RIP David Roback of Mazzy Star, Opal, and Rain Parade

[cuthbert]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51642346

Read the news yesterday, and it hit me like a punch in the gut. I got the first Rain Parade album back in 1983 and was an instant fan of the band. Followed through as he started Opal and Mazzy Star in the later 80s and early 90s, respectively. In addition to being a pioneer of the "Paisley Underground" of the 1980s California psych bands, Roback was also a prolific songwriter and lead guitarist in all of his bands. His Rainy Day project introduced me to many bands  I knew little of at the time (Big Star, Buffalo Springfield, solo Nico)

RIP, David Roback - and thanks for all the music.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImKY6TZEyrI


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWuUYFF31rQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyoOulH_sIs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E40ILcUTtw

Here's the entirety of the Rainy Day project that David Roback put together, featuring Susanna Hoffs & Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, Kendra Smith of The Dream Syndicate, and later Opal, Michael Quercio of The Three O'Clock, and other Paisley Underground notables:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui2VjVqgM_U

(my cover of "On The Way Home" from Rainy Day can be found here, and I covered "John Riley" from the same album here)

[Oldrottenhead]

i remember John Peel playing Rain Parade on the radio in the early eighties and i became an instant fan of their music, I still listen to their songs today. I also was a fan of Mazzy Star's music too. I never realised that both bands where connected and never really knew the band members names, it was post vinyl for me, were i ready every detail on an album cover. Rain Parade was the cassette era for me and Mazzy star was getting into CD era. MP3 and streaming era is even worse for band info. reading about David Roback's life now, i wish i had paid more attention when he was alive as i was not aware of his band Opal ( i wonder if that was a nod to Syd Barret's Opel). I was listening to Emergency Third Rail Power Trip in the car only the other day, still unaware of David Roback. R.I.P.