Rain Parade Return

Trying to keep up with the availability of Rain Parade's catalog is maddening. And it shouldn't be; their 1983 debut, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, isn't just the peak of the 80s Paisley Underground psychedelic revival scene, but quite simply one of the greatest albums ever, and it shouldn't be so damn hard to turn people on to its majesty. But their music was absent from streaming media (and physical media) for many years; then popped up on Spotify a few years ago (either to coincide with a Third Rail reissue or their 2023 reunion LP, I forget); and then just as quickly disappeared again. 

It's a good reminder of why I have no plans to ever give up my CD collection and digital library; streaming is just too unreliable. Still, it's a pain for those of us who like to share playlists on Spotify, or use it when on-the-go.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of their catalog has been restored online. They recently reissued their second studio LP, 1986's Crashing Dream (accompanied by a somewhat haphazard selection of demos and live tracks), and I saw this morning that it has popped up on Spotify, along with Third Rail, the wonderful 1984 follow-up EP Explosions In The Glass Palace, and more (including their 2023-2024 reunion releases). Which meant I could re-create my Rain Parade For Beginners playlist (see below), hooray!

Still, a few gaps remain. Their second record, 1985's live Beyond The Sunset, is unavailable (though a few of its cuts, most notably their faithful cover of Television's "Ain't That Nothin'," are among the new Crashing Dream bonus tracks); the 1991 outtakes collection Demolition is also still absent. And while band co-founder Matt Piucci's solo LP, 2000's Hellenes, is available, the records from Steven Roback's fine post-break-up band Viva Saturn are nowhere to be found.

Likewise some key releases from Roback's brother David, who left after the first album and went on to form Mazzy Star. While that band's records are readily available, his amazing 1983 one-off side project Rainy Day (joined by various Paisley Underground players, most notably Bangle Susanna Hoffs) is long gone, as is his work with the pre-Mazzy Star duo Opal--and given his sad passing in 2020, it's unlikely those will ever return to print.

Meanwhile, most of these records (including several which don't stream) can be found over on Bandcamp, including the new deluxe Crashing Dream reissue. Of course, because their catalog is nothing if not confusing, their Bandcamp catalog is divided into two different subsets, here and here. Get shopping!

Anyway, for newbies, here's the playlist. Check it out before the catalog disappears again!