RAIN PARADE REFORM

The Rain Parade are reforming
Details are here: http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2012/09/26/rain-parade-reunion-benefit-bobby-sutliff-windbreakers/
Gil Ray from Game Theory is on drums
European dates are planned for 2013
Life is fucking beautiful

Rain Parade: Atlanta Georgia 1985

It’s with a heavy heart that I present to you, the last of The Rain Parade live recordings in the BPFE archive. I’ve said everything I can think of to say about RP, so if you’ve read this far, you’ll know just what an incredible band they were and I am so peeved that I couldn’t get to see Matt Piucci at a recent London date. Bah! Anyway, here it is my friends - my final live recording – Atlanta Georgia 1985. Details are scant to say the least. It’s a good audience recording and features a couple of rare gems – ‘I think I’m lost’ and ‘Remember I’m dead’ – the former is an absolute goshdarn stormer.

The whole gig has a nicely 'unhinged' feel to it and someone definitely bought a new effect pedal as a couple of the tunes are flanged to infinity. Si-Co-Delik!

So farewell then to The Rain Parade. We must cling to this music like a parachute.

Atlanta 1985

Rain Parade: Live in Atlanta 1985

01 No easy way down/This can't be today

02 Don't feel bad/Shoot down the railroad man

03 Blue

04 Depending on you/Go West

05 Mystic green

06 Remember I'm dead

07 You are my friend

08 Think I'm lost

Rain Parade: London, Riverside Studios, 19 05 1985

More Rain Parade. I'm spoiling you.

Last gig of the tour and far from weary, this is a great soundboard recording. I'm not sure how much more of me gushing about how stunning RP were you can take, so I'll keep it short and sweet. This is an essential download. So there.

...completeists, check out the Neil Young cover that finishes the set....

Riverside Studio

Rain Parade: Newport Music Hall (Front room) Columbus, Ohio November 11 (?) 1984

Yep, it’s Tuesday, so it must be another Rain Parade live recording.

This is another ace soundboard (or exceptionally good audience recording) from Columbus,  Ohio, around the time of the ‘Perfume River’ recording. Don’t panic completeists, there are a number of differences in the setlists, so calm yourself down… As per ‘Perfume River’ they’re joined on the encores by Sid Griffin who (along with REMs Peter Buck) would jump onstage with anyone in earshot during the mid-eighties. You’d be right in assuming he’s not the shy retiring type…

Performances are great – this is the five piece version of the band with John Thoman on Guitar… by far my favourite lineup of the band, for what it’s worth.

('No Easy Way Down' recorded for the OGWT

with a brief interview preceding it)

Now about the date…Matt Piucci announces that the gig was on the 20^th anniversary of Sam Cookes murder, which would make it December 11^th, but all the references I’ve found state this was November 11^th. ‘Perfume River’ was recorded on November 14^th (in Rochester). Unless you were there (and if you were, you’re a jammy bugger) we’ll never know. And what difference does it make really…this is great music whenever it was recorded!

Newport Music Hall

Rain Parade: The Dock near Jackson Mississippi, July 1984

As promised, here’s another ace Rain Parade live recording – this time it’s a soundboard from The Dock in Jackson Mississippi. Quality is great, although the sound man throws the levels around a bit, resulting in a rather ‘roller-coaster’ feel in places – especially to the first number. It’s the four piece ‘Explosions In The Glass Palace’ line up in fine form and the energy level is high. It also finishes up with a raucous version of ‘Glory’ by kindred spirits, Television, where they’re joined by members of the Windbreakers.  

The Band:

Matt Piucci: Guitar, Vocals

Steven Roback: Bass, Vocals

Will Glenn: Keyboards

Eddie Kalwa: Drums

The Dock

Rain Parade: Big Club, Torino, Italy Nov 13 85

I really miss the (Old Grey) Whistle Test. For the benefit of non-UK BPFE-ers (I have to think of a snappier name than that (Big Planners? Beepees?) The Whistle Test was a great BBC music magazine programme of the 70's and 80's. What I loved most was the fact that it looked like it was filmed at the back of a furniture warehouse. The presenters were genuine enthusiasts, and in the mid 80's, any Paisley Underground band visiting the UK was guaranteed to make an appearance. That's where I first saw The Rain Parade. 

I was in a bit of a transition period at the end of '85. My Metalhead years were coming to an end and I was looking around for something with a bit more substance. I tuned to the OGWT, saw the Rain Parade and the die was cast. They were a funny looking bunch - Matt Piucci's cowboy boots and Mark Marcum's headband seemed rather incongruous, but the tunes...oh my. Fantastic versions of 'Depending On You' and 'My Secret Country' blew my tiny, Eddie Van Halen obsessed, skin-tight jean wearing, bullet belted* mind. 

 (Depending On You)

They were confusing too...some of the references were easy to spot (their first album, the awesome 'Emergency Third Rail Power Trip' contains pretty straightforward Garage Rock tunes - they're almost pastiches) - but by the time they got to 'Crashing Dream' (the album they were plugging on The Whistle Test) it was hard to discern just what the hell they were listening too. And I like that.

(My Secret Country)

This live recording (see! we got there eventually!) is a superb soundboard from an Italian gig the month before the revelatory TV appearance. Sound quality is pretty close to perfect (although the acoustic Guitar sounds a bit like a massive rubber band twanging away…) and the performance is great. 'Crashing Dream' gets a bit of a kicking from the cognoscenti because of its '80's production' - well here it is, live and raw and those songs sound bloody ace. Eat your words, doubters. This is from the master tape from which a live, picture disc was manufactured in the 80's (pictured above). The mastering was shoddy and featured just 11 of the 17 tracks’ on here. So even if you’ve got the disc, you REALLY need this.

This is my favourite live recording of my favourite era of the band. The good news is, there's plenty more to come. Woohoo!

Massive thanks go to Maurizio 'Ratpie'- the original recorder/seeder. Gratzie!

* I never had a bullet belt, I just thought that was a nice turn of phrase...

Torino

Rain Parade: Perfume River

(Well, before you accuse me of bandwagon jumping, I'd planned to post this for ages. I've just seen 'Crashing Dream' posted on 'The Commercial Zone' and 'Happy Nightmare Baby' posted on 'Songs From Under The Floorboards', so this one's for the hat trick).

I have three criteria to post stuff: is it brilliant? Is it available as a catalogue item or official download? Has it been posted recently on a blog? If the answer is yes, no, no then up it goes. The first criteria is easy...for the other two, I refer to Amazon and Totally Fuzzy. According to Amazon, the current sale price of 'Perfume River' is £273.08. £273.08!! Hells bells, my first car didn't cost that much.

This is a great soundboard recording of a great show including 'Crashing Dream' (a more hi-fi recording than the one on 'Demolition') and a few tasty covers. RP are well represented in Blogland and quite rightly so, but given the scarcity of this release, I feel it my duty to share. Don't thank me, just pass it forward... I discovered the band just before their death knell - 'Depending On You' from the Whistle Test blew my doors off. As a result, 'Crashing Dream' is my favourite release of theirs, eighties production, synths and all. That was the first vinyl album I ever digitized, having found a lovely clean copy in a record shop in Birmingham for 99p. Thats £272.09 less than is being asked for for 'Perfume River'

And like it says on the CD 'In fond memory of Will Glenn'

Oh, by the way, if you are considering buying the copy on Amazon, you may be interested in a used car I have for sale...

Perfume River

Kaleidoscope

This can't be today

Prisoners

Crasing Dream

Blue

You are my friend

Sad eyes kill

No easy way down

Broken horse

Ain't that nothin'

What she's done to your mind

Saturday's asylum

Like a hurricane

What goes on

Rain Parade: Perfume River