Rain Parade has announced a deluxe 2xLP reissue of their classic 1983 debut album, ‘Emergency Third Rail Power Trip’ on Label 51 with a release date of 26th April. The band was part of the late 70s early 80s Los Angeles scene, sometimes labelled the ‘Paisley Underground’, along with the likes of Los Lobos, The Bangles and Green On Red. Rain Parade’s music showed the influence of Californian psychedelic rock bands as well as those from the UK but, as with their contemporaries, filtered through the punk/DIY lens. ‘Emergency Third Rail Power Trip’ was internationally recognised as a unique psychedelic album upon its original release, with seven of its ten songs sung by band mainstays Matt Piucci and Steven Roback.
‘Emergency Third Rail Power Trip’ as well as the subsequent EP ‘Explosions In The Glass Palace’ (not to mention the striking cover art) had quite an impact with music lovers this side of the Atlantic. Rain Parade went on to influence many of the best-known guitar-based UK acts of the 1980s and 1990s. Andy Bell of Ride recalls that “Rain Parade was the one that changed me like an explosion in my mind. I saw them perform on TV and it was like, “Here is something I can fully get behind.’ It’s just incredible, and I have to say would have been pretty influential on the early Ride sound for sure.”
The band’s reputation has continued to grow ever since, while their songs have been covered by the likes of The Bluetones, Buffalo Tom, This Mortal Coil and The Bangles. This deluxe edition features the original classic ten song album on LP1 plus a bonus LP of demos and live recordings. Tracklisting is as follows:
Original album:
Side 1 Talking In My Sleep | This Can’t Be Today | I Look Around | 1 Hour 1/2 Ago | Carolyn’s Song
Side 2 What’s She Done To Your Mind | Look At Merri | Saturday’s Asylum | Kaleidoscope | Look Both Ways
Bonus LP:
Side 1 What She’s Done To Your Mind (original single) | This Can’t Be Today (4 track) | I Look Around (4 track) | Look Both Ways (4 track) | Saturday’s Asylum (live) | First of September (live)
Side 2 What You’ve Done (demo) | Look At Merri (demo) | Paper Girl (live) | Speedway (live) | No Good Trying (live) | Unexpected (live) | Time Machine (demo)
Following the success of last year’s dates where Piucci and Roback performed alongside The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade will tour the UK and mainland European in June 2024. The trip will culminate with an appearance at the Azkena Festival (near Bilbao), their first ever show in Spain.
The full list of dates is:
06.06.24 Oslo (NO) Blå
07.06.24 Stockholm (SE) Kafé Himlavalvet
08.06.24 Malmo (SE) Medley
09.06.24 Copenhagen (DK) Loppen
11.06.24 Hamburg(DE) Nochtspeicher
12.06.24 Amsterdam(NL) Paradiso Zonnehuis
13.06.24 Antwerp (BE) Djingel Djangel
14.06.24 Bristol Strange Brew
15.06.24 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
16.06.24 Manchester Night & Day
18.06.24 Nottingham Metronome
19.06.24 London 229
21.06.24 Vitoria-Gasteiz (ES) Azkena Festival
