Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip
#233
1983 Housekeeping
Rain Parade
Emergency Third Rail Power Trip
3 out of 5
This is some real “let’s all get high and listen to Rain Parade, man, and, also, what a great Oriental rug you have and also I think I’m part fish but not because I have gills although I knew a guy named Gil and I thought it would be funny if he was a merman but his dad owned an electronic store and then he got hit by a car and he’s paralyzed now” stuff.
This is the sound of the worst impulses and adulation of Psychedelic Moody Blues music that could’ve steered REM into the ditch if not for Michael Stipe’s weirdness and Bill Berry’s rock and roll. In other words, Rain Parade is probably still angry that Mike Mills isn’t in their band.
I alternately expect a good and bad rating during each song. This album is a sine wave. As soon as I appreciate a song, the next one takes it down a notch.
There is absolutely no surprise that David Roback, the primary force here, would go on to found Mazzy Star.
