Rain Parade: Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (2LP, deluxe edition) [LABEL 51]

Why you'll love it

This deluxe 2LP set pairs the remastered album with a bonus disc of rarities, most of it never issued before. Critic Jim DeRogatis called it the best album from any of the Paisley Underground bands.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Deluxe edition
• Remastered
• Bonus disc of rarities, demos and live tracks
• Pressed in Poland
• Stereo mix

About the album

Rain Parade arrived in 1983 sounding like a long, sunny afternoon in 1967, all gentle melodies and swirling guitars, and the band's debut became one of the most prominent records of the 1980s Paisley Underground movement. At the time, Sounds magazine's Edwin Pouncey praised the gentle and complex quality of the songs.

Brothers David and Steven Roback share the songs and vocals with Matt Piucci, and the band produced and arranged the album themselves. "What She's Done to Your Mind" and "Look at Merri" glide on ethereal vocals, "Kaleidoscope" lives up to its name, and "Talking in My Sleep" opens with a gentle shimmer. The bonus disc adds the single version of "What She's Done to Your Mind," 4-track takes, demos and live songs, including a cover of Syd Barrett's "No Good Trying." Eddie Kalwa's precise drumming keeps the dreamier moments anchored.

AllMusic later called the band clearly way ahead of their time, and David Roback went on to dream-pop fame with Mazzy Star. Somewhere a pair of paisley trousers is feeling very vindicated.

Also at Kops: more Rain Parade on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Label 51 Recordings (cat# LAB 51009), a reissue of the 1983 album.