’” It’s great to finally be able to listen to these lost gems. When this album was released in 1985, music critics and some fans seemed to feel betrayed, perhaps expecting Emergency Third Rail Power Trip 2, Electric Boogaloo. In hindsight, this one is equally compelling, the mark of a great band is to continue evolving artistically. Clearly, this record got the short shrift. 40 years on, it feels as though this lost classic is finally getting it’s due. Crashing Dream is ripe for rediscovery.
