Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Play Some Extra! Dept. - Viva Saturn

You young folks out there in FoamLand™ are whining that we feature way too much old-timey music from a decade that never happened (at least to you). So to show you that we have our finger on the pulse of th' zeitgeist and we're down wit' tha kidz, we're dragging the Isle O' Foam © kicking and screaming into the twentieth century [huh? - Ed.] for some modern-type music sure to get today's happening teens a-snapping their fingers and a-tapping their toes!

Viva Saturn are basically The Rain Parades after David Roback split. The Rain Parades are one of the very few post-sixties psych bands to be as good as their inspiration; Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is as trouser-bustingly fantastic as its title, Explosions In The Glass Palace and Crashing Dream very nearly so.

The Viva Saturn albums are largely forgotten, and the third (Ships Of Heaven) never released, which is a damn shame, because they're at least as worthwhile as David Roback's sulky Opal and Mazzy Star projects (yeah, I know ... luscious, pouting Hope Sandoval ... ooooffff), and Brightside is the best of the bunch. It's trippy, tuneful, and sounds instantly right the second it kicks in. If you want to "get into" the now sounds of today's youth, set the controls for Saturn! Viva Saturn! It's lift-off time! It's not rocket science! Outer space is outta-sight! Let's plan-et! [yeesh - that's enough cheesy space travel metaphors already - Ed.] 
 

EDIT: the Ships Of Heaven single! Included in loaddown (@128). 






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17 comments:

  1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 21, 2021 at 5:49 AM

    If you have Ships Of Heaven, please share! I know it exists - there's a bootleg - but it's eluded me for decades!

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  2. HDApril 21, 2021 at 6:17 AM

    I was surprised to see signs reading "Emergency Third Rail Power Trip" in the BART station upon egress from the Frisco airport. Got a picture somewhere. (I like saying Frisco because I know how much it annoys residents of The City Built On Rock And Roll.)

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 21, 2021 at 6:25 AM

      I think they're all over the Big Apple (ditto) subway system, too. Took a special genius to realise the potential for an album title.

      Delete
    2. draftervoiApril 24, 2021 at 9:59 AM

      There's a small part of me that goes,"DIE! DIE!" and wishes I still carried my switchblade when I hear "Frisco," but the TRUTH is that Herb Caen has been dead for decades now, and without his quarterly rants against the euphemism...uh, jeez, I don't really care if you call us "Frisco." It's...amusingly jazz era slang. So it's "jake" with me, Hazy Dave. :)

      Delete
  3. Jack Kerouac's CatApril 21, 2021 at 6:25 AM

    There's an old thread on Steve Hoffman Music Forums: Rain Parade's "Crashing Dream" - how can this not be on CD?!

    One of the members wrote:
    "About ten years ago I bought a CDR copy of Demolition from Steven Roback's website. He was also selling CDR copies of the unreleased Viva Saturn "Ships Of Heaven" album."

    I can't find Steven Roback's website

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 21, 2021 at 6:28 AM

      "Demolition" (as in "demo") is unlistenably horrible. Grindingly bleak and totally lacking in magic.

      Inneresting podcast (#79) on Ships Of Heaven here:

      https://paisleystageraspberryandrhyme.podbean.com/

      Delete
  4. Jack Kerouac's CatApril 21, 2021 at 6:25 AM

    Forgot the link (duh!)
    https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/rain-parades-crashing-dream-how-can-this-not-be-on-cd.177657/

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 21, 2021 at 6:33 AM

      That's a fairly typical "Not a fan/I ain't heard these guys" Hoffman thread, unfortunately. Outside their comfort zone.

      Delete
  5. RobApril 21, 2021 at 10:07 AM

    Some Rain for your Parade... https://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com/search?q=rain+parade

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 21, 2021 at 10:15 AM

      Thanks, Rob. I have this somewhere, but I don't think any bootleg live Rain Parade is quite as good as Beyond The Sunset, which isn't all that fantastic anyway. I'm really itching to hear Ships Of Heaven though - from the samples on that podcast it sounds well up to par.

      Delete
    2. RobApril 21, 2021 at 7:51 PM

      Keeping an eye out for that...

      Delete
    3. RobApril 21, 2021 at 7:53 PM

      The RIVERSIDE Studios boot is decent, if you scroll down on that link but yes, hard to beat the beyond..

      Delete
  6. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 22, 2021 at 5:08 AM

    Here's the three rekkids featured above, PLUS, courtesy our friend David, the 45 release of Ships Of Heaven b/w Angel Sister.




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  7. PsychfanApril 22, 2021 at 8:00 PM

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. draftervoiApril 24, 2021 at 10:02 AM

    I turn 65 in two weeks. I'm TOTALLY into hearing new contemporary sounds, sounds that I missed during my "salad days", and music from before I was born 10,000 B.C. to 1956. So...everything goes, as far as I'm concerned. Visit us at VoodDoo Wagon, btw....

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 24, 2021 at 10:49 AM

      I'm open to ALL types of music that fall within my very narrow cultural acceptability parameters (and a regliar passenger on th' VooDoo Wagon).

      Delete
  9. MrDaveApril 24, 2021 at 9:50 PM

    Nice one! Thanks for these "contemporary" recordings! Roback's got a knack for teaming up with sultry gals (Kendra as well as Hope).

    ReplyDelete

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