Monocled Alchemist

An 80s psychedelic rock and pop anthology

This Can’t Be Today | American Psychedelia & The Paisley Underground 1977 – 1988 | (Cherry Red) 2025 | THE CONCEPT of this compilation has been proposed since the 1990s by various record companies and producers (including myself), but it took Jim Barber to see it through to the end. While many of the usual suspects are here – Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green On Red, Long Ryders, 3 O’Clock, Bangles etc – it’s the deeper cuts by lesser-known bands like The Last, Naked Prey, Droogs, The Reverbs, The Romans, Dumptruck, Winter Hours, Mod Fun, Flying Color, 28th Day and my own Absolute Grey that inspired me to dust off my Rolodex© and call in some favours to help this over the finish line.

This was the golden era of college radio, before the major labels co-opted it, and fanzines; Boston Rock, Matter, The Bob, Trouser Press and others, as well as a thriving club scene (9:30, 40 Watt, Maxwell’s, Scorgie’s, Club Lingerie, The Channel, I-Beam, Berkeley Square etc) and regional scenes that networked across the country, taking in Athens, Winston-Salem, Hoboken, Minneapolis, Tucson, and so on.

As you scroll through the track list, you may ask yourself ‘what do bands like Husker Du, Flaming Lips, Wire Train, Translator and Meat Puppets have to do with some of the other bands?’. A lot. At that time we all felt like one big army against MTV, Rolling Stone (who rarely covered any of these artists in this collection), mainstream FM stations, hair metal and British synth pop. We embraced guitars over keyboards, organic songwriting over sampling, humans over drum machines.

Every musician on this collection was accessible – you could show up at most venues during soundcheck, sneak in and have a conversation with Peter Buck or Mike Mills, ask Peter Holsapple what Chris Stamey was up to, badger Mitch Easter or Steve Wynn to listen to your demo tape and, more often than not, do impromptu interviews with folks like Tommy Keene, Scott Miller of Game Theory, Vicki Peterson or even Alex Chilton.

As Jonathan Richman once sang, “Don’t let our youth go to waste” — I can now rest much better knowing that this essential 1980s psychedelic rock and pop anthology has been completed and no longer ignored. (Pat Thomas)

This Can’t Be Today | American Psychedelia & The Paisley Underground 1977 – 1988 | (Cherry Red) 2025

My Top 5 Picks

The Bangs – “Getting Out Of Hand”

Originally released as a single, Down Kiddie Records, December 1981.

When Susanna Hoofs took out an ad in the L.A. newspaper The Recycler looking for women to play in a band she described as “The Monkees meet Love”, the ad didn’t directly lead to a meeting with sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, but the musicians’ shared interest in once-popular ’60s combos like The Grass Roots, The Merry Go-Round and The Beau Brummels would spark a friendship when they finally connected.

Having formed as The Colours, their first demo was a cover of The Turtles’ growling Stonesalike “Outside Chance”, a song co-written by Warren Zevon, but after changing their name to The Bangs they recorded this debut 45 with producer and former Blue Cheer member Ethan James. The punk kids didn’t know what to make of the harmonies, but this retro sound was gaining momentum.

The Unclaimed – “Deposition Central” (The Acid Song)

Originally released on ‘The Unclaimed’ EP, Moxie Records, 1980

Kentucky native Sid Griffin moved to L.A. to find a band and hooked up with Hollywood native Shelley Ganz to form The Unclaimed, their encyclopedic knowledge of ‘nuggets’-style ravers provided a solid base for the original tunes they started to write.

Griffin’s “Deposition Central” is the highlight of the original line-up’s sole EP, but Greg Shaw included Ganz’s tune “Run From Home” on ‘Battle Of The Garages’. Griffin and bassist Barry Shank left in November 1981 with a plan to form a band that had slightly different ’60s inspirations.

The Rain Parade – “What She’s Done To Your Mind”

Originally released on the album ‘Emergency Third Rail Power Trip’, Enigma, 1983

The Rain Parade arrived on the L.A. scene with a fully formed musical identity, complete command of their craft and a wildly outsized ambition. Founders David and Steven Roback formed The Unconscious with future Bangle Susanna Hoffs when they all attended UC Berkeley, but back in L.A. the pair put together The Rain Parade with ace guitarist Matt Piucci, violinist / keyboardist Will Glenn and drummer Eddie Kalwa.

The self-released 45 “What She’s Done To Your Mind” sent shock waves through college radio and retail in 1983, and the highly-anticipated album arrived at the end of the year.

Around the same time, Roback, released the long out-of-print “Rainy Day”, an influential covers album that featured songs by Dylan, Alex Chilton, Neil Young and Lou Reed, performed by an all-star group featuring members of The Rain Parade, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock and The Dream Syndicate.

The Eyes Of Mind – “With You”

Originally released on the album ‘Tales Of The Turquoise Umbrella’, Voxx Records, 1984

After the success of The Pandoras, Voxx Records expanded its roster with a slew of new bands in 1984. The Eyes Of Mind was a trio that featured Troy Howell from Salvation Army, Jamie Phelan on guitar and vocals, Mark Kuhlman on keyboards and Rick Tracy on bass, and their six-song ‘Tales Of The Turquoise Umbrella’ EP had flawless collage artwork, perfectly swirling keyboards, and Phelan’s vocals echoing Michael Quercio’s dreamy falsetto.

The band seemed to vanish shortly after release and, while there have been no reissues or follow-up records, you can hear five additional songs added to the EP on modern streaming services.

The Cynics – “Took Her Hand”

Originally released on the album ‘Twelve Flights Up’, Get Hip Recordings, 1988

The Cynics guitarist (and Get Hip label owner) Gregg Kostelich started collecting garage punk when he was four or five years old and says he saw The Sonics, The Blues Magoos and The Who when he was seven or eight.

Gregg just had to be patient until his favourite music gained popularity again, and he launched The Cynics in Pittsburgh when the second psychedelic era came around.

He and vocalist Michael Kastelic were joined by keyboardist Beki Smith, drummer Bill Von Hagen and bassist Steve Magee on ‘Twelve Flights Up’ before the band broke up briefly in the ’90s. But Kostelich and Kastelic have kept The Cynics alive with various line-up changes well into the 21st Century.