Opal - Early Recordings/Happy Nightmare Baby

Roback made some magical music

MAGICK POWER

Just the most amazing song (and video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6g1IvcwL5Y

Just noticed that the "Verified Artist" page for Opal on Spotify--while including an authentic band photo and bio--completely features music by an unrelated artist using the same name.

<iframe width="616" height="462" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iEamS2sQO9Q"; frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ahhhh, evidently not how that works, empty box blues, beautiful stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=iEamS2sQO9Q&feature=emb_logo

via Elvis Telecom on FB, never seen this (great) show before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCqD-vCS9hw

wow never seen that one before!

nice! it's nice that for a relatively obscure band, Opal/Clay Allison was pretty well-documented, bootleg-wise. here's one of their earliest live gigs: https://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/611039000197775360/clay-allison-mccabes-guitar-shop-santa-monica

sleeve do I still owe you an email?

"Rocket Machine" is such a jam. What a band.

xp yes please!

https://t.co/AEQAuASxM8

— Pat Thomas (@PatThomas1964) February 27, 2020

So I think I read that the opal reissue from 2019 wasn't authorized? I see it up for pre-order now. Confused

My guess (genuinely only a guess) is that it was put together by someone who thought they had the rights or didn't think there would be a problem with them, then a few copies got out, then there was a problem with the rights, subsequently resolved, release is back on.

otm imo

how did I space on the Early Recordings vol 2 mentioned upthread? I'm having a very enjoyable afternoon catching up. If I'd been handed a copy of this 25 years ago my brain would have exploded.

...is this available for purchase? It's on youtube for streaming.

It's a boot, apparently from a tape stolen from David Roback. A few of the songs are not Opal but another member of Rain Parade I think.

I can ysi if u ILXmail me

also paging f. hazel, I did email you but never got that link

At least one of the songs on Early 2 is from the very first Rain Parade recordings. Matt Piucci talks about it in one of the recent episodes of the paisley underground podcast.

yeah when Matt P was first made aware of Early 2 iirc he got mad because he thought it was a legit release and Dave R was ripping off his songs or something?

hrmmm

Sadly - they may never come out now - difficulties with David Roback’s management

— Pat Thomas (@PatThomas1964) July 17, 2020

gahhh

f. hazel plz check yr ilxmail

Sucks to hear it. :-/

Thanks to David Roback, his management and the record company- these two releases are permanently cancelled. Yes, CDs were manufactured and a few copies were sold last November. Sadly the remainder will be destroyed. Kendra & I did everything we could to make this release happen

— Pat Thomas (@PatThomas1964) November 11, 2020

fuuuuuck

such bullshit

he goes on to say: "it’s too complex to write it all out on Twitter, but I will say there were unreasonable and immoral demands set forth."

i'm trying to imagine who would be good for an opal / kendra smith tribute album ...

heron oblivion
damon & naomi
magik markers
dream syndicate
dean & britta

who else?!

I saw Opal split up onstage in London in 1988, not their greatest show I'm guessing.

I'm still baffled a bit: was this some sort of final wish of Roback's before he died or was in his will, or is his estate just jerking everyone's chain?

yeah i really have no idea.

yeah it's a bit weird to blame him now given he's dead

the 'immoral' statement makes me assume that there was some assertion on Roback or his estate's part that would have denied any funds going to Kendra. Did they hate each other?

well that's depressing!

Low would be great for a tribute album.

there's already four Opal tribute albums, the last one was called Seasons of Your Day

haha, really? well i missed those.

oh lol, i get it now.

Wouldn't mind hearing William Reid sing "She's a Diamond".

so weird that they are going to destroy the remaining copies of this. I get that they can't sell them but surely they could give them away, at least?

that's a pretty typical aftereffect of these kinds of injunctions, iirc. like Prince w/the Black Album.

it's hard to believe this band or anyone associated with it has the legal or financial wherewithal to impose any kind of injunction though.

I'm guessing they made a fair amount of money from Mazzy Star over the years, especially "Fade Into You"

Roback and Hope, yes. But Roback is deceased. So I guess this falls to whoever is handling the estate, or whoever owns the rights to these recordings; I also know, from the little I've dealt with the American music club reissues, that dealing with rights holders for independent music from the 80's and 90's is a complete pain in the ass. Hats off to Light in the Attic and Omnivore and other reissue labels that have the patience to deal with it

I mean yeah, remember that Happy Nightmare Baby was released on SST!

I believe it was a similar rights issue that kept the Game Theory records out of print in Scott Miller's lifetime, after Enigma Records had collapsed.

So sad that there's this kinda of wrangling over what must be a thin gruel of royalties

exactly. Pat clarified on twitter that the rights are owned 50/50 but Roback's demands were unacceptable. Hard to understand what kind of demands you can have when it's understood that you only own 50%. Frankly owning 50% of your rights for this stuff is pretty good.

Is the thinking sells on Discogs for $75, therefore the demand must be huge!?