Sleeping in My Dreams, Dreaming on my Feet

The further the discussion of Los Angeles' Paisley Underground, here is another great piece of 80's psychedelia.


Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip/Explosions in the Glass Palace (1983-4)

The gorgeous album art is an indicator for the sound and mood that you will hear on the record. It very floaty and psychedelic, at time almost like an American version of shoegaze. However, it does have some extremely strong songwriting on it.

Rain Parade is also significant for being David Roback's first significant group. He left after Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and went on to form Opal with The Dream Syndicate's Kendra Smith and later Mazzy Star. However, Rain Parade was a truly collaborative band and Roback's contributions are equaled by his brother, bassist Steven, and other guitarist Matt Piucci. This becomes clear as many of these songs are more pop-based than his later work. The sound is extremely well-grounded in the sixties, but still adds enough to make it not only fresh in 1983 but even today. The influence of the Byrds, in particular, is undeniable, especially on the album's catchiest track "What's She Done to Your Mind." This album is true psychedelic rock and is best suited for colorfully low-lit rooms while on drugs. Tracks like "I Look Around" evoke the same kind of drugged-out bliss as the Brian Jonestown Massacre, while "Talking in My Sleep" captures a dazed life that may or may not be the result of drugs.

Also included is the Explosions in the Glass Palace EP, which is still an essential work and (supposedly) the band's last worthy release. It does, in fact almost stand up to the LP, especially on the Beatles-esque "Prisoners". In between the records is the track "Look Both Ways," as well.

Here's a video which features a brief interview with Matt Piucci and Steven Roback on music and the Paisley Underground followed by a performance of "No Easy Way Down," one of Explosions' dronier tunes.